Page 6 of Shadowed Witness (The Secrets of Kincaid #2)

Allye wasn’t sure where she was headed, but she barely made it around a bend in the road before the tears started falling.

She knew what had happened last night—had the bruises to prove it.

Why wouldn’t anyone listen to her? Eric obviously felt bad about it, but he didn’t believe her either.

She didn’t blame him. He was a facts guy, and there wasn’t much for him to go on. Didn’t mean it didn’t hurt though.

She thought back to her conversation with the mayor, tried to force herself to remember exactly what he’d said.

He’d found her face down at the bottom of the steps.

But she had no abrasions on her face. No sore spots on her forehead or the sides of her head—only a bit at the back where she remembered being slammed against the brick wall. It didn’t fit.

But she had to admit, her memories didn’t fit either. She should be dead. She was choked to the point of unconsciousness. Why hadn’t the attacker finished her off? How had he moved her to the foot of the steps and gotten away before the mayor’s arrival? And why bother?

She snatched a tissue from the box on her passenger seat and dried her tears. There had to be an explanation for last night’s events. Had to.

But what if the truth lay somewhere in the middle or in a third option?

Her stomach tightened at the thought, but she forced herself to follow that line of reasoning.

Could her recent health issues have progressed to include hallucinations?

Over the past couple of months, she’d been experiencing severe brain fog in addition to a handful of other symptoms—including a persistent fatigue that no amount of sleep or caffeine could shake.

The threat of a cramp started in her right hand, and she shifted her hold on the steering wheel, using the thumb of her opposite hand to massage the offending area.

Part of her wondered if dwelling on her condition had prompted the sensation—an anxiety response, as one specialist had suggested.

But no. She pushed that thought aside. Again.

She might harbor some anxiety about her health or lack thereof, but that had begun well after the symptoms appeared.

And her other doctors had agreed with Allye that something more was going on.

That was some comfort, even if they hadn’t yet pinpointed what that something was.

So far all the tests had come back negative or inconclusive.

Unfortunately, all that meant was she had a better idea of what she didn’t have—and any of the things they’d checked for would be better than what she suspected.

She hadn’t shared her concerns with anyone but her doctors.

But if she was correct, things were only going to get worse.

But hallucinations? That wasn’t part of the disease, was it? Potential cognitive deficiency, yes, but hallucinations ... that would be ten times worse.

And that possibility still didn’t explain the bruising on her neck.

She needed to do more research. When she found the energy.

Her phone chimed a reminder tone. She snatched it from the center console. What had she forgotten this time? She glanced at the readout. Senior Photos: Jayden Alexander, park, 4:00 p.m.

She dropped her phone back into the console and redirected toward the park. She had time to get there and set up before Jayden and his mom arrived, but it would be close. Good thing she kept her camera bag with her and wasn’t still stuck at home without her car.

Resting her foot a bit heavily on the gas pedal, she grabbed another tissue and dabbed under her eyes again.

Crying hadn’t helped anything, and she’d probably have puffy eyes for the photo shoot.

At least she’d be behind the camera, not in front of it.

Still, she turned on the air conditioning and aimed the vents at her face.

Her thoughts returned to last night’s incident. Maybe if she wrote out what happened, something would click. At the very least, she needed to have a written record of her own in case she started to forget. She’d work on that tonight—whether she felt like it or not.

That settled, she forced her brain into photography mode. She had an appointment to keep and a senior to celebrate. This was a special time in a teen’s life, and she needed to make sure the photos reflected that. She’d do that even if she weren’t being paid, but she did need the money.

After the last two weddings she shot had not only drained her but left her barely able to function for several days following, she’d been afraid to book more for the foreseeable future.

That had seriously cut into her income as a freelance photographer.

These less-demanding senior photo sessions for the local high schoolers, though not nearly as lucrative, were keeping her afloat right now.

At least until more of the medical bills started coming in.

But she’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

As she neared the turnoff for Kincaid Lake State Park, her phone went off. Her cousin Hailey. She hit the accept button on her steering wheel and waited for the call to connect through her car speakers.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Allye. How are you feeling? Wesley told me you had a bad fall last night.”

She let a beat of silence pass. “How did Wesley know?”

“Mayor Jennings told him. He seemed pretty concerned.”

“Oh.” Of course. Hailey’s husband, Wesley, was on the city council and had been working closely with Mayor Jennings’s campaign for state senator. If he won his race, she strongly suspected he intended to endorse Wesley as the new mayoral candidate to replace him.

“So . . . how are you?”

Allye shifted to ease a pinch in her right shoulder. “I’m okay, I guess. A few bruises and incredibly sore. I didn’t fall though—at least, I don’t think I did, but everyone else seems to.”

