Speaking in Tongues

swear.”
    He glanced at the knife in her hand. A long shard. He thought at first that there was something about the glass itself that was particularly unnerving, the sharp, green edge of the triangle. But then he decided that, no, it was her face that scared him. She was prepared—no, eager—to use the weapon. And so much in control . . . she’d be a hard one to crack. Harder than in Hanson’s office, where her defenses were down and her self-esteem bubbling near empty.
    He eased forward. “Oh, Megan, I’m so sorry.”
    The point of the knife tilted toward him and Matthews froze. He said in his best therapist’s tone, “I didn’t want it to happen this way.”
    He fell silent. And to fill the intolerable gap of silence she asked, “What way?”
    “This . . .” He lifted his arms to the hallways. “If there’d been anything else I could have done, I would have. I promise you.”
    “What do you mean?”
    He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes. “You don’t really know me. But I know you. I’ve known you for a long time.”
    She shook her head, frowning, confused. The tip of the knife was pointed lower.
    “My name’s Aaron Matthews . . .”
    She’d’ve learned his real name, of course—from looking through the desk in his rooms here. But tell someone the truth—no matter how much you’velied to them in the past—and you nudge them closer toward you, if ever so slightly. He continued right away—Matthews had a spell to weave and spells work best when cast quickly. “I worked with your father on a case last year. He hired me as an expert witness. To evaluate a suspect. We were talking before the trial. Just making conversation. And I asked about children, if he had any, and he said . . .” Matthews paused and his face grew somber. He continued, “I’m sorry, honey, but he said no, he didn’t.”
    Megan’s beautiful light eyes widened. Shocked for a moment. Then they grew deeply sad, as they had in Hanson’s office. A child betrayed, a child alone.
    What are the bears whispering to you?
    “But I’d heard somebody mention his daughter and I asked him about you. He looked embarrassed and said that, well, yes, he did have a daughter. But she lived with her mother. He said you were technically his child but that was all. I told him about my son, Peter. See, he had some problems at birth. Serious mental problems.”
    Another flicker of lash. So she knew about him too. He said, looking down, “But I’ve always felt that, despite all that, I loved my boy and wanted him to be with me. I mentioned that to your father. But he didn’t say anything. I asked him how often he saw you . . . He said virtually never. I asked him about you and he didn’t seem to know much at all. And then—” Matthews stopped abruptly, like a man finding himself in a minefield.
    “What?”
    “Nothing.”
    “No, tell me,” she said with faint desperation in her voice.
    “He said some things about you.”
    “Please.” The knife was pointed straight down. Her face was no longer fierce. “I want to know.”
    “He said being more involved with you would be . . . awkward.”
    “No, he didn’t,” she whispered. “He didn’t say that at all, did he?”
    “I’m not sure . . .” Matthews stammered, putting a vulnerable look on his face.
    She muttered, “He said being involved with a child would be inconvenient. Right?”
    “Yes,” Matthews conceded, sighing. “I’m so sorry, Megan. But that’s what he said. And when I heard it, all I could think of was how I hoped you had a good relationship with your mother. I hoped someone cared. I felt so bad for you.”
    A faint laugh then her face went still. “My mother. Yeah, right.”
    He cocked his head, offering her another sympathetic glance. And continued, “Well, I went to see her. When you were in school one day.”
    “You did?”
    Matthews eased a few inches closer. He decided that anger wouldn’t work with Megan, unlike with her boyfriend, Josh. The madder she got, the more dangerous she’d be. No, the way to get inside her defenses was to tap into her sorrow and loneliness.
    “I lied, Megan. I’ll admit it. I told Bett I was a counselor with your school and I wanted to know how you were doing. I was shocked to find that she didn’thave much time for you either. She told me she was engaged, trying to make that relationship work, was totally absorbed with Brad, didn’t have much time for . . . well, she said, for