Chapter 8
Wednesday
Julia had just picked up her coffee when he asked his question. The mug tilted, and light brown liquid spilled onto the table. Setting the mug down with a shaking hand, Julia used her napkin to mop up the spilled coffee. She kept her head down as she rubbed at the spill over and over, until not a trace of brown remained.
Finally she wadded the wet napkin into a ball and clutched it in her fist. Stared at it for a moment, then set it carefully on the table. After taking a deep breath, she lifted her gaze to Nico’s. “That was a long time ago. In another lifetime.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “How could that have anything to do with what’s going on?”
“I have no idea,” Nico said. Sympathy rolled through him. He hated asking her to relive the pain she must feel about that night. Hated ripping the scabs off heartbreaking memories. But as unlikely as it seemed, he had to make sure the events of that night had nothing to do with these recent attacks on her. “I have to look at everything, Julia.”
“The police were very thorough. Careful.” She drew in a shaky breath. “They asked me a ton of questions. Talked to everyone I saw that night. I don’t see how there could be any connection.”
“You’re probably right. I don’t see a connection, either. But I have to cover all the bases.” He touched her hand again. Then drew his hand away and pressed his fingers into his palm to keep from sliding it against Julia’s palm. He wanted to comfort her. Give her something to hold onto while she relived what must be the worst days of her life. His job was protecting her. Not comforting her.
Still, he wanted to do just that. “I didn’t want to ask you about that night,” he said his voice quiet. “But I can’t rule out a connection. Why don’t you tell me in your own words what happened? Then I’ll ask you questions.”
She stared down at the wadded-up napkin on the table. Took a deep breath. “There was a party,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Someone’s parents were gone, and their son invited a bunch of people over. I desperately wanted to go, but my parents wouldn’t let me because no adults would be there.” She swallowed the lump in the back of her throat. “So I stuck a pillow under my covers. Found an old doll that had long blond hair, and put her under the covers, too, so only her hair was showing. I figured if my parents looked in on me, they’d see a lump in the bed and hair and wouldn’t look more closely.
“Then I snuck out the back door.” She sighed and stared at her lap. “We lived in a big house, so it was easy to sneak in and out. No one saw me or heard me. I ran to my boyfriend’s car without looking back.”
“So did you go to the party?” Nico asked quietly.
Julia nodded. “It was at another big house. Full of kids. So many kids.” She sucked in a shuddering breath. “A lot of them were already drunk. Or doing drugs. I’d had an occasional beer before that party, but didn’t really like it. The kids at that party were drinking hard liquor. Vodka. Bourbon. Tequila. You name it, someone was drinking it. There were a lot of bottles lined up on the table.”
Julia paused, and Nico forced himself to eat more of his omelet. He’d been hungry as hell, but had lost his appetite.
Julia picked at her omelet, eating a few bites. Tried the hash browns. Ate half a giant strawberry. Finally, she pushed the plate away. Wrapped her hands around her mug, which their server had re-filled. “Denny and I stayed maybe a half-hour. We weren’t big drinkers, and neither of us were into drugs. So we went back to his house. His parents had gone out with his sisters. We went up to his room and fooled around.
“I’d intended to go home after the party, but we left so soon that I knew my parents would still be awake. That’s why we went to Denny’s. He intended to take me home late, after my parents would be in bed, but we both fell asleep and didn’t wake up until morning.”
“So he took you home then?”
“Yeah. It was Sunday morning. Denny and I snuck out of his house, and he drove me home. When we got to my street, it was blocked off. Fire engines and police cars were lined up along the curb. A whole bunch of them. He wanted to walk me home, but I told him he needed to leave. I didn’t want him to get in trouble if he got home and his parents were awake.”
“So he dropped you at the barricade and left?” Nico asked, feeling like a total shit for making her relive that day. He wanted to reach for her hand again, but he curled his fingers into his palm. Kept his hands in his lap.
“Yeah,” Julia said, swallowing. “I walked toward my house, wondering what had happened on our street. Whose house was involved. With all the fire engines, I figured there’d been a fire. The street was twisty, so I couldn’t see all the way down the block.”
Knowing what came next, Nico finally allowed himself to reach for her hand. She slid her palm against his, gripping hard.
“When I got close, I saw a space between two houses. Like a house had just disappeared.” She swallowed. Gripped his hand more tightly. Stared down at the table. “Then I realized it was my house. Just gone. Nothing but a smoldering pile of burned wood.”
“I’m so sorry,” Nico said, sliding his fingers between hers. “I hate that you have to relive this. But I have to explore all the possibilities.”
“What possibilities are there?” she said, raising her head to glare at him. “My whole family was killed. My parents and my brother. Their bodies were burned beyond recognition, but they matched dental records on my parents.” She looked away. “My brother’s body was too damaged. The police told me they suspected a gas leak. There was an explosion, and everyone inside was probably killed instantly.”
She stared down at their joined hands. “It’s the probably that kept me awake at night for years,” she whispered.
“Oh, God,” Nico said quietly, aching for the child she’d been. She’d probably felt guilty as hell that she hadn’t died with the rest of her family. “Were there any… problems in your family?” he asked. “Did everyone get along? Did your parents argue? Did you and your brother fight? Did your brother fight with your parents?”
She shook her head slowly. “My parents were totally in love. They had the occasional fight, like most couples do, but they always fixed things up. They kissed and hugged a lot. As a teen, I thought it was sickening. Embarrassing.” She swallowed. “Now I wish I had what they had.”
“What about your brother?” Nico asked.
“Jeff.” She stared down at her hands. Sighed. “I hated him. I felt so guilty after he died because I didn’t mourn him. Not like I mourned my parents.”
Nico’s antennae quivered. “Why did you hate your brother?” he asked.
Julia sighed. “He was ten years older than me, and I must have been really annoying to a teen-ager. But he was always doing mean, sneaky things to me for no reason. He’d twist my wrist until he made me cry. Pinch me so hard he left bruises. Bend my finger backward until I screamed.”