Page 21 of A Touch of Murder
"Jacey drags me to some of them. I shouldn't say drags. I do enjoy them, but if it wasn't for him, I'd probably stay home. It's always been hard to go out in public with all the stares and whispers. It's not as bad here as it was in Denver, but it's hard to let go of those insecurities sometimes," Adam admitted.
Barret felt a wave of guilt washing through him. "Hey, I'm sorry I said certain things to you. Doubted you. I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable."
"No." Adam stopped walking and turned to face Barret. "You didn't do anything wrong. I get how hard it can be to wrap your head around what I do. It's not something most will ever experience in a lifetime. You might have made a few snide comments, but at least you said them to my face. You didn't go behind my back whispering while being polite and understanding to my face. You gave me a chance to prove myself, which is more than many give me. There's no hard feelings."
"Still, I should have been more open-minded about things. I shouldn't have made the magician comments and all that. I can't deny what you do, but I can't understand it either." Barret shrugged.
"Ha, that makes two of us. I can't understand it either. I just know I can do it. I have no idea why I can do it and others can't or how it even works. I just have to admit there are some things in this world we may never understand. Now let's go get our seats or we won't have a good view of the crowd. It's filling up fast." Adam started to walk toward the field again.
Barret stayed beside him, looking at all the faces as they passed, wondering if there was a killer among them. Once inside, they each took a candle from the kids passing them out, then he looked out over the field and saw banners and enlarged photos of Trina. A small stage was set up in the center of the field, and Barret saw Jacey and his family down there setting up with Kacey's band. A couch was moved to the side of the fifty-yard line along with several other chairs. Barret guessed that would be for the family to sit. He glanced at Adam. "There's still plenty of room at the top." He started up the rafter, watching his footing carefully so he didn't trip.
"Did you play sports in high school?" Adam asked as they reached the top row.
"Baseball, what about you?"
Adam shook his head and held up his hands. "I had other things going on. I wasn't very popular and tended keep to myself."
Barret imagined high school had to have been hard for Adam. He remembered the bullies. It was a tough age for an average kid, but for Adam it had to have been hell. "What about now? Sports fan?"
"I'll watch a game if it's on. Mostly football or basketball. I like sports, just never felt the need to participate. I guess if I'ddone anything, it would have been track. I enjoy running." Adam leaned against the back railing. "You?"
"I run a bit, but not as often as I'd like. Like you, I'll watch a game if it's on, but I don't have a favorite team or anything. Hell, not even a favorite sport. I'm usually so tired by the time I get home I end up falling asleep on the couch. I go hiking with Becky sometimes. I'm starting to feel my age though and should probably get out more."
"You're hardly old. What are you, maybe thirty?"
"Thirty-four," Barret told him. "And you?"
"Thirty-two, so not far behind you. Definitely not old enough to use the term 'feeling my age' yet. I figure that comes well after forty." Adam arched his head back and looked up at the darkening sky. "I feel younger since getting out of the city, that's for sure."
"Fresh air does that." Barret glanced down over the crowd as they slowly made their way to the seats. "I hate this event even has to happen. People should feel safe here. This isn't a town where you're always watching over your shoulder. Hell, half the town probably doesn't even lock their doors at night. I guess times are changing."
"One crime doesn't make it unsafe. It just reminds people there is evil out there and to be careful. I feel for the family. I wish there was more I could do, but then I also worry I'm making it worse because of what I do. I know you're upset I told them she was dead, but I swore years ago never to lie or hide information. I might hide details like how scared Trina was or details about the attack, but things that matter, like being dead or alive, they need to know that stuff. It's not easy to tell someone a loved one is dead, or a pet they lost is no longer alive, but in my mind, it's better than lying to them and giving them false hope." Adam sank down on the bench.
"I was upset, but mostly because for one, I didn't believe you, and for two, the parents came in furious at us, thinking we were lying to them or not doing our job. I'm not as confident in your abilities as you are. When you say you know someone is alive or dead, that's truth to you. You believe it, but for me, I need to see a body and have solid proof. Neither is right or wrong as long as neither of us are playing with family members' emotions. It was you telling them their daughter was dead that pushed us to dig deeper and find out where she was found. If not for you, it could have taken a few more weeks before we figured out that she was the Jane Doe in Utah. It's a failing on our part because we didn't keep track of all bodies found in neighboring states. We wanted so badly to believe she was still alive. We've changed things now and, in the future, will have someone watching over databases every morning."
"And since we've become somewhat friends, I'll promise if I get another reading like that where I know the person is deceased, I'll call you and let you know. I know you can't act on my word as truth or use anything I say as evidence, but I'll give you the heads up so you can prepare for the fallout." Adam smiled.
"Deal. And drop the somewhat. We are friends. It just took me a little time to wrap my head around what you do."
"I can always use another friend."
"So can I," Barret told him as music started to play and a hush came over the crowd.
They both settled down on the bench. Barret half listened to the speeches, prayers, and even poetry that was read, but his main attention was on the crowd. He scanned the bleachers row by row, looking for anyone who matched the killer's description. He looked at hats, hoping for a worn Mariner's logo. No one fit the description.
He glanced at Adam and found him looking over the crowd as well, his gaze moving from one area to another, pausing from time to time, but then moving on. Adam was very good looking. He had chiseled features, with deep green eyes and dark brown hair. His skin was darker, not quite brown, but a gentle natural tan. He was a couple of inches shorter than Barret, putting him just around six-foot-two. His hair was short, but long enough to be a bit unruly after a long day.
Barret forced himself to look away before he was caught staring at Adam. He had a murder to solve. He couldn't waste his time looking at men. As the marching band played an amazing rendition of "My Heart Will Go On", he slowly stood, leaning against the back railing so he could look at the people who weren't in the bleachers, the ones scattered on the field, or around the sidelines. It was hard not to get caught up in the emotions he saw. So many people were crying. Each person he saw wiping at tears made him even more determined to catch this killer.
The event lasted a little over an hour. More than enough time for Barret to look through the crowd several times and take in each face that was gathered there. The man wasn't here, or if he was, he was staying in the shadows. He almost had the urge to go check under the bleachers, but the event was over and the crowd moving out through the gates. If the man had been there, he was probably already gone. Besides, going under the bleachers usually meant catching kids smoking, drinking, or making out, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with that tonight. He looked over at Adam. "No luck?"
"None. If he was here, I didn't see him. But there were a lot of places he could hide. Maybe one of the other officers had better luck." Adam slowly moved down the bleachers, pausing to let others go before him.
"I was watching the other officers and didn't see anyone acting like something was going on. Our next chance will be at the funeral on Monday night." Barret offered his hand to an older woman who was having trouble getting down the steps.
They kept quiet until they were back in the parking lot and able to talk. "The kids did an amazing job tonight. That was a great tribute to Trina." Adam opened the passenger door as soon as Barret hit the unlock button on his fob.
"It was." Barret got into the car. "As much as I bitch about the kids around this town with all their drinking and make-out spots, they're a good group of kids. You wouldn't see something like that in a big city. The whole school came together to put that on tonight, no matter whether they were friends with Trina or not. I'm pretty proud of our little town tonight."
