Page 30 of Into These Eyes

Gavin

After Jamie called me late yesterday afternoon to let me know she’d located Liam, and that he’d be thrilled to have her draw up an affidavit for him, I wanted to cry with relief. Not only has she followed through on her word, but it actually looks like I might have a shot at clearing my name.

She also explained that Liam needs to fly out tonight for a two-week stint in the Western Australian mines, so she’s taken today off work to hightail it up the coast.

In an effort to get Benny out of his little box, along with the fact that I want him to meet Jamie, she’s agreed to him coming along.

While we wait for her, I wonder again why this two-and-a-half-hour trip up the coast isn’t happening over the phone or online, but I’m not stupid enough to question it. This way, I get to spend most of the day with her.

“Thanks again, Gav. I’m pretty fuckin’ grateful ta be gettin’ outta that hot-box. Not ta mention finally meetin’ your obsession.”

“Jesus, Benny. You’ve already forgotten?” I snap.

“Think I’m gettin’ dementia,” he chuckles.

“I mean it,” I say, turning to face him. “Do not embarrass me. This is nerve-wracking enough without you spouting off your nonsense.”

He rolls his eyes. “Christ on a cracker. No fuckin’ fun, are ya?”

“Remind me,” I demand, my heart juddering in my chest at the thought of Benny saying something that’ll have Jamie believing I’m a crazed stalker.

“Fine. Don’t tell her ‘bout ya sketches. Don’t tell her how much ya stared at them. Don’t tell her you’re all mushy inside for her.”

After his simplified version of my rules, he gives me a quick one-two in the stomach. Fortunately, I’m so fucking tense, I barely feel it.

Then her car pulls in and drives toward us. “Here she is. Behave.”

Benny puts both hands up in surrender. “I gotcha back, Gav. Relax.”

I’ve never witnessed Benny’s behaviour around a woman, so I have no idea what I’m getting myself into. But the guy needs to get out of this caravan park, do something different for once, and meet someone other than the scum living here. And I don’t know anyone besides Jamie.

When her car pulls to a stop, I reach for the passenger doorhandle and open it. But before I can get in, she climbs out.

I watch over the roof of the car as her ponytail swings behind her, sunnies blocking my view of her eyes. When she rounds the rear bumper, my heart wants to leap from its cage.

She’s wearing a pretty summer dress that dips in a low V-neck, cinches in at her waist and flows loosely a few inches above her knees, caressing her bare thighs.

When my gaze reaches her toes in strappy sandals, I notice they’re painted a delicate shade of pink.

I’m sure she wasn’t wearing polish the other day.

But best of all, when she places her sunnies on top of her head, her eyes radiate warmth.

Fuck, she’s sexy.

“Lovely to meet you …”

“Benny,” I jump in.

“ Bennie and the Jets ,” she mumbles under her breath as she offers him her hand. “Lovely to meet you, Benny.”

To my horror, he bats her hand away. “None of that,” he says, and wraps his arms around her in a bear-hug. “The way this bloke goes on about ya, feels like I’ve known ya for years.”

If I had the power to disintegrate into a million pieces, now would be the time.

As Jamie hugs him back, her eyes finding mine over his shoulder, and she smiles.

Her eyes sparkle with a brightness that hadn’t been there the other day.

Hope, maybe. Or purpose. I’m not sure, but I like it a hell of a lot.

Giving Benny’s back and affection pat, she pulls away. “Well, the fact that you’ve always believed he’s innocent, makes me like you already.” She glances at me. “Ready to go?”

“Sure.” I make a move toward the passenger door.

“Shouldn’t you let Benny sit in the front?” she asks as she heads around to the driver’s side.

I shoot Benny a death glare that hopefully withers his insides. He’s along for the ride, not to steal my seat beside her.

“Nah. I’m shorter than Gav. He’ll be all cramped back there.”

Once we’re all in the car, Benny scoot across the seat so he’s positioned directly behind Jamie. I glance back at him, and he gives me a smug wink. Which I’m sure Jamie catches in the rearview mirror.

