Witness by Susan Page Davis

couch. Sweat beaded on her forehead and an awful, empty feeling clenched her stomach. Mason sidled up to her and licked her hand. She stroked his head absently. Was this what she had to look forward to? Isolation and condemnation?
    “Dear God, please help me.” She sobbed and rubbed her eyes. She was so tired! The stressful environment at work since several nurses had left her department was getting to everyone, and she had to concentrate not to let her patients see that. Once more she considered changing jobs and moving to Waterville. Why not? There was nothing to keep her here.
    And she’d be closer to Joe.
    She lay back on the cushions. Did she want to think about this now? She felt her attraction to Joe growing. For the first time since Danny, she had serious thoughts of getting involved with a man. Falling in love was so risky. Was it worth it? She knew the pain that could follow if you fell for the man you thought you knew, and later discovered his true nature. But there were good, long-lasting marriages. She’d seen a few.
    Something inside her whispered, You may have grown up, but you’re still not ready.
    Why not? she asked herself again.
    Because you can’t share your life with someone unless you have the same goals and convictions. You have to start on the same page. But you don’t even know what you believe.
    It was true. She’d left her innocent faith behind when Danny brought evil into her life and left it a smoking ruin. Everything had seemed so wonderful at first, and she’d overlooked the little things that bothered her. His odd assortment of friends, his erratic moods. After she’d accepted his engagement ring, things had taken a downturn. He lost his job, but seemed apathetic about looking for a new one. He came up with spurts of cash that he claimed came from occasional jobs as a construction site helper. Petra had suspicions, but she gave him the benefit of the doubt. Then she found the drugs in his truck.
    The confrontation that followed shredded her heart. She’d hoped he would deny everything and have a reasonable explanation. Instead he’d lashed out at her. She’d kept the information she had to herself for several miserable days. Then she learned he was heading for a transaction that would put a huge amount of cocaine on the streets of Waterville. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t turn to her family with this horrible knowledge. Finally, she did what she felt was the only thing she could do. She called the police, and when they went after him, Danny led them on a desperate chase that ended in his death.
    Her family had offered their loving sympathy, but they couldn’t know how deeply she’d been shaken. Then, as now, she kept her role in the tragedy a secret. She supposed they all thought she’d recovered over the years. She lived a normal life, held down a responsible job. But she’d never let another man get close to her.
    She got up and went to the kitchen with Mason padding behind her. While she fixed a sandwich, she allowed herself the luxury of thinking about Joe Tarleton. He was the stable force in her life right now. She trusted him to help her prove that Rex Harwood had killed a woman before her eyes.
    But what if Joe couldn’t do that?
    Would he still want to get to know her if he couldn’t find the evidence she needed? Before she’d told him about Rex, Joe had definitely sent friendship signals, and she’d intercepted them happily, though she’d managed to keep her manner at its usual controlled level while butterflies held a sock hop in her stomach. Joe’s response was unmistakable. He hadn’t come to the gift shop’s opening for the coffee.
    She wondered what Joe believed. Why had he chosen to be a detective? What drove him to help people in trouble? What things would he die for? Did he believe God was real?
    She stared at the sandwich. Her appetite had fled. It didn’t matter what Joe believed about God or life or love. She needed to settle this