Page 3 of Say Now
Alison didn't know what the dinner meant, and she didn't know what she wanted it to mean.If her past was simpler, her present could be simple, too, but it was far from straightforward.
Alison’s sister Emma was murdered over twenty years ago, and the case was still unsolved.The murder had driven her career choice, and it still guided her.She needed to know what had happened to her sister, who had killed her, and bring that person to justice—if the killer were still around or alive.
More recently, they had discovered something new: a footprint left at the scene.Or apossiblefootprint.One of the original detectives, now old and in a care home, had spotted a large footprint at the scene, but it had washed away in the rain before forensics could capture it.All they had to go on was a sketch by the detective, leading them to investigate any construction sites in the area at the time as a last-ditch attempt at finding someone who might know something.
That footprint had eventually led them to Morris Bridges, a man who had been hired around the time Emma was murdered, but fired from the job soon after for harassing young women.He had a history of assaulting female joggers.Emma was a swimmer, but she ran, too, and there was a chance she was running home that night, crossing the field alone when she was attacked and posed in her swimming gear.
Morris was all they had.Finding him might mean more information in the old case, or it might lead them to a dead end.That was what Alison was afraid of.They had looked for a needle in a haystack and come up with something shiny.It could be a needle or a hundred other different objects.
Alison washed her hands again and dabbed some water on her face.She took one more look in the mirror.
I’ve thought so long about the past that I’ve not given enough consideration to the present.
She wanted more with Derek, and perhaps it was time to think about what might make her happy now, instead of how to solve a cold case over two decades old.
Alison left the bathroom and headed back to her table.Derek got up once again, sitting when she did.
"Are you thinking about dessert?"he asked.
Alison looked across the table at the man who had been by her side for more than most.She was thinking about a relationship with him, but it wouldn’t be fair to dive into that when she couldn’t give him her full attention.
"Yeah, dessert sounds good," she said."Anything with chocolate."
"I hear you," Derek said."I’ll grab the server when she goes past next."
"You might get punched again if you grab her," Alison pointed out.
"Ha.Ha," Derek said slowly.
Alison smiled, but the smile quickly dropped from her lips."It’s like he’s disappeared from the face of the earth."
"Morris Bridges?"Derek asked.
"Yeah."Alison took a sip of water."We’ve looked at two dozen Morris Bridges who were close to Oakland in the early two thousands, but none seem to match what we are looking for.If this guy has a record, he should be easy to find, right?"
Derek raised his finger for the server."He should be."
When she came over, they both chose chocolate cake with whipped cream and some coffee on the side.
"But he’s not," Alison pointed out."Twenty years of nothing, and the first lead we have is to a man who’s disappeared off the face of the earth.Does that feel weird to you?"
"It’s either suspicious or really bad luck.We only have the word of an old man with a failing memory who hired Morris to work construction and then subsequently fired him based on rumors of crimes, and the failing memory of an old detective who saw a boot print that no one else did.Maybe that explains it; maybe someone made a mistake with a file in the last twenty years; or maybe there’s no lead."
That was what Alison was most afraid of.She wanted it to be a lead so she would feel she was doing something instead of sitting around and twiddling her thumbs, hoping that the case would solve itself.
Derek reached across the table and took Alison’s hand, startling her.Her breath caught for a second.It felt intimate, even though he only did it to try to comfort her.She enjoyed the way he held her hand and the warmth coming from him.It would be so easy to fall into his arms and gain comfort at a time when she needed it the most, but she needed to keep her focus.
"We’ll find him," Derek said."These things can take a long time at the best of times, but this case has been cold for over twenty years.I know you won't stop fighting, and neither will I."
"I know," she said."I appreciate you for that."
Derek’s phone interrupted the tender moment.The ringer had been turned off, but the vibrations in his pocket were loud enough to hear.
He looked at her and grimaced, and she nodded.They both never stopped working.
"Hello?"he answered quietly, cognizant of the other guests in the restaurant."Yeah, speaking…Um, yeah, she’s here…I’ll pass you over."He handed Alison the phone."It’s for you."
"For me?"she asked, taking the phone."Hello?"
