Chapters (59)
- COVER
- About the Author
- DEDICATION
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- Acknowledgments
- THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING
McKnight sighed, sending a plume of steam into the air, before shifting the folder to his other hand. ‘See, the thing is, it always bothered me, when it turned out there was no record of you having ever lived in Brooklyn. Your reasoning made sense, but it was one of those things that stuck out to me. Like a rock in your shoe. Drives you nuts.’
I swallowed, hardly knowing what to say, how to defend myself now. It was too late. He knew too much. Knew I was a liar. Knew it all.
When I didn’t speak, McKnight went on. ‘Believe me, it took some time to figure it out. I thought I was being paranoid, but a lead came through, clearing up a lot of the questions I had. The truth always comes out eventually. Doesn’t it?’
I licked my lips, waiting for the rest of it. Get it over with, I wanted to tell him. Just put me out of this misery. Take me away.
McKnight nodded to the folder. ‘Before I give you this, I want to tell you that I understand why you did what you did. I’ve been on the force going on twenty years. I know that there are some things – some people – who are impossible to put behind you.’
My eyes narrowed, because I didn’t understand. Why was he being kind, empathetic, even? Was it all just an act?
Just do it, I begged again. Finish me.
He shifted his weight. ‘I really don’t think anyone would blame you, if they knew the whole story.’
I looked down at my feet. I didn’t understand him. I didn’t understand any of this.
‘Miss Williams,’ McKnight said, only the tiniest hint of a question in his voice. ‘Olivia Williams.’
I looked up at him, then blinked slowly, confirming. I took a deep breath, waiting for the rest, for him to slide all the pieces together …
‘I know your ex was abusive,’ McKnight said. ‘And I know that’s why you didn’t want to give me your real name.’ He squeezed tighter at the folder in his hands. ‘And look, I’m going to edit the official reports, but I’m not going to make a thing of this in the press. My supervisor is already breathing down my neck after we bungled it with Mr Alby. But even so, the law is the law, and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t give you this.’
He pressed the folder into my hands and I slowly opened it, my eyes flitting over the paper, trying to make it make sense.