Scar Tissue by William G. Tapply Read Free Book Online

here when they were diving for Brian. There was a mob, all of them hoping to see a body. Some of them had cameras, for God’s sake. Sick.”
    I nodded.
    â€œSo why’re you here?” she said.
    I shrugged. “Same reason you are, I guess.”
    â€œWe’re remembering Jenny,” she said. “She was our friend. Flowers on the water.”
    â€œBrian wasn’t your friend?”
    She frowned, and her eyes darted away from mine for an instant. Then she nodded quickly. “Of course he was. Brian, too. Flowers for both of our friends.” She held her bunch of daisies to me. “You want to toss in a flower?”

    I plucked two daisies from her hand. “Thank you,” I said. “I’d like to do that.”
    I followed her to the edge of the river, closed my eyes for a moment to focus my thoughts on Brian, then tossed one of the daisies into the water. Then I tried to think about Jenny Rolando. I remembered her photo on the wall in the police station, and the image of that young girl strapped behind the wheel of an upside-down car with water pouring in was vivid in my mind. I tossed the other daisy onto the swirling currents.
    The girl touched my arm. “I’m Sandy,” she said.
    â€œI’m Brady Coyne. I knew Brian when he was a baby.” I arched my eyebrows at Sandy and jerked my head in the other girl’s direction. She had continued to sit there on the rock with her back to me. She wore a grayish quilted ankle-length coat and a black knit watch cap. Her head was bowed and she was hugging herself.
    â€œThat’s Mikki,” said Sandy. “She’s pretty broken up.”
    â€œI guess everybody is,” I said. “Brian’s parents are devastated. The fact that they can’t find his body …”
    Sandy’s eyes flickered, and she turned quickly and tossed a daisy onto the water. She glanced at me, then went and crouched beside Mikki. She whispered to her for a moment, then helped Mikki stand up and led her over to where I was standing. “This is Mikki,” said Sandy. To Mikki she said, “This is Mr. Coyne. He’s a friend of Brian.”
    Mikki was a tiny Asian girl. She looked like a papoose huddled in her ankle-length coat. She had smooth olive skin and dark eyes and long ebony hair. She held out her hand to me. “Hello,” she said softly.
    I took her hand. “Hello, Mikki.” I looked from one girl to the other. “What do you think happened here?”
    Mikki stared at me for a moment. Then her eyes brimmed. She shook her head, turned, and went back to sit on the rocks.
    â€œI’m sorry,” I said to Sandy. “I’ve upset her.”

    â€œShe’s already upset,” said Sandy. “You’re not exactly helping.”
    â€œHow about you?” I said. “What do you think happened?”
    She shrugged. “What do you mean? What kind of question is that? Their car went into the water, and—and they died. What are you, anyway? Some kind of cop?”
    â€œNo,” I said. “I’m actually a lawyer. The Golds have been my clients and friends for years.”
    â€œSo you gonna sue somebody? That why you’re snooping around?”
    â€œNo. I’m not here as a lawyer, and I’m not snooping. I’m here as a friend. I’m sad about what happened just the way you are.”
    â€œI doubt that,” said Sandy.
    â€œHey,” I said. “Lawyers have feelings, too, you know.”
    She smiled for the first time. “Yeah, right.” She squinted at me. “So why are you here?”
    â€œI was visiting Brian’s parents. They’re out of their minds with grief, and they will be forever until their boy’s body is found.”
    Sandy shook her head. “That’s pretty awful.”
    â€œDo you have any idea where Brian and Jenny were going the other night?” I said.
    She flapped her hands. “Just