Other than the clack-clack of a baby toy in the background, there was silence on the other end of the line. After a few seconds, Hailey said, “I’d think you’d be the first person to know if you fell.”

“You’d think.” She turned onto the road leading to the park. “At this point, I don’t know what happened last night. Mayor Jennings thinks I fell, I thought I was attacked, none of it adds up.”

“Hold up. You thought you were attacked ? What happened?”

She drew in a deep breath, then let it out quickly, annoyed that it had made her a bit dizzy.

What was she about to say? She blinked twice, then remembered Hailey’s question.

Focus. “When I left my studio last night, I thought I heard something behind the building.” She pulled into the lot and parked as she gave Hailey the basics up to the point where the mayor dropped her off at home.

“None of it adds up. No one thinks I actually saw anything last night, and I know it sounds crazy, but it’s so clear in my mind. Well, as clear as anything is lately.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She hadn’t intended to let that last part slip. “Nothing.”

“Not nothing, Allye Jessup.”

“Really, Hailey—”

“Spill it. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.” She let the whispered words trail off, but Hailey remained quiet, waiting.

“I’ve been ... sick, I guess, for a couple months now.

I’ve got awful brain fog, and I’m exhausted.

All the time. The migraines are hitting more often, and I get dizzy.

..” She stopped herself before she said too much.

“There’s other symptoms too, but the doctors don’t know what’s going on yet. ”

“Allye, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay—I’m okay. Or I will be. Or I won’t.” She managed a nervous-sounding laugh. “But if I’m wrong about what happened last night...” She bit the side of her lip and blinked back tears.

“If you’re wrong about last night, what?”

She squeezed her eyes shut. Did she really want to say it out loud?

“Allye.”

The gentle way Hailey said her name broke down the wall, and she blurted out her fears.

“My injuries from last night don’t fit with me falling down the stairs, but my memory doesn’t match the evidence.

What if I’m starting to hallucinate? What if I imagined everything, then fainted at the foot of the steps?

I’ve got bruises on my neck. Did I choke myself?

My body’s betraying me—maybe my mind is too.

” She sucked in a breath, then added softly, “I’m afraid. ”

“I’m so sorry.” Her cousin didn’t offer empty feel-good platitudes—wasn’t her way. And Allye was thankful for that. “If there’s anything I can do to help, drive you to appointments, anything—”

A thump followed by a loud cry from Hailey’s end of the line made Allye jump.

“Oh, hold on.” The sound muffled somewhat, but Allye could clearly hear the screams from Hailey’s almost-one-year-old.

After a moment, they settled to hiccupping sobs, then quieted.

Finally, Hailey returned to the call. “Sorry. That had to be loud. I have you on speaker, and Jenna’s baby walker got away from her.

She crash-landed right by the coffee table where the phone was. ”

“She okay?”

“I think it scared her more than anything. You’re okay, aren’t you?” Hailey laughed softly, and Allye could picture her signing to her daughter as she spoke. “Yep, she’s already squirming to get down.” Her tone changed. “Hey, Wes? Could you grab milk on your way home tonight?”

“Sure thing, babe. Love you.” Wesley’s voice carried clearly across the line.

Heat surged to Allye’s cheeks. She hadn’t realized he was home. Hopefully, he hadn’t heard too much of her side of the conversation.

“Love you too.” A door closed, then Hailey’s voice returned. “Sorry again, Allye. I had to catch Wesley before he left. He’s been so busy lately that it’s always a toss-up whether he’ll see a text while he’s out. I’ll be so glad when this election season is over and things go back to normal.”

“I’ll bet.” Allye checked the time. “Hey, I need to go. I’ve got to set up for a photo shoot. They’re going to be here any minute.”

“Keep me posted about the health stuff, okay?”

“All right. And please don’t say anything to my mom or anyone.”

“You haven’t told her?”

“Not yet. I don’t want to worry her about nothing.”

“It doesn’t sound like nothing.”

I know. She blinked against more tears. “There will be plenty of time for that after I know something concrete.” The MRI scheduled for next week should give them something definitive to work with. One way or the other. A car pulled into the lot and swung into the spot next to her.

“Allye, you really should—”

“My clients just arrived. I have to go, but we’ll talk later, okay?”

“Later, for sure.”

“Bye, Hailey. And thanks for listening.”

“Anytime. Take care of yourself.”

“Trying.” Allye ended the call and climbed from the car, pushing through the dizziness at standing too quickly.

She forced a smile at the Alexanders and gave them a wave.

They’d have to wait for her to set up now, but it shouldn’t take much time.

And if they weren’t in a hurry, she was glad to extend their time slot as needed. As long as her energy held out.