For the first time that morning, she seemed to believe it without qualification. Cole watched her go and felt a small measure of relief. Anna represented something he could never provide: a person who had loved Lily long before Brandon entered her life and who would still love her if Lily made choices other people could not understand.
After breakfast Cole went to the kitchen to speak with Ray. The cook had just finished preparing a stack of pancakes and was wiping the hot plate with practiced movements. He looked up, saw Cole, and set the towel down.
"You saw yesterday," Cole said.
"All of it."
"You willing to describe it if someone outside the sheriff's department asks?"
Ray leaned against the prep counter. "I should've moved when that boy grabbed her. I stood there with a towel in my hand like an idiot."
"That's not what I asked."
"I know." Ray rubbed a hand over his face. "I've been watching him push her around for months. Thought if I said something, I'd just make it worse. Then yesterday happened, and I realized I'd been using that possibility as an excuse not to do anything at all."
Cole waited. The kitchen smelled of bacon grease and onions, and someone had left the radio playing softly near the dish station. There was something ordinary and terrible about hearing Ray describe his failure against such familiar sounds.
"My mother went through something like this," Ray said. "Years ago. People knew. They just didn't want to be involved. I swore I'd never be one of them. Then I turned into one anyway."
"You haven't run out of chances to be different," Cole said.
Ray looked toward the front of the diner. "If somebody asks, I'll tell them everything I saw. And if she needs a day off, I'll cover for her. Marlene already said we can rearrange the schedule."
"Good."
Ray hesitated. "The sheriff's office called Marlene after you left. Wanted to know whether she intended to press charges against Brandon. She told them it wasn't her decision to make. They didn't sound pleased."
Cole nodded. "Keep the details straight. Write down who called if she remembers."
"Already did." Ray tapped an order pad. "Time, number, what she said. That's what you told me once when the food supplier sent the wrong crates."
Cole almost smiled. "Works for more than bad lettuce."
He left the kitchen and paid his bill. Outside, frost had vanished from the pavement, leaving dark wet patches beneath the parked cars. Cole reached his motorcycle just as his phone rang. Lily's name appeared on the screen.
"He's here," she said.
Cole stopped. "Where?"
"Parking lot. He's in his truck. He keeps looking toward the back door."
"Are you inside with Ray?"
"Yes."
"Good. Is there somewhere away from the windows you want to go?"
"Marlene's office."
"Then go there if you need to. I'll be near the building."