Page 125 of Doubts & Fears

However, in order to progress, we needed to dive deeper. I was about to rattle her in ways that even I couldn’t comprehend. I had no idea how it would affect her. She could have any reaction, honestly, depending on what she knew to be true.

“Yes, Sir.”

I took a breath to center myself. “I’ve read your parents’ accident report. There are some startling facts that don’t make sense.”

“You read the accident report?” she whispered, hugging her arms around her body.

“Yes. For starters, all three members of the Dmitriev family were found in the car that went over the cliff.”

The resounding sob and look of surprise spoke volumes. She was expecting me to tell her something completely different, and my heart raced inside my chest. My tattoo burned fiercely tonight.

“I don’t understand.”

“We don’t either. I know you said you don’t remember anything from the accident, but truth be told, you were not a part of any accident, were you?”

“No, Sir.” She hung her head in shame.

I had to pace myself, counting to twenty to give both of us some space. After some time, I spoke. “Ms. Taylor, what happened to Mischa?”

“I…she…died.”

“You’ve told me that before. Do you remember when that might have been now?”

“No, Sir, time for me then isn’t like it is now. It’s jumbled inside my head. I want to answer you, really, I do. I just can’t. Talking about her is killingme, Kinsley.”

“How so?”

“I like who I am, who I’ve become.”

Picking up on her cues, I went in the direction I felt she would be most receptive to. “Tell me what it is you love about Kinsley.”

“I’m smart, and I can dance across a ballroom floor like silk in the wind. I like to think I’m kind. Hiking and baking are two of my favorite activities, and I’m an avid reader. Believe it or not, I go to church and sing in the choir. Or, well, I did. I’m pretty good at expressing myself in a variety of ways.”

She took a breath before going on. “Most people like me, and I love to make people smile and laugh. I’m not rude, nor do I yell and scream at people. That excludes the Kings. I forget with them sometimes. Mostly with Alek. But otherwise, I think of myself as a loving, good person.”

“I’d like to ask a question about Mischa. I want you to answer this question with as much detail as you did about Kinsley. It’s important that you hear my voice and do as I ask.” I used a dominant tone with her.

“Yes, Sir, I think I could do that.” She instantly fell into sub-mode, head bowed, eyes down, and hands in her lap.

“Do you think Mischa was a good or a bad person?”

Her head snapped up, and her mouth opened and then closed again. Confusion filled her eyes. She hesitated, and after several minutes went by, I spoke. “Ms. Taylor, what are my expectations for our relationship?”

“To respond to your questions quickly and honestly,” she said immediately.

“Precisely. And did you not agree with those terms? Did I force you in any way to agree to those requests?”

“Yes, Sir, I agreed, and no, you didn’t force me.”

“So do you need me to repeat the question?”

“No, Sir,” she whispered, her eyes cast down once more.

“Then what is your response going to be?”

“Sir, Mischa was both good and bad. When she was little, she was such a good girl. She always listened to her parents and never did anything to get in trouble. Her father loved her and called her his special girl. Her mother also loved her with a fierceness.”

I watched in fascination as she pulled the memories up; we were back in third person again, but I was thankful she was being open. Her raw vulnerability hurt my heart. This was always the worst part of the job. The pain in another’s eyes, wanting to take it away but knowing the only way to do so was to facilitate the person’s journey through the pain.

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