Page 9 of All He Sees
Nicky couldn't help but smile. She appreciated hearing that.
Nicky and Ken followed him to the rental car.
Cameron opened the trunk so Nicky and Ken could put their belongings inside. He unlocked the car and opened the door for her. Nicky's eyes were locked on the vehicle. It was a sleek, black, two-door sports car with a sleek, black interior.
"You like it?" Cameron asked.
"I do," Nicky said.
"It's the newer XK model," Cameron said. "You get a nice ride with this beauty."
Nicky slipped into the driver's seat. The interior felt amazing. She looked back at Cameron. "Thanks again for this," she said.
"You have nothing to thank me for," Cameron said with a smile. "I'm just doing my job. And I get to help out a friend. It's a win-win."
"Well, thanks all the same," Nicky said. "I appreciate it."
With that, Cameron smiled once more before he was off. Nicky waited for Ken to finish loading the trunk. She felt him slam it shut, then he got into the passenger side beside her. With all the doors closed and their seatbelts on, Nicky turned on the car. She couldn't help but enjoy the way it purred beneath her.
"This is a damn fancy ride," she said, pulling out of the airport, navigating busy traffic. Ken let out a whistle. "You'd think the chief was sending us on vacation," he said.
"This is no vacation, Walker," Nicky mumbled. "We need to talk to that witness stat."
***
Nicky pulled up outside of Beverly Johnson's house, feeling uneasy. Right beside Beverly's bungalow, which was painted yellow and looked more like a cottage, was Mira's house. The house she allegedly disappeared from. Mira's was much more generic, with white stucco walls, classic for Florida; it brought Nicky back to the days when she first moved to Jacksonville. The neighborhood was quiet, and Nicky wondered if this was the way it had been the night that Mira disappeared.
She couldn't picture it. She couldn't imagine anything bad happening in this place. It seemed so safe.
The only sounds Nicky could hear were the wind, some birds, and the distant sound of cars on the highway in the distance. Nicky shut off the car and looked back at Ken.
"You ready for this?" she asked.
"I'm ready for anything, Lyons," he said with a wink.
Nicky smiled, then got out of the car, grabbing her laptop and her files as she did so, closing the car door behind her. She made her way to the front door and knocked before she could change her mind.
A moment later, the door opened, and a woman's face appeared. She was short--no taller than five-foot-one--and very elderly, with sagging, wrinkled skin and white hair. She looked up at them with bulging, milky eyes. This was Beverly, the witness.
"Hello, ma'am," Nicky said, holding up her badge. "I'm Agent Nicky Lyons with the FBI, and this is my partner, Agent Ken Walker. We're here to talk about what you heard."
"The FBI?" Beverly asked, her voice filled with awe. "You're the FBI? I didn't think--"
"It's okay, ma'am," Nicky said. "We're here now. We won't take up too much of your time."
"Come on in," Beverly said. "I don't have much but I'll make you some tea."
"That won't be necessary," Nicky said. "We just want to know what you heard."
Beverly stepped back, allowing them in. The house smelled like candles, and there was striped wallpaper on the walls that looked like it belonged in the 1960s. Nicky followed Beverly into a small living room. There was a TV on a stand, a fish tank, some photos of kids on the mantel, and a couch.
"Go on, dears, have a seat," Beverly said, hobbling over to a rocking chair beside the fireplace.
Nicky and Ken took a seat on the couch. Beverly reached into the pocket of her sweater and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She placed the pack on the arm of the chair beside her, then reached for a glass of water on the table between them.
Beverly took a gulp of water and placed the glass back on the table. Beverly never lit the cigarette, and Nicky couldn't help but note that she seemed rather scattered. It made sense--the woman had to be pushing ninety. Nicky understood why the file had said her testimony might not be reliable.
"Well," Nicky began, "like I said, we don't want to take up too much of your time. Can you describe to us what you heard the other day, please?"
