Page 65 of Into These Eyes
When he leads us through to the living room, Benny snavels one of two armchairs and Jamie takes a seat on the small, two-seater couch, leaving me in the wonderful predicament of having to sit next to her. After Liam provides refreshments, Jamie gets permission to record the interview and explains she’ll also take notes on her laptop. On the drive here, she expressed her concerns about how much Liam might remember, but the guy seems confident.
“I was in big trouble that night,” Liam begins. “I’d cut off one of my little sister’s pigtails and Mum totally lost the plot. Sent me to my room without dinner and told me to get in bed and stay there. It was way too early for me to go to sleep, and I wasn’tallowed to have my light on, so I just stared out the window, waiting to get tired.
“Wasn’t long before I saw a guy in black clothes and a baseball cap come round the corner and walk a up the street toward my house. I was so bored by then, I paid close attention to him.” He takes a breath, his gaze unfocused. “He stopped in the middle of the footpath, staring at Gavin’s place for a bit. Then he hid between a couple of cars on my side of the street. I mean, I was seven, so I didn’t know what was going on. I just knew it was weird. Weird enough that I wanted to go get my mum. But before I could, a car came round the corner and parked close to Gavin’s house.”
Knowing what should come next, my heart speeds up, terrified Liam might remember things differently. If our stories don’t match, I’m fucked. Jamie made it clear that I need either evidence or a witness, and Liam’s my only shot.
“It was kinda like a movie. She got out of her car, then headed toward Gavin’s.”
I glance at Jamie as her fingers freeze on the keyboard, her expression tight. Discreetly, I press my thigh against hers. Her gaze shifts from Liam to me.
You okay?I mouth.
She gives me a faint smile, then nods before focusing on Liam again.
Knowing what’s coming, I keep my leg where it is, hoping the contact gives her some comfort.
“The guy in the baseball cap was suddenly on the footpath, flying towards her. He had his back to me, so I couldn’t see his face. I remember how shocked she looked when she saw him. She didn’t even scream. Just bolted. But he was faster. Grabbed her, threw her on the nature strip and was on her, forcing her onto her back, and …” Liam hesitates, his attention shifting to Jamie.
Her thigh presses hard against mine. I push back enough to let her know that I’m right here. I’d rather hold her hand, put my arm around her and protect her. It’s killing me that I can’t.
“Keep going,” she tells Liam, a barely noticeable hitch in her voice.
“I saw him raise both hands above his head and bring them down, but his back was blocking my view. Then he was up and running. It happened so fast.” Liam drags a shaking hand over his face, his eyes locked on the coffee table between us.
“Did you notice if he had the knife in his hand when you first saw him?” Jamie asks, her tone professional, detached.
It’s surreal, hearing someone else tell the story of how her mother was attacked before I came on the scene.
“No,” Liam answers. “I didn’t see it until he took off … when he left it sticking out of her chest.”
Jamie nods and types. “Keep going.”
“Then Gavin came round the corner, and I started waving at him, screaming, trying to get his attention. The other guy knocked Gavin down, then legged it.
“That’s when Gavin saw her. He was shocked, but he didn’t hesitate. He ran right up to her, tried to help. Then Mum was in my room. Obviously, she heard the racket I was making. She screamed when she looked out the window, then she dragged me away.”
Liam lets out a long, shaky breath and leans back in the armchair. Beside me, Jamie does the same. My heart’s pounding. I’m not sure if it’s from re-living that night through Liam’s eyes, or if it’s the thrill of knowing his story matches mine exactly.
“Do you need to take a break?” Jamie asks.
Liam shakes his head. “No, I’m fine. Just haven’t really thought about it in that much detail for a long time.”
“That’s understandable,” she reassures him. “When you’re ready, what happened next?”
He picks at the leather on the arm of his chair for a moment. “Well, my mum thought what everyone else thought. That Gavin had stabbed someone. I kept trying to tell her what really happened, but she was hysterical, wouldn’t listen to me.”
“And when the police arrived at your house?” Jamie asks.
“A detective interviewed mum. I kept interrupting him, but he shut me down. He was only interested in what Mum had to say. He acted like a kid couldn’t possibly have eyesight, couldn’t have possibly seen what I was trying to tell him.”
Jamie pulls out her phone, scrolls for a moment, then shows the screen to Liam. “Was this the detective?”
Liam nods. “Yeah, that’s him.”
“So he made no attempt at all to interview you?”
“Nope. Then when Mum told me Gavin was going to jail for a long time, I just didn’t understand. But I was seven. I was powerless.”
