Free All Through the Night (Liar's Web) by Sandra Calhoune Page A

and simple.”
    Darcel nodded then let out the deep breath she'd been holding. Her nerves were on edge, and her hands were shaking with anxiety. You can do this !   She began repeating the mantra in her head, mentally psyching herself up so she could get through this and ID the shooter.
    “ I understand you're having some trouble remembering,” Cherry prodded gently as she pulled out her sketchpad and charcoal pencils from her oversized bag.
    “ Yes, I am,” Darcel admitted. “Most of my memories from that night are crystal-clear. It's as if I'm simply blocking out the actual moments when Ronnie was killed.”
    “ That's not uncommon,” she said kindly, her dark eyes reflecting a deep understanding and compassion. “Sometimes there's a mechanism in the human mind that protects us from traumatic situations. Don't think you're the first person this has ever happened to, Darcel.”
    A feeling of relief swept through her upon hearing Cherry's words. Having this weird type of amnesia made her feel like a freak. She felt defective. It reminded her all too well of the fact she couldn't remember anything about the first five years of her life. She didn't remember a single face of a loved one, a lullaby, a family home, a cherished pet. Nothing. Perhaps after this ordeal was over, she would take steps to uncover the mystery surrounding her background and the circumstances of her adoption.
    “ Why don't we start off with the things you do remember. Tell me about that night and I'll start sketching based on your descriptions.”
    For the next half hour, Darcel described the events of that evening in extreme detail, including specifics about her own appearance, the car she'd been driving, and the atmosphere at Hangman's Wharf. As she recounted the moment when she heard the gunshots ring out, her palms began to break out in moist beads of sweat. She found herself describing Ronnie's slumped over body and the crimson stain on his shirt.
    Her breathing began getting ragged as she willed herself to remember the rest. She tried to continue, but her mind went blank. There was nothing else she remembered after seeing Ronnie's dead body face down on the pavement. The next thing she remembered was pulling her car over after seeing the flashing lights in Trueblood's squad car.
    “ Maybe we should stop now,” Trueblood advised as he handed her a cold glass of water. She readily accepted it and quickly drank the contents.
    She watched as Cherry and Trueblood reviewed the sketches. Trueblood's face was grim and guarded as he looked at Cherry's work. As usual, he was keeping his cards close to the vest. She couldn't tell a damn thing by looking at his face.
    “ May I see?”she asked, eager to see what Cherry had come up with in her sketches.
    Cherry looked at Trueblood for approval, and he nodded his head in agreement. Cherry began to lay out all the sketches one-by-one on the coffee table. Darcel looked at the drawings with admiration. Cherry was an extremely talented artist. She'd brought Hangman's Wharf vividly to life in her sketches. She felt goose bumps pop up on her arms as she realized how chillingly accurate Cherry's sketches were.
    “ Remember when I asked you to think about the shooter's image…how tall he was, skin color, build? This is what I drew based on your impressions.”
    Darcel let out a cry of surprise as Ronnie's face stared back at her from the sketch Cherry was holding up. His deep-set, wide eyes, mahogany skin, and full lips had been rendered perfectly by the artist. A feeling of pity seized her insides as she thought about the life Ronnie would never get to live. He'd never get married. Never have a house full of kids. He'd never get the chance to straighten his life out and stop running the streets. Pity sliced through her at the senselessness of his death. She felt so badly for him and his grieving family.
    “ You basically described the victim,” Trueblood said with a grim expression.
    “ I'm still