Chapter 25
-Silence
-On both accounts
Just when you think you can trust somebody to the very core of your being, they turn. Maybe you should just never trust them at all.
The world used to be divided between who I could trust, and who I couldn't. Slowly that line is beginning to fade.
***
A glimpse in the mirror showed Jamie's eyes puffy and red, from both lack of sleep and crying. She went quietly into the bathroom where she washed
her face, studying it in the mirror.
Blue eyes like her mothers stared at her, enhanced by the redness
surrounding them, there were dark semi-circles below them offsetting them
even further, giving the illusion of makeup. Her once silky ink black hair
was greasy and matted from poor care, her clothes were baggy and
wrinkled. Anybody walking down the street would either mistake her for
homeless.
With a sigh she left the small room, not attempting to make herself look
better, except to change into clean clothes.
She didn't meet her mom on the way out of the house, it was too early for
that. Jamie drove to IHOP in less than fifteen minutes, finding parking just
as easily. She recognized Tammy's car outside the door as she walked in.
The smell of grease and batter pounded on her as she stepped into the
warm room. There were a few plastic sofas and a podium with a smiling
waitress behind it.
“Hello,” the girl said, “how many in your party?”
Jamie turned to face her, “Uh, actually,” she said awkwardly, “she's already
here.”
“Okay, that's fine,” the waitress said looking down at her clipboard, “what's
the name of your party?”
“Tammy?” Jamie said it like a question, hoping that it was the first name
she used.
“Right there! Follow me,” the waitress walked away from the occupied
booths and tables to a more secluded area. She stopped at a secluded
booth where Tammy was sitting, reading papers and sipping coffee.
“Hello Jamie,” Tammy said, Jamie replied with a nod.
“Your waiter will be here shorty,” the waitress said, dropping two menus on
the table before walking away with one last dazzling smile.
“Please sit,” Tammy said, waving to the seat across from her.
“How long have you been here?” Jamie asked.
“About an hour, that girl kept coming over here with a sad look,asking if I
wanted the check,” she laughed, shoving the papers back into a folder.
“Did you already order?”
“No, not yet, I do have some manners,” Tammy smiled, Jamie didn't.
“Sorry,” Tammy's smile faltered, “I know, we're not here for jokes. Let's get
down to business then.”
“Okay,” Jamie said.
“But I'm trusting you Jamie, you need to tell me the truth. We can't go into
court with you knowing more than I do.”
“I don't know,” Jamie said, “it's not that simple.”
“It's life or death Jamie,” Tammy said seriously, “you're only out now
because you can call self-defence. If Richard lives than it will be pretty easy
to keep that up, but if he dies it'll be hard to convince the jury of your
innocence.”
“I know,” Jamie said, “it's just...hard.”
“I know, but if you don't tell me it'll only get harder.”
“I know,” Jamie looked down at her hands, her fingernails tapping against
the fake wood.
“We'll start of easy okay, I'll just ask you questions until you feel secure
enough to talk,” Tammy said, Jamie nodded.
Tammy reached around in her briefcase, and finally pulled out a tape
recorder.
“Do you mind?” she asked, Jamie shook her head.
After messing with the recorder, Tammy set it down and pushed a red
button.
“April 14, 2007. Jamie Herring, case number 335.”
Tammy wrote down what she said on a pad of paper that was also laid out
on the table in front of her.
“So, Jamie, do you agree to answer all of my questions with complete
honesty?”
“Yes.”
“And are you aware that what you say may be used in court at a later date?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Tammy looked at another paper, one with facts and questions
printed on it, “before the incident, did you feel any animosity toward
Richard?”
Jamie paused, not knowing how to answer, the tape recorder was making
her nervous.
After a few moments of silence Tammy asked another question.
“At the time of the incident, did you intend to cause harm?”
Once again Jamie didn't answer.
“Jamie,” Tammy said, “are you going to answer?”
“I...d-don't...” she coughed over her words, they lodged themselves in her
throat.
“Is it the tape recorder?” Tammy asked.
Jamie shrugged.
“Are you nervous?”
Jamie shrugged again.
“End of session one,” Tammy said, pressing the red button again, turning
the recorder off and putting it back in the briefcase.
A man walked up to the booth, holding coffee in one hand.
“Good morning, My names Jeff and I'll be your waiter today, are you ready
to order?” He said with a fake smile.
Tammy looked at Jamie, who had yet to touch the menu.
“Uh...” Jamie said, flipping it open, “pancakes?”
“Okay,” Jeff said, putting the coffee down on the table and pulling out a
notepad. “Would you like any bacon or sausage? Hash browns?”
“Um...bacon.” Jamie said quietly.
“Sorry?” Jeff leaned in closer to her.
“Bacon,” she repeated, backing up.
“What kind of pancakes? Butter, chocolate chip, house, blueberry-”
“Just pancakes,” Jamie snapped, “any kind.”
“And what to drink?”
“Nothing!” Jamie said, a little too loudly.
“Fine then,” Jeff said, turning toward Tammy.
“I hope your in a better mood, what would you like?” He slapped on
another fake smile.
“I'd like very much for you to leave. But more coffee would be nice before
that,” Tammy exchanged an equally fake smile, Jeff's dissipated.
“Here you go,” he said, glaring as he poured more coffee. Finally he left.
“Sorry about that,” Tammy said.
“Don't be,” Jamie said.
“Look, Jamie,” Tammy began, “I'm sorry about what happened between
you and your dad, but I need you to be open with me. You know that.”
“Yeah,” Jamie said, lowering her eyes.
“I need you to trust me.”
“I don't know...” Jamie said, “right now I'm having a lot of problems with
trust.”
“I'm sorry,” Tammy said.
“So am I.”
Jamie lifted her eyes a little, almost meeting Tammy's intense gaze.
“We'll talk again later,” Tammy said, “and when that happens I need you
to be able to talk to me.”
“Maybe,” Jamie said, pulling her notebook up onto the table, pulling a pen
out of the spirals.
“What's that?” Tammy asked.
“It's a book I'm writing.”
“What's it about?”
Jamie met Tammy's eyes and smiled, “I'm sure you'll find out.
***
Trust in the lies, lie about trust. That's how it works. The line keeps getting fainter and fainter, the line between right and wrong, trust and lies, fake and real. So faint that I can't see it anymore, yet there enough that everyone else can. So does that make me blind to the truth, or them ignorant to it?
Until I find out I can't tell. I'll have to sit in silence, until the truth reveals itself.
What if I tell, and it's used against me?
The weirdest thing was the tape recorder, I recognized the sound. I just don't know where from.
POD 26 -This Calling -On both accounts. NOW POSTED! 
) - you need to add a few more in, maureen. Apart from that: great!
Just got back from holiday. I was thinking about getting back to this while I was gone. Good sign. 
