Page 110 of Fatal Witness

“Maybe it’ll come back to you.” He stood and walked to the back door, where Alex spoke with Craig and Ben. Alex raised her eyebrows, questioning him.

“She’s okay now,” he said. He turned to Craig and Ben. “Did either of you see what happened?”

“I just saw her fall,” Ben said, and Craig agreed.

Mark felt pressure at his elbow and turned. “You should still be sitting in the chair,” he said.

Dani pushed past him and pointed her finger at the man with Ben. “You were here, and you argued with my dad.”

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Dani stared at the man with Ben, who was shaking his head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the man said. “If you’re talking about the night your dad died, I was in Chattanooga.”

“Whoa.” Ben held up his hand. “You have it wrong about me too. I was with Craig.”

Dani pressed her lips together. Was she wrong? Was she having false memories? Like the memory of her dad burying something? She’d been almost to the woods when she remembered he’d been digging up a box, not burying it.

She’d read about false memories in her research. And Ben was the Pearl Springs mayor ... What was she thinking? “Did you ever come here to see my dad?”

“Well, yeah.” Ben lowered his hand. “I told you yesterday your mama fed me sometimes. And your dad and I ... well, I’d never kill either one of them.”

“And I knew both your parents,” Craig said. “I’d never intentionally hurt them.”

They sounded sincere. Why couldn’t she remember? She pressed her hand to her forehead. It wasn’t right for her to accusesomeone with nothing to go on. Dani sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I guess I’m just tired.”

Mark squeezed her shoulder. “It’s okay.”

She leaned into him. It wasn’t okay to go around accusing people of murder.

“Why don’t you take her back inside,” Alex said. “I’ll talk to Craig and Ben.”

“Want me to carry you?” Mark asked.

“I can walk.” Once they were inside the house, she asked, “Who was that man with Ben?”

“That’s his uncle, Craig Tennyson. He’s the one who offered to buy this place.” Mark led her to the kitchen table and pulled out a red and white vinyl chair.

She sank into it. Like she had so many times before. Dani ran her hand over the Formica table, remembering how excited her mom had been when the used furniture store delivered the table and chairs and took away the old wooden set. She scanned the rest of the kitchen. It was coming back to her—the dishes that were guaranteed not to break that Nonny had given them for Christmas, and how had she missed the bowl of fake fruit on the table?

She took a pear from the bowl. Not even dusty. Dani could not believe how her grandmother had kept the house in pristine condition, waiting for her to return. Or maybe it was a way to honor her daughter?

“You want some water?”

“The faucet works?” Why did she even ask? Of course it did.

“Yeah, but I planned to grab a bottle from the car.”

“I’m sure the water is fine.”

“Maybe so, but I’ll be right back.”

Mark was barely gone a minute before he returned with a bottle of water and uncapped it. “Why did you go into the woods?” he asked after she’d taken a long sip.

“Before I tell you, why don’t you record it on your phone. I’m sure Alex will want to know and that way I only have to tell it once.”

“Good idea,” he said.

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