“Now,” Jamie says, flicking her gaze to me, “you’re not going to freak out again, are you?”

Right. Seems I’ll be contending with two smartarses today. I might have made a big mistake introducing these two.

Benny’s head appears between the seats. “You freaked him out?”

I catch the cheeky grin on those perfect lips of hers. “I did.”

Benny smirks. “Looks like we’ve got our first road-trip story, ‘cause I haven’t heard a word about that.”

As we get going, Jamie takes great delight in showing Benny what her modern car can do.

Only difference is, she explains what it does before actually demonstrating, preventing Benny from having the same heart failure she subjected me to.

They crack up when she tells him all about my reactions, and I laugh along with them.

The fact that she’s comfortable enough to rib me, and lights up while doing it, makes me all warm and mushy.

“So, Gav,” Benny says, “I keep meanin’ ta ask what that is on ya neck there.”

My gaze snaps to Jamie. She flicks a look at me, then glances in the rearview mirror as a bright flush colours her cheeks.

“It’s nothing,” I tell him, a warning in my tone. Of course, he’s not deterred. He leans in even closer.

“Doesn’t look like nothin’. Kinda looks like—”

“Caught myself on the corner of a cupboard, that’s all.” I catch Jamie’s eyes for a split second, her relief at my lie evident when she loosens her grip on the wheel.

I know I shouldn’t, but I glance back at Benny. He’s grinning from ear to ear, his eyes darting between us before he gives me an eyebrow waggle.

“You’re a terrible liar, Gav.”

“And you’re a terrible guest, Benny .” My death-stare does nothing to stop his chuckle rumbling through the car as he slumps back in his seat.

When we finally arrive at Liam’s, my chest constricts the moment I lay eyes on him. Seeing that little boy all grown up only serves to cement how much time I’ve lost.

With genuine guilt and remorse on the poor guy’s face, Liam hits me with a firm handshake. “Gavin, man. I’m so sorry. No one’d listen to me and I—”

“Liam,” I say. “Not your fault, buddy. There’re a few people to blame, and you’re not one of them. Got it?”

He gives me a nod, but I don’t quite believe it. “Right, well, hopefully I can set the record straight now.”

When he leads us through to the living room, Benny snavels one of two armchairs and Jamie takes a seat on the small, two-seater couch, leaving me in the wonderful predicament of having to sit next to her.

After Liam provides refreshments, Jamie gets permission to record the interview and explains she’ll also take notes on her laptop.

On the drive here, she expressed her concerns about how much Liam might remember, but the guy seems confident.

“I was in big trouble that night,” Liam begins.

“I’d cut off one of my little sister’s pigtails and Mum totally lost the plot.

Sent me to my room without dinner and told me to get in bed and stay there.

It was way too early for me to go to sleep, and I wasn’t allowed to have my light on, so I just stared out the window, waiting to get tired.

“Wasn’t long before I saw a guy in black clothes and a baseball cap come round the corner and walk a up the street toward my house.

I was so bored by then, I paid close attention to him.

” He takes a breath, his gaze unfocused.

“He stopped in the middle of the footpath, staring at Gavin’s place for a bit.

Then he hid between a couple of cars on my side of the street.

I mean, I was seven, so I didn’t know what was going on.

I just knew it was weird. Weird enough that I wanted to go get my mum.

But before I could, a car came round the corner and parked close to Gavin’s house. ”

Knowing what should come next, my heart speeds up, terrified Liam might remember things differently. If our stories don’t match, I’m fucked. Jamie made it clear that I need either evidence or a witness, and Liam’s my only shot.

“It was kinda like a movie. She got out of her car, then headed toward Gavin’s.”

I glance at Jamie as her fingers freeze on the keyboard, her expression tight. Discreetly, I press my thigh against hers. Her gaze shifts from Liam to me.

You okay? I mouth.

She gives me a faint smile, then nods before focusing on Liam again.

Knowing what’s coming, I keep my leg where it is, hoping the contact gives her some comfort.

“The guy in the baseball cap was suddenly on the footpath, flying towards her. He had his back to me, so I couldn’t see his face.

