Page 58 of Fatal Witness

Dani stared at the computer screen. If only he’d told her all this before.

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Mark parked at the bottom of Mae’s drive and jogged up the hill with Gem by his side. She’d been ecstatic to see him. He took the steps two at a time and pushed open the front door. “Where are you?”

Silence.

“Anyone here?”

“Back here.”

Dani’s shaky voice came from Mae’s office, and he quickened his pace. “What’s wrong?”

She looked up from the computer and turned toward him with a dazed stare. Mark shifted his gaze to the screen and then leaned closer. “What is this?”

“It’s a letter from Keith. He ... before he died...” She swallowed and raised her gaze, her blue eyes filled with pain.

Without stopping to think, he pulled Dani up from the chair and wrapped her in his arms. At first she stood board stiff, but as he rubbed her back and murmured that everything was going to be all right, she buried her face in his chest. Her shoulders shook as tears wet his shirt.

Mark held her until she stilled.

“I’m sorry,” she said, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “Probably ruined your shirt.”

“Nah. It’s been through worse.” Gem whined when he grabbed a tissue from a box on Mae’s desk and handed it to Dani. “Sorry, girl.” He turned to Dani. “You haven’t met Gem.”

Dani blew her nose, then knelt beside his dog. “She’s beautiful.”

“She likes to think so.” Gem held her paw up. “And she likes you.”

Dani gave a little laugh. “Got another one of those tissues?”

He handed her the box.

“I’m sorry. I feel kind of embarrassed crying on your shoulder like that.”

“Don’t be. You’ve had a lot happen in the past few days.”

Gem followed Dani as she reclaimed her seat and nodded toward the screen. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“May I print it out?”

Her nod was so slight he almost missed it. Mark pulled another chair over, sat beside her, and sent the letter to Mae’s printer for two copies.

“Where’re Alex and Mae?” he asked while they waited for it to print.

“Her studio. Checking on her kiln.”

The printer finished, and Mark removed the sheets. “May I read it?”

Again, she nodded instead of verbally responding.

Mark quickly scanned the letter, the information in it hitting him like a blow. He could only imagine how it’d made Dani feel. Then he went back and slowly reread it.

“This changes everything,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“What if this person comes after you in Montana?”

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