Page 58 of The Two Last Moments

A shock seems to go through Lark’s body.

“Cam?” Lark squeaks.

“Your boyfriend.”

That’s the same name that Kathy Sullivan gave for Lark’s abusive ex.

I feel tremors run through her everywhere we’re touching.

“Sorry,” Denise says. “I keep forgetting that you don’t remember any of this. Cam started working here about a year ago, I guess? You guys moved down from Northern California, and Cam’s the reason you were in here so much. The two of you were kind of a package deal. But then you broke up. Oh, I have a picture of him.” She digs into her pocket for her phone, unlocks it, and scrolls around for a bit. Then she turns the screen to us. “He’s the one on the left.”

The man in the picture is in his mid-twenties. Brown hair, an easy smile. He doesn’t look the way that Kathy described Lark’s ex. As intimidating. That’s not this guy.

Yet it still doesn’t calm the nausea in my gut. I don’t like how much new info is coming at Lark all at once. It’s hard to follow all these different threads, and it’s obviously upsetting her. It could even re-traumatize her.

If I thought Lark would forgive me, I’d be tempted to scoop her up and just get her out of here, even though I’ve been the one urging her to search out her past all along.

What if this Cam is the same guy who hurt her?

“Do you recognize him?” I ask Lark.

She’s been examining the picture on Denise’s screen for a solid minute. “No. I don’t remember him. It’s like I’ve never seen him before.”

“Oh, wait,” Denise says suddenly. “Cam is working today. He’ll be in for his shift in half an hour. Do you want me to call him? Maybe he can come in early. I’m sure he’ll want to talk to you. I mean, you guys broke up, and I figured that’s why you hadn’t come around in a while. He’ll be able to answer a lot more questions than me.”

No, I want to say.Hell, no.

This is all happening too damn fast.

Lark’s already pale skin goes ashen. “Please don’t tell him. I just… I need to think.”

Denise’s eyebrows draw down. “No problem. I should get back to work. But if you need anything else, let me know. These cookies are on the house.” She gets up and returns to the counter, casting another glance at us over her shoulder.

When she turns around, I lean in and press my hand to Lark’s neck. Her pulse is fast. Not a concern yet. But notnothingeither.

A smile ghosts over her mouth. “I’m okay, doc.”

“I can see that. You’re doing great. But how do you feel?”

“Shocked. I don’t know what to think or what all this means. Why would the emails to Nina have come from this café?”

“No idea.”

“And Cam. He’s real,” she whispers. “Kathy was telling the truth.”

“Or she used a bit of truth to make the lies more convincing. Maybe it was a test to see what you remembered.”

“But what else is true?” Lark’s voice goes hoarse. “Did he hurt me? Did he give me those bruises? Do you think he could’ve been the one who…”

It’s the same thought I just had. “We have to consider that possibility.”

But if he’s done anything to you, I think, I’ll make him rue the fucking day, believe me.

I rub her shoulders. She sighs as I work my thumbs into the knotted muscle. “Here’s what we can do,” I say. “We can leave and call the cops right now. Maybe they’ll bring Cam in for questioning based on what’s happened in West Oaks, but maybe not.”

“What are the other options?”

“I’ll take you someplace safe, and I come back to have a word with Cam when he gets here. I’d like to see what he has to say. If he’s dumb enough to make a move, I can handle him.”

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