Jake’s eyes flashed. “You think I’m lying?”
Cripky regarded him thoughtfully. “It doesn’t matter what I think. The truth has a way of coming out. Eventually.”
Jake glared back at him, saying nothing, and the two held silent eye contact until Olivia feared she would fly out of her seat.
“Well, I think we’re done for today,” the sergeant said, tucking his notes away. “We’ll be in touch if we need more.”
Olivia stood up, eyes on Jake, but he wouldn’t look at her.
The officers thanked Jake, then turned to say goodbye.
“Miss…?”
“Cossette,” Olivia said.
“Miss Cossette. May I have a word with you, in private?”
From over the sergeant’s shoulder Olivia saw Jake’s gaze snap in their direction. But she found herself following them out into the hall, anyway. She had her own interests to protect. “Yes, of course.”
The sergeant spoke first. “You understand, we’re just trying to put together the pieces of the picture. None of us were there. And that means we have to talk to everyone involved.”
Olivia nodded. She wasn’t stupid. “I told the first officer who interviewed us everything I know. About the barbecue; who was there, what we ate, what we drank.” She paused. “I wasn’t on the boat.”
“That must tear you up,” Cripky said.
Olivia ignored this, aiming her gaze at the sergeant instead.
“Even so, you were there before the accident. You saw Jake. You two spent the day together.”
“We did.”
“With your daughter, as well.”
Olivia swallowed. “Yes.”
The sergeant flipped through his notes. “Who was also injured. Somewhat seriously. A broken arm, I’ve been told?”
“Yes.” But there was more, Olivia wanted to scream. All the invisible injuries, the ones on the inside.
“We understand that your daughter may be suffering from PTSD, and we are very sorry to hear that. But we’d like to talk to her.”
“You can’t.” Olivia crossed her arms.
“I know how difficult this is…”
“No, Sergeant. You don’t.” Olivia glanced down the hall to Jake’s doorway. She recalled Perry’s condemnation of his brother: “Reckless.”
And Jane’s insistence that this was all a terrible mystery. A freak accident.
And also the pain in Jake’s eyes every time she walked into his room. From the moment he’d started to rouse in recovery, something about him had been different. From the way he wouldn’t quite look at her, to the tone in his voice; a wounded tone that she’d been sure would fade. But instead, it had grown into anger. She had anger of her own. At herself. At both of them, for ever thinking it was all right to let Luci out on the lake without her. There was enough anger for both of them. But standing there in the hospital corridor she realized for the first time they were not united in it. Her deepest loyalty lay to her daughter; Luci came first.
“Luci suffers from a condition called selective mutism. At times she cannot talk. Literally cannot talk.” Olivia waited for this news to sink in. “But she has always talked to me. And now she can’t do that either.” Without warning hot tears poured from her eyes. But she wasn’t done. “If my daughter is so traumatized that she can’t talk to me, her own mother, then she cannot talk to you.” She looked fiercely between both officers to make sure they understood. “I won’t let her suffer anymore.”
Cripky opened his mouth to speak and Olivia felt herself coil, at the ready, but thankfully the sergeant held up his hand. “I understand, Miss Cossette. We don’t want to upset your child any-more. If we need anything further, we’ll be in touch.”
Olivia waited until she could hear the distant echo of their footsteps moving down the hall. Then she returned to Jake’s room, and pulled the door closed hard behind her. Jake was staring out the window. He did not turn to look at her.
Olivia cleared her throat. She was a mother, first. “What is it you’re not telling me?”
