Page 30 of Hard Heart

“Thank you. How was the drive?”

“Long. If I drove that far in England, I’d end up in another country.”

“How long have you lived in the US?”

I was better prepared today. “As I said before, we’re here to talk about you. Where did the guard go?”

“To get us coffee,” Sykes said, unperturbed. “You asked for black, no sugar, remember?”

“Is that normal?”

“I don’t know; you’re the first visitor I’ve had since I landed here.”

“What about your family? Your friends?”

“If you’ve read up on my trial, you know what happened with my friends. My mother is dead.”

“Your father isn’t.”

“No, he’s relieved.”

“Relieved? Why is he relieved? Because your mum passed? Or because you’re in here?”

“Yes.”

“Yes to which one?”

“Both.”

“I don’t…I don’t understand.”

“My parents and I had a complex relationship. The short answer is that my father didn’t want kids, and he resented me.”

“And your mother?”

“She loved me too much.”

Throughout the conversation, his tone didn’t change from the coffee statement. Was he detached? Disinterested? Or just demonstrating extraordinary self-control? Adults were a product of their childhood, and if Sykes had experienced a challenging upbringing, then how did that fit in with the case?

“I read that she was your biggest supporter. That she tried everything to get you out of prison.”

“Undoubtedly,” he agreed. “I was in Redding’s Gap at the time, enjoying the peace.”

“I read the appeal transcript and— Uh, what?” Did Sykes just say he’d been enjoying prison? “I don’t understand.”

For a moment, he simply watched me, his brown eyes focused on my blue ones, then he gave the heaviest sigh and looked away.

“I guess it’s time.”

“Time for what?”

“Time to tell some of my secrets, although you signed up to be a lawyer, not a therapist, so I’ll understand if you want to leave.”

“Actually, I haven’t signed up for anything yet.”

There was still the matter of that pesky bar exam I wasn’t studying hard enough for.

Sykes flashed me a smile. “That’s true. So, how about it, Serafina? Stay or go?”