Page 105 of Wicked Knight

I wouldn't be able to get an inch near him without alerting his father.

The next person I think of is Eilish.

At this time of the day, she might be my best bet.

It would also be good to talk to a friend before I speak to anyone professional about this.

With that reasoning, I quickly get ready.

It's nine-thirty. Eilish will be in the garden at this time doing yoga. I leave my apartment and head down to the garden. There I find her sitting cross-legged in the center of the rose garden. She looks like she was about to go into some sort of deep meditation when she saw me.

I feel bad for disturbing her and almost back away, but it's too late. She's already seen me.

"Mackenzie." She smiles, standing.

"Hey there. I'm so sorry to disturb you. I can come back later."

"No, no. Stay. Are you okay? You look really flustered." She looks me over.

I gaze at her, wondering where I should start. "Could I take you up on that offer to talk?"

She nods. "Of course. Do you want to go sit somewhere else or is here okay?"

I look around and decide that we're good here. It's quiet and peaceful and I feel comfortable here. "Here is good."

"Then step into my office," she jokes, motioning to the grass.

She sits back down and I sit in front of her, hugging my knees to my chest.

We stare at each other and I know she's waiting for me to start.

"What's going on, Mackenzie?" She prods.

"I'm sorry. I've just had a lot going on.”

"Tell me what you're most comfortable telling me. Something brought you down here." She cocks her head to the side and gives me a warm smile.

"How much do you know about my past? I mean, the stuff to do with the Valnekos."

She blows out a ragged breath. "Maybe more than I should," she confesses. "My father was a judge on the investigation team that looked into the possible involvement of your father in Tommy Valnecko's murder."

My lungs tighten and I realize that she probably knows everything.

"It's okay, Mackenzie. I stumbled on that information by chance. Not even my parents know that I know. I was looking for something from my past when I found details about yours.”

“Maybe it's for the best," I infer. "It helps me now."

"Talk to me. What's going on?"

"I guess you know it was suspected that Tommy kidnapped me and abused me."

She nods slowly. "Yes."

"And I'm sure you know that that's why his father believes my father killed him."

"What do you believe?"

"I believe my father. I've always believed my father. We may not see eye to eye on occasion, but one thing we have between us is trust. So if he says he didn't do something, then I know he didn't do it."

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