6
NEVER FORGET
Gale watched as the handsome face of Rory Connors went through several phases.
He was processing her words and she’d let him have that moment while she studied him.
His brown hair was styled with a bit of product in it. Not a lot, but enough that she’d bet he got up, showered, put something on his hands and ran them through his hair on top. The sides were cropped shorter, the beard on his face trim.
She always imagined a writer just lived day by day and didn’t always care what they might look like when they got up.
Not sure why she thought that.
His brown eyes were dark, as if they held onto secrets that no one would want to know, or he was afraid of sharing.
She wasn’t afraid of much. If she was, she wouldn’t be here now trying to know more about him and this case that had haunted him and paved her career.
When his lips pursed, she asked, “What did I say that has you thinking of something new?”
He gave a faint snort, his head bobbing back as he’d done it. “I never thought of what you said before. That by writing crimefiction I was putting my head in the mind of a killer. To me it was about solving a crime and having that happy ending that I never got. That my family never will.”
“I’m sorry for that,” she said. “There isn’t anything else I can say because nothing will change a thing nor make it better.”
“No. I appreciate you saying that. Too many times people feel they’ve got to find some words that they think I need to hear when it’s more about what they feel they have to say.”
“That’s it exactly. We can just chat if you want and see what comes out. Kind of keep it informal.”
“That works,” he said.
“No reason for you to tell me about that night. We can get there when the time is right. Maybe if you don’t mind, a small recap of what brought you here.”
“When I was a cop, I was already writing books. I couldn’t get an agent or publisher but that didn’t stop me from doing it. I self-published, learned everything I could about marketing and put myself out there. It did much better than I thought and I continued. After the second year I realized I could make more doing that than being on the force.”
“Without benefits,” she said. “And that’s horrible to say, but sometimes those things pop into my mind.”
“I thought of it all, but I was doing well and going at my pace. Sometimes you just have to do what feels right. I had enough experience from my job alone to write dozens of books.”
“Good for you.”
He picked up the cider and took a long drink. “Thisis good.”
“I’ll let Clay know,” she said.
“Writing allowed me the time I needed to focus on Rene and everything that happened. My career took off there, I got my agent, got my first big publishing deal and it’s only continued. As for Rene, every thought, every lead, everything that my mother or I remember, I’ve exhausted it to the point it gets a red linethrough it. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve seen more red than black in my search.”
“Do you look into everything, even the smallest of memories?”
“I do,” he said. “Nothing is overlooked. My mother will call me out of the blue and tell me she remembered something and I’ll go through all my notes looking for any mention anywhere that I could have thought the same.”
He kept mentioning his mother. “What about your father?”
He leaned back in his chair. “We don’t talk. My parents divorced a few years after Rene’s death. My father was very vocal in the courtroom when Cooper was found not guilty.”
She remembered hearing that from her parents. They’d felt sympathy for Rene’s parents, but Cooper wasn’t the right man.
“That’s sad that their marriage fell apart.”
“Sad but common. My father chose to forget and my mother will always remember.”
