AllFreeNovel
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“I’m glad you’re here. The house felt too empty tonight.”
“Me too. My apartment felt the same way.”
“Any news from your lawyer?”
He sips his drink while I roll a joint. “I have an appointment to be examined by a forensic psychologist. He warned me it’ll be a long interview and that they may even want to meet with me more than once. They’ll be the biggest influence on the judge when it comes to determining whether I’m fit to stand trial. He advised me to be honest and not try to lie to make things go my way.”
I shift around in my seat to look at him. “Yeah, I can’t imagine a forensic psychologist is going to be fooled.”
His head tilts a bit when he looks at me, and a flutter runs through my stomach. I’ve missed him. “Lowell told me he once had a clienttalk only in rhymes the entire time, then shit himself right in the middle of the interview. It did not end well for him.”
“Oh my god!” It’s good to see him laugh, and my mood lightens. “If you’re not found competent to stand trial, does that mean he’s going for an insanity defense?” A mental hospital would be better than prison, but he doesn’t deserve to be locked up at all.
“No, insanity is different. That would be claiming I didn’t understand what I was doing at the time of the crime. We have no evidence of that. Competency to stand trial is judging whether I can understand the charges and assist my attorney in defending me against them. I don’t have a lot of hope for it, honestly. From what Lowell told me, mental state at the time of the crime is what’s important. Amnesia after the fact is no excuse. If someone gets drunk and smashes up a bar, they’re still guilty of it even if they don’t remember once they sober up.”
His demeanor as he talks about it concerns me. He sounds so disconnected. I reach out to lay my hand on his. “How are you doing with it all? Really?”
His eyes darken a little when they land on mine. “I’m scared. It’s hard not knowing what’s going to happen. I want to think everything will be fine. The lawyer will prove Dean Warren lied in his confession. He’s going to go after his character which isn’t hard to do.”
He sighs and takes a swallow of his drink. “But I don’t know how this is going to turn out. And sometimes getting through the days with it hanging over my head is hard. Lowell says to be prepared for this to be a marathon, not a sprint. I’m just trying not to think about it.”
“Okay. Let’s drop the subject and try to relax tonight,” I suggest. “But I’m always here if you need to talk.”
He nods as I withdraw my hand. “Nothing says relaxation like horror movies.”
It turns out to be one of the best nights I’ve had in a while. He drinks while I get high, and we pig out on pizza and junk food. Our movie marathon continues with Creepshow 2.
Oliver sits up straight at one point. “I remember this!” He drops his voice. “Thanks for the ride, lady.”
I grab the throw blanket from the back of the couch and curl my legs under me, getting comfortable. “We loved it when we were kids.”
He gnaws his lip for a moment. “I used to annoy Mom with it. Whenever she dropped me off somewhere.” He repeats the phrase in a gravelly voice. “Thanks for the ride, lady.”
“Do you remember your mom?” That would be a huge step and so good for him to remember someone who loved him.
“Bits and pieces. I can remember saying things to her. Her smile. But I don’t remember her voice or what she was like.”
“You’re still regaining memories, though. That’s fantastic.”
“This morning, something came back to me. I remember swimming in freezing water with snow on the ground. Can you tell me what that was about?”
He grins when I throw my head back and laugh. “The polar bear plunge! It was Alden’s idea. He signed up Milo, Smith, and Hudson too. It was a charity thing we all did.”
“I remember Milo in a wetsuit. Could’ve done without that one.”
“He was so annoyed.”
Oliver looks over at me. “I remember carrying you into the water when you were taking too long. I think you were annoyed too.”
My mind replays that day, one that’s written deep in my brain. It was the day after Alden and I got together, after I returned from Florida. Alden carried me into the water. Oliver’s remembering some stuff, but it’s not all correct.
“What?” he asks, reading my hesitant expression.
“That’s not exactly how things happened. You were there with Breanna, your ex-girlfriend. Alden carried me into the water.”
His head flinches back slightly. “Are you sure?”
“I’m certain, but it’s okay. You probably saw him carry me in, and how I freaked out. Your memory is just a little off. It has to be hard to sort through everything.”
