Part 11 (1/2)
Chapter 10.
”That must have been hard on you,” I said when we got back to her house.
We were comfortably seated on one of her sofas. She'd started a fire a” three logs which looked like toothpicks in her ma.s.sive fireplace a” and served us drinks. Tea for her, Dr. Pepper for me.
”No problem.” She grimaced. ”Actually, it was the hardest thing I've ever done.”
”That's saying a lot. You've done some pretty hard things.”
”None that compare to this.”
”For a minute there, I thought you were going to start crying.”
”Who me? Never!”
I looked at her, my eyebrows raised.
”For a second, I did feel like crying, but I couldn't. Not in front of her. Not when I didn't know her.”
”She is your grandmother, Destiny. Maybe you could have comforted each other.”
”I don't think we could have. It's too late for that.”
”Maybe so,” I agreed reluctantly.
”Can I ask you something, Kris?”
”It's not about Gallagher, is it?” I asked, my guard up.
”No,” she laughed. ”Not this time.”
”Okay, then.”
”What made you decide to take this case? Why did you want to help me?”
I didn't answer right away. When I did, I started with the easy, obvious reasons, hoping to avoid the harder ones.
”Well... you were a friend of Mich.e.l.le's....”
Long pause.
”... and I've always admired you from afar.”
That made her laugh.
”No, really,” I protested. ”The work you're doing is important.”
”Is that all?” Her eyes seemed to bore a hole through my thoughts.
”Er, no,” I fumbled for the right words. ”I wanted to give you back your childhood, Destiny... and I'm not sure if I should say this....”
”Go on,” her gentle voice pushed me.
”I wanted to get back my own, too.” I let go of her steady gaze.
”What do you mean?”
”I don't have any memory either a” not of the first seven years of my life, anyway.” I was starting to sweat.
”Why not?” She reached out to calm my fidgeting hands.
”I don't know.”
”Did something traumatic happen to you when you were little, Kris?”
”Yes! No! I don't know!”
”What happened?”
”Nothing happened! Everything happened!” I screamed, startled at the anger in my own voice.
The exhaustion of the past month was starting to catch up to me. I was on the edge and I knew it.
”When you started helping me, the memories started coming back for you, too, didn't they?” Her words were as soft as her touch.
”How did you know?” My voice quivered.
”Every time I see you, you look like I feel: more tired and more scared. Are you sleeping at night?”
”Not much.”
”What's scaring you?”
I shook my head violently.
”Whatever it is, it can't be that bad.”
”Oh, it is.” I nodded my head vehemently. ”Every night, I close my eyes, but I never sleep for long. The images... they're awful. How could such horrible things happen at night after a little girl closes her eyes?”
”What things?”
”Oh, no, I can't say.” In a monotone, I started to chant, ”No way, can't say, no way, can't say a””
”Kris, please, let me in just a little. I trusted you a” trust me!”