Read Online Eyewitness (Thriller/Legal Thriller - #5 The Witness Series) (The Witness Series #5) by Rebecca Forster - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Rebecca Forster
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husband enough to cry for him. Teuta slid off the bed and knelt by the old woman. She touched the scarf covering her mother’s hair. The mother raised her faded eyes and looked at her daughter.
“He came.”
“Then all will be well. He sees father dying.”
“He asked about you. About your children.”
Teuta froze. She opened her mouth, but it was a moment before she was able to ask: “What did you tell him?”
“That you had daughters and a strong husband. I told him you were a good girl.”
The baby began to cry just then, and Teuta’s father opened his eyes. Mother and daughter watched, sure that this was an omen. But he only stared at the ceiling for what seemed many minutes. Teuta moved toward him while her mother held tight to the children.
“Atë,” she whispered. “It is me, Teuta.”
He turned his head. His breath was hot and hard to come by, and his eyes were the color of a snow-sky over the mountains, flat and seemingly endless. But he did see one thing: the baby in his wife’s arms.
“Boy?” he rasped.
Teuta shook her head. “Vajzë. A girl”
He closed his eyes. A tear seeped out of the corner, but did not fall. It hesitated as if it were looking for a way through the maze of the deep lines and wrinkles on the old man’s face. Teuta wiped it away.
She didn’t have the heart to tell him she was pregnant again.
2013
Josie tried to think ahead, but it wouldn’t be a worthwhile exercise until she had coffee and a few hours of sleep. Still, one thought kept creeping into her mind and it was the worst-case scenario: Billy Zuni could be accused of murder. Josie had already been through that nightmare with Hannah and she didn’t want to repeat it. Then again, it could be even worse than Billy being accused of murder; the boy might actually have committed murder. Either way, Billy would be in the mix of suspects until he was crossed off and that was just a fact.
Driving home, Josie called Faye who promised to come over and offer what counsel she could. The next call went out to Mira Costa high school. Josie filled in the horrified principal, asked her to check records for Billy’s next of kin, and touch base with the school psychologist to see if there was any recent contact with the boy. Josie also advised that Hannah would be out for the day.
She parked the Jeep just as the news of the murders came on the radio. When she heard the names were being withheld until next of kin were notified, Josie got out of the car. She was dialing Archer as she went up the walk but disconnected when she opened the front door. Max was sitting in the entry beside a puddle of pee.
“Sorry, buddy,” she said and ushered him outside. He slunk past her, tail hanging low. Josie let her hand trail over his back as he passed to let him know it was okay. Nobody could hold it forever.
By the time she mopped up the mess and got back to the patio, Max had his front paws on the low brick wall Josie had built. She planted her feet on either side of him, ruffled his ears, and wished she could have slept through that storm like he had.
“What do you say, Max? What in the heck happened last night?” She gave him a hug and took a minute to regroup.
Last night’s storm had wreaked havoc on their corner of paradise. Tree branches and palm fronds littered the wide concrete walkway that led to the beach. Patio furniture had been overturned and the wind had blown screens off windows. The damage was a small price to pay for the good stuff the storm left behind.
The wind had pushed the smog out to sea, the rain had washed the street clean, and the day had broken sapphire bright. Everything sparkled under a brilliant but weak sun. That brilliance made Josie feel as if she could spread her arms and dip the fingers of one hand in the ocean while touching the snowcapped tops of the San Bernardino Mountains with the other. Life, in that moment, was incredibly simple – except that it wasn’t.
Josie gave the dog a quick
“He came.”
“Then all will be well. He sees father dying.”
“He asked about you. About your children.”
Teuta froze. She opened her mouth, but it was a moment before she was able to ask: “What did you tell him?”
“That you had daughters and a strong husband. I told him you were a good girl.”
The baby began to cry just then, and Teuta’s father opened his eyes. Mother and daughter watched, sure that this was an omen. But he only stared at the ceiling for what seemed many minutes. Teuta moved toward him while her mother held tight to the children.
“Atë,” she whispered. “It is me, Teuta.”
He turned his head. His breath was hot and hard to come by, and his eyes were the color of a snow-sky over the mountains, flat and seemingly endless. But he did see one thing: the baby in his wife’s arms.
“Boy?” he rasped.
Teuta shook her head. “Vajzë. A girl”
He closed his eyes. A tear seeped out of the corner, but did not fall. It hesitated as if it were looking for a way through the maze of the deep lines and wrinkles on the old man’s face. Teuta wiped it away.
She didn’t have the heart to tell him she was pregnant again.
2013
Josie tried to think ahead, but it wouldn’t be a worthwhile exercise until she had coffee and a few hours of sleep. Still, one thought kept creeping into her mind and it was the worst-case scenario: Billy Zuni could be accused of murder. Josie had already been through that nightmare with Hannah and she didn’t want to repeat it. Then again, it could be even worse than Billy being accused of murder; the boy might actually have committed murder. Either way, Billy would be in the mix of suspects until he was crossed off and that was just a fact.
Driving home, Josie called Faye who promised to come over and offer what counsel she could. The next call went out to Mira Costa high school. Josie filled in the horrified principal, asked her to check records for Billy’s next of kin, and touch base with the school psychologist to see if there was any recent contact with the boy. Josie also advised that Hannah would be out for the day.
She parked the Jeep just as the news of the murders came on the radio. When she heard the names were being withheld until next of kin were notified, Josie got out of the car. She was dialing Archer as she went up the walk but disconnected when she opened the front door. Max was sitting in the entry beside a puddle of pee.
“Sorry, buddy,” she said and ushered him outside. He slunk past her, tail hanging low. Josie let her hand trail over his back as he passed to let him know it was okay. Nobody could hold it forever.
By the time she mopped up the mess and got back to the patio, Max had his front paws on the low brick wall Josie had built. She planted her feet on either side of him, ruffled his ears, and wished she could have slept through that storm like he had.
“What do you say, Max? What in the heck happened last night?” She gave him a hug and took a minute to regroup.
Last night’s storm had wreaked havoc on their corner of paradise. Tree branches and palm fronds littered the wide concrete walkway that led to the beach. Patio furniture had been overturned and the wind had blown screens off windows. The damage was a small price to pay for the good stuff the storm left behind.
The wind had pushed the smog out to sea, the rain had washed the street clean, and the day had broken sapphire bright. Everything sparkled under a brilliant but weak sun. That brilliance made Josie feel as if she could spread her arms and dip the fingers of one hand in the ocean while touching the snowcapped tops of the San Bernardino Mountains with the other. Life, in that moment, was incredibly simple – except that it wasn’t.
Josie gave the dog a quick
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