I remember how shocked she looked when she saw him.

She didn’t even scream. Just bolted. But he was faster.

Grabbed her, threw her on the nature strip and was on her, forcing her onto her back, and …

” Liam hesitates, his attention shifting to Jamie.

Her thigh presses hard against mine. I push back enough to let her know that I’m right here. I’d rather hold her hand, put my arm around her and protect her. It’s killing me that I can’t.

“Keep going,” she tells Liam, a barely noticeable hitch in her voice.

“I saw him raise both hands above his head and bring them down, but his back was blocking my view. Then he was up and running. It happened so fast.” Liam drags a shaking hand over his face, his eyes locked on the coffee table between us.

“Did you notice if he had the knife in his hand when you first saw him?” Jamie asks, her tone professional, detached.

It’s surreal, hearing someone else tell the story of how her mother was attacked before I came on the scene.

“No,” Liam answers. “I didn’t see it until he took off … when he left it sticking out of her chest.”

Jamie nods and types. “Keep going.”

“Then Gavin came round the corner, and I started waving at him, screaming, trying to get his attention. The other guy knocked Gavin down, then legged it.

“That’s when Gavin saw her. He was shocked, but he didn’t hesitate. He ran right up to her, tried to help. Then Mum was in my room. Obviously, she heard the racket I was making. She screamed when she looked out the window, then she dragged me away.”

Liam lets out a long, shaky breath and leans back in the armchair. Beside me, Jamie does the same. My heart’s pounding. I’m not sure if it’s from re-living that night through Liam’s eyes, or if it’s the thrill of knowing his story matches mine exactly.

“Do you need to take a break?” Jamie asks.

Liam shakes his head. “No, I’m fine. Just haven’t really thought about it in that much detail for a long time.”

“That’s understandable,” she reassures him. “When you’re ready, what happened next?”

He picks at the leather on the arm of his chair for a moment. “Well, my mum thought what everyone else thought. That Gavin had stabbed someone. I kept trying to tell her what really happened, but she was hysterical, wouldn’t listen to me.”

“And when the police arrived at your house?” Jamie asks.

“A detective interviewed mum. I kept interrupting him, but he shut me down. He was only interested in what Mum had to say. He acted like a kid couldn’t possibly have eyesight, couldn’t have possibly seen what I was trying to tell him.”

Jamie pulls out her phone, scrolls for a moment, then shows the screen to Liam. “Was this the detective?”

Liam nods. “Yeah, that’s him.”

“So he made no attempt at all to interview you?”

“Nope. Then when Mum told me Gavin was going to jail for a long time, I just didn’t understand. But I was seven. I was powerless.”

“You tried,” I tell him. “There’s nothing else you could’ve done.”

He meets my eyes and nods. “Do you think this’ll help?”

“This is huge, Liam,” Jamie says as she stops the recording app on her phone.

“It’s proof the police didn’t conduct a proper and thorough investigation.

And it’s proof that Detective Reid perverted the course of justice by purposely ignoring your eye-witness account.

This statement will go a long way to giving Gavin his life back. ”

After I thank Liam profusely, and we promise to see him in a couple of weeks so he can sign the affidavit, we head out.

Jamie digs her key fob out of her handbag, and as we approach her car, all four windows lower and the car rumbles to life.

Benny shoots a look over his shoulder at us, grinning like a kid in a toy shop.

“Show off,” I grumble as I nudge her with my arm, managing to get a brief smile out of her.

Once Benny slips into the back seat and shuts the door, I touch Jamie’s elbow and stop her before we reach the car. “You okay? That couldn’t have been easy.”

She shrugs. “I’m fine. I appreciated you … letting me know you were there for me.” She glances down the street, then back at me. “What about you?”

“Just relieved Liam remembers what happened. I’m fine hearing about it. I’m sure you can imagine how many times I’ve been over it in my head. That probably helps keep the emotion out of it.”

After giving me a sad little smile, we get in the car and drive away. As I glance over at her, the need to bring a genuine smile to her eyes, to take care of her in every way possible, hits me like a fucking freight train.