there?” she asked.
“Looking for Felton’s gun.”
“All the way over there? Felton’s body was straight out from this porch.”
“I circled around. There are SWAT team guys out there. Sam told me that he was pulling everybody off when it got dark so I was going to do my own search. Then I find he didn’t do what he said he was going to.”
“‘Sam?’ Is that what you said? You guys are on a first-name basis all of a sudden.”
“Yeah, well, we had a fairly long conversation this afternoon. He was calling me Jack and I was calling him Sam. It was a little strange, really.”
“Very strange. Don’t go trusting him, Jack. The man isn’t himself. I don’t care how he acts.”
“I hear you. He already didn’t do what he told me he was going to do, and I’m not sure why.”
“Would you like a cup of decaf?”
“Sure.”
Danni went inside and returned a minute later with a cup for Jack. Jack watched her the whole way.
“Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?” he asked.
Danni smiled. “No, you haven’t.”
“Well, you are.”
“Thank you, Jack.”
Jack just sat there looking at her for the longest time.
“What happened to us, Danni? I know we started too fast and I know I was too intense, but I really thought we had something.”
Danni took a sip of her coffee and looked away toward the quarter moon.
“We did, Jack. We definitely had something. I could tell you that we started too fast and that it was too intense and maybe I didn’t feel as strongly as you did. I could tell you that we had different perceptions. You know, perception is reality, and we had two different realities going on. But what gets in the way of all that is truth. There is always an absolute truth even if neither of us sees it.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I know. I’m going to tell you something—something I didn’t admit to myself until just recently, although I think you’ve always known. It wasn’t about us starting too fast or you feeling more than me. It was my fear. I can’t have a relationship with you because I can’t trust, and without trust I can’t open my heart. I thought it might be different with you, but it wasn’t and it had nothing to do with you, so don’t beat yourself up about it. I just run up against a brick wall and I can’t get through it. That’s the truth.”
“Can’t we work on it together? Can’t I help you?”
“I’m sorry, Jack. The only way anything is ever going to happen is if I get through that wall myself. At least I now see the problem. I’m not lying to myself anymore.”
“We can still be friends.”
“Of course we’ll always be friends but not close friends. I’m not going to do that to you and I won’t allow you to do it to yourself.”
Jack smiled at her. “I still think you’re beautiful.”
“That’s just your perception.”
“No. It’s the truth.”
Danni had another unexpected visitor at midmorning the next day. She was just getting ready to go out and run some errands when there was a knock at the front door. When she answered it, Sam Jeffries was standing there.
“Do you have a minute, Danni? I want to talk to you about something.”
“If you can make it quick, Sam. I was just heading out to run some errands.”
She turned and walked back toward the kitchen. Sam followed her.
“It will only take a few minutes. I just want to tell you a few things we found out about your boy Tobin.”
“He’s not my boy. And stop using that term. It’s offensive.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I thought he was your friend at least.”
“Just get to it, Sam.”
“All right, we found some things in Felton’s possession that are very interesting.”
They were once again sitting at the little table in the kitchen. Danni wasn’t offering any coffee this time. Sam pulled out some papers from his jacket pocket. He handed some of them to Danni.
“This is a claims bill that Tobin was planning on filing on behalf of Felton. They were going to ask the Florida legislature for twenty million dollars.”
Danni scanned the document. “So? It’s my understanding that every prisoner who has been wrongfully imprisoned for an extended period of time files a claims bill—especially people on death row. They might ask for twenty million but they’re not going to get it. What’s your point?”
“Take a look at this.” Jeffries gave