The Witness by Sandra Brown Read Free Book Online

natural waves of her tawny hair all the way down to her shoulders.
     
Her heart in her throat, she asked, "Any glimmers of recognition?"
     
His eyes reconnected with hers, and she wondered if he remembered that they were an unusual shade of gray, which most people found arresting and which lying witnesses found disconcerting. When his gaze lowered to her mouth, her tummy felt like she'd taken a swift elevator ride. Even more like she'd been caught doing something forbidden.
     
She tried to retract her hand, but he quickly reached for it and held on tightly. He turned the narrow gold band on her finger. "Not a very fancy wedding ring."
     
Indeed. She had bought it at Wal-Mart that day. "It's; why I wanted."
     
"Couldn't I afford better?"
     
"Money wasn't a deciding factor."
     
He continued to rotate the ring around her finger. "I: don't remember placing it on your hand." He looked quickly away.
     
"I don't remember you. Are you sure we're married?"
     
She gave a false little laugh. "That's not something I' likely to mistake."
     
"No, but you might lie about it."
     
Her heart fluttered. Even with amnesia, his ability to read her remained intact. "Why would I lie about it?"
     
"I don't know. Why would you?"
     
"This is ridiculous." Again she tried to fully extract her hand.
     
but he held on with surprising strength.
     
"I'm having a real hard time buying it."
     
"What?"
     
"You. The kid. All of it." He was growing angry.
     
"Why do you doubt me?"
     
"Because I can't remember you."
     
"You can't remember anything!"
     
"Some things you don't forget," he said, "and I'm betting that sleeping with you Would be one of them.
     
The overhead light came on, nearly blinding them,.
     
"Is something wrong in here?"
     
"Turn off that goddamn light!" he shouted!. His hand moved to shield his eyes from the blue-white glare. .
     
"Turn it off," Kendall ordered the nurse. "Can't you see the light hurts his eyes and makes his headache worse?"
     
The nurse extinguished the light. No one said anything for a moment. His last words were still ringing in Kendall's ears.
     
Finally, unable to meet his eyes, she turned to the nurse. 'I m sorry for snapping at you. And for upsetting your patient.
     
This memory loss is putting a strain on both of us."
     
"Then I'd give it a rest for the night The doctor said not to try to pressure him into remembering." She brandished a tray with a syringe on it. "I've come to give him his night night shot."
     
When she turned back to him, Kendall pasted on a smile.
     
"The more you try to force it, the more stubborn your memory becomes. Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning."
     
She touched his shoulder fleetingly, then left before his talent for detecting the truth uncovered the lie in her eyes.
     
She waited a long three hours before making her move.
     
Kevin slept peacefully in the newborn crib, his knees tucked beneath his chest, his diapered bottom sticking up. Every once in a while he made a sweet, snuffling baby sound. By now her ears were attuned to them.
     
She was much too wired to sleep or even to lie down on the hospital bed. If her physical weariness overcame her mental alertness and she accidentally fell asleep, she would miss her chance.
     
She looked at her wristwatch for the umpteenth time.
     
Twelve forty-five. Fifteen minutes more, she decided. Not that she was on an inflexible schedule. She was conditioned to dealing with events as they unfolded. It was just that the more distance she could put between herself and Stephensville before daylight, the better.
     
Tip-toeing to the window, she quietly parted the blinds and peered through the foggy glass. Rain was still coming down, steadily and relentlessly. It would make driving more difficult, but the bad weather had been her good fortune. If not for it, they would never have taken a detour. If not for the detour, there would have been no accident. If not for the accident, they would be back in Prosper by now. The