[Columbia River 05] At the River by Kendra Elliot

Author:Kendra Elliot [Kendra Elliot]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B0BDPKGHHQ
Publisher: Montlake
Published: 2024-02-13T00:00:00+00:00

28

Noelle looked at Mercy, confusion in her expression. “Face blindness?”

Mercy nodded to her. “I looked it up recently when a celebrity admitted he struggled with it. It’s exactly what it sounds like. The inability to recognize faces. It can be caused by a traumatic brain injury, but some is congenital.” She looked to Devin. “I assume you didn’t have it before the accident?”

He nodded, his hand still covering his eyes. “That’s correct.”

“When Noelle and I came to the door a few minutes ago, you had no idea who we were until Ollie said my name.”

“Mercy,” he said. “Mercy Kilpatrick. Special agent. FBI. Long, black hair,” he recited as if reading from a book. He lowered his hand and studied Noelle. “I linked your names together in my head. Noelle Marshall. Detective. Deschutes County. Blonde. Sometimes I can’t remember quickly enough. I write notes if I think I’ll see people again.”

Mercy remembered how at their first meeting he’d asked for their business cards and laid them in front of him on the table. She’d noticed he’d kept glancing at the cards and then at their faces.

How does he function in public?

She sucked in a breath, remembering his blatant fear in the emergency room. He’d been frantically searching for a face he knew.

He can’t function. That’s why he stays home.

“Can you recognize your mother?” asked Noelle.

“Most of the time. She keeps those purple streaks in her hair to make it easier for me. It also helps that I simply know the woman in my house is my mother. If we’re somewhere else and she steps away for a while, she always says ‘It’s Mom’ when she returns. I rely a lot on spoken cues. Locations help, too, if I know a person is frequently in the same spot.” He returned to the sofa and sat heavily. “It’s just easier to stay home.”

“You seem comfortable with Ollie,” Mercy said.

“He has a few distinctive things about him that help me remember who he is. He’s young—not many young people talk to me.” He gave a faint but wry smile. “His teeth help. He always smiles.”

“Did you tell Ollie about this?” asked Mercy.

“Not yet. I almost have a few times.” He sat up straighter on the sofa. “Oh! Last night I learned Kaylie is your niece. I usually know who she is because she’s always at the Coffee Café and has a nose piercing.” He touched the side of his nose. “Those two things tell me it’s Kaylie when she greets me. When she stopped by here last night, it took me a minute because she was out of place. But when she mentioned my usual coffee order, I put it together. She’s always nice. The coffee shop is the one place I don’t mind going because she’s usually there.”

Mercy was overwhelmed as she tried to put herself in Devin’s shoes and imagine functioning in a world where everyone was a stranger. “What is the best way for us to help you?”

He shrugged. “Immediately tell me your name and what our previous interaction was.

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