Page 14 of Feel Me

I start to deny how I feel, but it’s not me she’s doubting. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you,” she tells me, her tone serious despite how softly she speaks. “And it’s not with the distaste she attempts to portray. She’s Miles Fenske’s daughter.”

“Tess, I know.”

“You don’t,” she presses gently. “He’s her world, Declan. And if he’s sick, her world is crumbling. She likes you. I can tell that she does. If you give in to what she’s feeling, and Miles doesn’t pull through, she may not recover if you leave her, too.”

“You’re making a lot of assumptions,” I tell her.

“I’m not. I’m speaking as a woman who’s been too lonely for her own good, and too caught up in her obligations to realize.” She offers me a smile packed with too much sadness and an extra dose of worry. “Try to keep a professional distance, okay?”

“I will.”

It’s what I say. Too bad I don’t think I can.

CHAPTER 4

Melissa

It takes a few days before Declan and I meet up again. I escort Rosana to his office, along with her mother Vilma, and the interpreter who’s assisting us due to Vilma’s limited English.

Declan and Detective Melo stand as we walk into Declan’s office, sitting only once we take our places at the conference table.

“Rosana, Vilma, this is Assistant District Attorney Declan O’Brien, he’ll be handling your case in court,” I say.

“Hi, Rosana,” Declan says as the interpreter communicates the conversation.

I don’t hear well in groups. There’s too much extra sound when more than one person is speaking, which is why today will be challenging with the interpreter present. It’s moments like these I count on my ability to lip read.

I settle in, hoping I don’t miss anything important and smiling at Rosana encouragingly when she glances from Declan to me. We’ve established a rapport over the last few weeks, but it’s taken a few meetings and some brief counseling sessions for her to warm up to me. Like most victims of ongoing and severe sexual assault, she’s defensive and closed off.

I touch her hand lightly when she doesn’t respond. “Nothing formal will happen today. Declan just wants to meet you and perhaps get a feel for how ready you are to testify.”

She tugs her shirt down over her belly as her attention darts back to Declan. She’s a bit overweight and curvy, making her appear older than fourteen. She’s self-conscious about her appearance in general, but it’s more obvious today.

I’m not sure why until she leans closer to me. “Is he a model?” she asks.

I try not to grin because the last thing Declan needs is a bigger ego. “No. He’s the lawyer who’ll be fighting for you in court.”

“That’s not what I mean,” she says, keeping her attention on me. “Was he a model before this thing?”

She’s mumbling, and I’m struggling to hear her. But Declan picked up on what she said without any problems. “No, I just take pretty pictures,” he says with a wink. “But I’m sure your pics are prettier than mine, sweetie.”

He’s trying to be charming, but this isn’t the right way to connect to Rosana. Her awe of Declan instantly vanishes, displaced with anger. “The only person who ever took my picture was Iker, and I didn’t have any clothes on when he did it,” she snaps.

Declan stops smiling, his attention shifting to Detective Melo. “Did you know about this?”

“I do now,” Melo says. “Rosana, this is important. Why didn’t you tell us before?”

She shrugs, her stare fixing on the carpet. “Rosana,” I say gently, trying to draw her attention before she shuts down.

“You shouldn’t have told him,” her mother mutters. If it wasn’t for the interpreter doing her job, none of us would know what she said.

I start to defend Rosana, but Declan chimes in, cutting me off. “She did the right thing in telling us, and if we have proof, I can bring additional charges against Iker.” He looks at Rosana. “It’s illegal for anyone to photograph a child this way. Do you understand? He had no right doing this, and I’m going make sure he’s held accountable.”

Her mother tightens her jaw as the interpreter explains what Declan just said. I keep my attention on the interpreter, hoping Vilma will say more, but like Rosana, Vilma is done talking.

“Rosana, I’m here to help you,” Declan says. His voice is so soft, I have to watch his lips closely while doing my best to zone out the interpreter’s speech. “But if I don’t know everything that happened, or if you’re keeping things from me, I won’t be able to defend you to the best of my ability. Is there anything else Iker has done or said that you haven’t told us or the police about?”

Rosana crosses her arms, shaking her head slowly. I can’t tell if she’s being honest or if she’s staying quiet because her mother told her to. I don’t know Declan well, but if Rosana wasn’t underage, Declan would be throwing her mother out to question Rosana privately.

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