Page 102 of Above All Else
Tension hung thick in the air, my heart banging against my ribcage like a prisoner seeking freedom.
“There’s no easy way to start this, so let’s jump right in.” I pulled the photograph from my inside jacket pocket and let it fall into his lap, the glossy surface faded with age. Amber’s innocent face stared at him, her smile frozen in time, mocking the truth. “When did it start?”
He stared down at the photo in his lap, his nose scrunched and lips curled into a sneer. “Is this what you wanted to talk about?”
I sat in the bay window seat, the dense canopy of trees hiding the early morning light, and clamped my hands between my knees. “At first, I chalked it up to poor memory, maybe a lie that slipped through the cracks. But then June kept talking, giving me more details, and I realized it went deeper than that. Isn’t it?”
Birds chirped as they pecked at the seed in the feeder, flyingacross the expanse of the window as James glanced back and forth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know...” I wagged my finger and gave a derisive laugh. “It was my mom who made me suspect something was wrong here?” I pointed to the photo. “Things justdidn‘t quite seem to add up.”
His eyes squinted, his shoulders raised high as he shifted. “I’m not quite following.”
“Really? You don’t even have an inkling?” I gripped the edge of the seat, my palm curving against the edge.
I can do this.
This time it’s different.
James turned his palms skyward as he shrugged, the broken capillary spiderwebs swimming in crimson on his cheeks.
He knows.
I drew in a deep breath through my nose and let it out, keeping my guts from spilling out in a raging inferno. “How did you end up at a concert with a sixteen-year-old girl.”
He eyed the door, his gaze flickering between it and the photograph. His breaths quickened, his chest rising and falling in shallow bursts. “I—“
I pulled the knife out of my jacket and laid it across my lap, my hand tightening around the handle.
Blood drained from his face, turning it into a sickly pallor as he stared at the blade. “Let’s just talk about this.”
“That’s what we’re doing.” One brow slid upward.
“We don’t need violence. Be rational.”
I tilted my head, eyes narrowing. “Oh, but I am.”
The furnace kicked on, offering a blast of warm air with a slightly burnt aroma. “You see, June had no reason to tell you she’d joined Amber at the concert. In fact, you weren’t even there to witness it, even if she did. Were you, James?” He shifted in his seat, the leather beneath his legs groaning.
“This is all a misunderstanding.” James’ chin trembled, red crawling up his cheeks.
“See, I don’t think it is.” I gripped the knife harder, pressing the flat edge to my leg. “Why were you there, but most importantly, what were you doing there with Amber?”
His eyes widened, his brows peaking, causing the wrinkles on his forehead to deepen. “I didn’t go with her.” He lowered his voice, keeping the conversation within the confines of the room. “I just...sawher there.”
“Just saw her?” Suspicion twisted in my gut. “And then what?”
He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. “Her friend ditched her, and she looked... lost.”
“And you decided to take her under your wing?”
He shook his head. “We talked, that was it,” he looked at the door, “and then we went our separate ways.”
“But it didn’t end there, did it?”
His gaze struck the ground, and a hand flew through his hair. “No.”
My hand tightened over the knife. “What else happened?”