“They…you mean…how? Why do they think it’s her?”
I can barely identify his voice. His words are shaky and I want more than anything to disappear into a hole in the floor. This should be a private moment for them. I feel like a voyeur.
Sobbing echoes up and through the stairway. “The heart necklace, the one she always wore, they said one just like it was found with the remains.”
Dawn’s cries are like nothing I’ve ever heard. If pain had a sound it would be her crying right now.
Silence.
Deafening silence.
I have no idea what to do. I can’t leave this room and let her see me. Several minutes pass by. All I hear is Dawn crying and what I can only assume is Brisban consoling her.
“Will you go to the police department with me? I need you to go with me. I can’t do this alone.”
“Yes, of course I will go with you. Can you please wait here while I go get dressed?”
“Okay.”
I stand up quickly and move over toward the bed, sitting on the edge. The sound of his footsteps coming up the stairs makes my heart pound in anticipation. As soon as he makes it to the top of the landing the air in the room seems to dissipate. The man who walked out of this room minutes ago is not the man I’m looking at now. I’ve never seen a human being so shattered in my life. It’s indescribable.
“I have to go. You have the key. Please lock up when you leave.” He walks over and picks up his jeans from the floor, pulling them on as fast as he can.
“Okay,” I whisper.
Pulling a shirt from his drawer he yanks it over his head and turns toward me. “I’m sorry to leave like this and I can’t explain right now, but I will as soon as I can.”
The fact that he’s worrying about explaining himself to me is beyond comprehension with what he was just told. I’ve never known such an empathetic person before.
“Don’t worry about me. Please, just do whatever you need to do. I’m not something you need to be worrying about.”
He steps into my space and reaches out for my hand. His eyes are glassy and darker than usual. “No, you’re more than something to me.” He squeezes my hand lightly. “I have to go now. I’ll call you as soon as I’m able.” I nod in response. He pauses briefly and then leans down, kissing me gently on top of my head. He lingers there for a moment. I close my eyes and absorb it, feel it and revel in everything that is Brisban Calloway because I’m certain this will be the last time I ever feel his lips on me again.
“I can’t believe this. You’re up here all over a woman while I’m down there waiting for you to go find out about our daughter.”
My eyes pop open and Brisban instantly straightens. Dawn’s face is red and streaked with tears. She looks like she’s aged so much since I saw her in New York City last year. As soon as she recognizes me, all the redness drains from her face and becomes a pale, milky white color. She waivers some and catches herself with the wall. I shoot up from the bed and take a step toward her.
“Dawn.”
She throws a hand up at me. “No, don’t. Don’t say anything to me.”
She’s visibly shaking and Brisban is so confused, he looks like he’s going to lose it.
“You know each other?” He looks back and forth between us in dismay.
I drop my head. “Yes.”
“She’s my editor. Has been for years,” Dawn, says.
I look up at him and everything I imagined it would be when he found out, turns out to be so much worse.
“You’re her editor?” He looks back to Dawn. “I thought Indie Edits was your editing service.”
“It is. She,” Dawn points at me, “is Indie Edits.”
“Dawn, I swear I had no idea who he was.”
She looks at me with nothing but disgust.
“It’s the truth. You’ve always been very private about your personal life. I had no idea who he was. You have to believe me.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She looks over at Brisban. “None of it matters.” Tears spill down her face. An expression of defeat settles on her face and she turns away, going back downstairs. She never even looks back.
“Brisban, I didn’t know. Until I saw the puzzle pieces and watch, I had no idea.”
He rubs his temples and winces. “I don’t even know what to say. This is all so much at one time I can’t process it. I’m sorry.”
“Please stop apologizing to me. You have things much more important to deal with right now. Go with her and find out about Willow.”
When I say her name he stills. “How do you know her name? And how do you know about the puzzle or watch?”