Silent Witness by Rebecca Forster Page A

the mirror, needing to see every flicker and tick in Archer's face when he answered her next question.
    ''Did you know you were under investigation?'' Josie lowered her voice, Archer followed suit.
    ''I would have heard something, seen something if it had been going on for any length of time. No.'' His voice skidded into a harsh whisper as the heel of his hand went to his good eye. ''Whatever went down, it was fast. If Lexi were here she could tell them I didn't do anything. If Lexi were here. . .''
    ''But she's not. I am.''
    Josie laid out the obvious like she was fanning a deck of cards. Pick one, Archer. Her. Me. The truth. Lies. Your pride or my hurt. All of it could be compromised and that was where the skill of the game came in. Josie couldn't force Archer to be honest, she could only hope she wouldn't be blinded by her feelings for him. Archer's life before her had been held so close she didn't know it still clung to him. His secrets may have been kept out of consideration for her, a need to leave a hurtful past behind or it could have been something else. Something sinister. Archer's reticence could have been the self-serving silence of a man with something to hide.
    Josie turned off the tape recorder just as Burt flipped on the television above the bar. Startled by the sound of the TV, Archer's eye went to it and then scanned the rest of the place as if he wasn't quite sure where he was. Josie collected herself. It was time to go. The day would happen but in Hermosa Beach it would have to happen without her. She gathered her things. This was just the beginning, not even the tip of the iceberg. There was a lot to do.
    ''I have an appointment with Jude Getts. I better hit the road if I'm going to get Brentwood before noon.''
    ''I don't want you to go, Jo.'' Archer stopped her.
    ''I have to. You'll be fine here. Stay with Burt for awhile.'' Josie directed as she palmed her keys and looked at Archer one last time. ''I'll be back as soon as I can.''
    ''I didn't mean it like that,'' Archer said. ''I mean, I don't want you dealing with that bloodsucker: him or Colin Wren. I'll sign over the apartment building to him. I'll pay back every cent of the bail money, but I don't want to be beholden to either of them for anything. Do you understand?''
    Josie hesitated. Above her the air-conditioning had kicked in and the draft of cool air tickled her bare neck. It was as annoying as Archer trying to tell her her job.
    ''Don't be a fool, Archer. If Jude Getts has information that will help us, I want it. Your ego isn't going to get in the way of that. It's not good business; it's not good lawyering and if we come up with something that will help him, I'll reciprocate.''
    She got up and slung her purse over her shoulder.
    ''When I get back I want a detailed account of what happened the day of the accident. From the minute you got up that morning to the minute you brought Lexi home. Do you understand?''
    Archer's petulant silence gave Josie pause. Pushing her chair out of the way she leaned over the table. Defiant, hurt and angry, every bad thing Archer was feeling was directed at Josie as if she had brought this on him. It would take a whole lot more than that to make Josie bend but it was just enough to really tick her off.
    ''Do you understand me, Archer?'' Josie asked.
    A muscle in Archer's jaw quivered. Finally, he nodded. Josie wasn't going to ask for more. An hour later she was walking into Jude Getts's office. She hoped Archer was at home reconstructing that fateful day. He wasn't. As a matter of fact, Jude and Archer were doing the exact same thing. They were tuned into the noon day news and Archer was the headline du jour.

CHAPTER 9

    Jude Getts' office was nice. Leather furniture, smooth and soft as a baby's bottom. Plants lush and green. Carpeting thick as a southern whore's accent. Josie took a minute to miss what she'd left behind when she abandoned her high stakes private practice a few years ago when it occurred to her