Page 116 of Fatal Witness

“Not a lot.” Dani liked the deputy. She’d heard Alex say Jenna was a rock climber, and she’d enjoyed rock climbing in Montana. Maybe when this was all over, they could take a day and the deputy could show her some good places to climb. “And certainly nothing concrete about that night, but I’m hoping some of these pictures will do the trick.”

Dani rubbed her hand across the box of photos they’d gotten at her grandmother’s.

Photos. She stilled.

Mark was sitting across from her and covered her hand with his. “Did you just remember something?”

“No, but...” She turned to Alex, who had stepped back into the room. “Are there crime scene photos in the files?”

Alex’s eyes widened slightly. “Yes, but I don’t think you should see them.”

Dani pressed her lips in a thin line as a band tightened around her chest. “What if they could shock my brain into remembering?”

Mark spoke up. “I don’t think it’s a good idea either.”

She took a deep breath. “It’s not that I want to see them, but maybe that’s what I need to do. Where are they?”

“In my office with the rest of the files on this case,” Alex said. “Would you rather I bring them to the house?”

If she waited, she might back out. Dani shook her head. “It’d be better to look at them here.”

“If you’re sure ... but first, Max just told me his CSI team used a metal detector to search for spent bullets and casings, and they found a small black box.”

“What?” Dani leaned forward.

“It’s probably the box you saw,” Alex said. “It was empty—I assume your dad took what was in it and dropped the box in the hole he dug, and it filled in over the years.”

She’d been right to question her memory of what happened in the woods that day.

Dani felt Alex’s eyes on her and looked up.

“Would you rather put off looking at the photos until tomorrow?”

Dani concentrated on breathing to keep from hyperventilating. Could she do it? The thought of looking at the photos ratcheted her heart rate off the charts. “No. If I wait...”

“What if I went through them first,” Mark said. “And removed the close-ups of ... the victims?”

Her heartbeat settled a little. “Would you stay with me?”

“Of course.”

Dani took in another deep breath through her nose. “Let’s do it.”

“We’re all leaving,” Alex said. “Why don’t I bring the file in here?”

“That would be better.” She didn’t think her legs would carryher down the hall to Alex’s office. Mark stayed with her while Alex went to get the files.

“I wish there was some other way to do this,” he said.

“So do I.” She closed her eyes and concentrated on calming her nerves. The door opened, and her pulse jumped again. So much for biofeedback.

“I only brought the photos.” Alex laid the envelope on the table. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do.”

“You want me to stay too?”

Dani shook her head. It would be bad enough if she came unglued with Mark here. She didn’t want Alex to see it as well.

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