The Witness Read Online Free PDF Page B

another sip. “And it’s very pretty.”
    “I want to get lit and loose! Hey, I love this song. Time to shake it.”
    Once again, Julie grabbed Elizabeth’s hand.
    When the crowd closed in around her, Elizabeth shut her eyes. Just the music, she thought. Just the music.
    “Hey, nice moves.”
    Cautiously, Elizabeth opened her eyes again, concentrated on Julie. “What?”
    “I was afraid you’d be dorky, you know. But you’ve got moves. You can dance,” Julie elaborated.
    “Oh. The music’s tribal and designed to stimulate. It’s simply a matter of coordinating legs and hips. And mimicry. I’ve watched others dance a lot.”
    “Whatever you say, Liz.”
    Elizabeth liked moving her hips. Like the heels, it made her feel powerful, and the way the dress rubbed her skin added a sexual element.The lights made everything surreal, and the music itself seemed to swallow all.
    Her discomfort with the crowd eased, so when Julie bumped hips with her, she laughed and meant it.
    They danced, and danced more. Back at their tiny table, they drank Cosmos, and when a waitress came by, Elizabeth carelessly ordered more.
    “The dancing makes me thirsty,” she said to Julie.
    “I’ve got a nice buzz going already. And that guy over there is totally checking us out. No, don’t look!”
    “How can I see him if I don’t look?”
    “Take my word, he’s totally cute. I’m going to give him the eye and the hair toss in a second, then you, like sort of really casual, turn in your chair. He’s got blond hair, kind of curly. He’s wearing a tight white T-shirt and a black jacket with jeans.”
    “Oh, yes, I saw him before, over by the bar. He was talking to a woman. She had long, blond hair and wore a bright pink dress that showed a lot of cleavage. He has a gold hoop earring in his left ear, and a gold ring on the middle finger of his right hand.”
    “Jesus, do you actually have eyes in the back of your head like my mom used to say she did? How do you know when you haven’t looked?”
    “I saw him, over by the bar,” Elizabeth repeated. “I noticed him because the blond woman seemed very angry with him. And I remember because I have an eidetic memory.”
    “Is it fatal?”
    “No, it’s not a disease or condition. Oh.” Flushing a little, Elizabeth hunched her shoulders. “You were joking. It’s commonly called a photographic memory, but that’s not accurate, as it’s more than visual.”
    “Whatever. Get ready.”
    But Elizabeth was more interested in Julie—the eye, which included a tipped head, slow, secretive smile and a shift of the eyes from underthe lashes. This was followed by a quick shake and toss of the head that lifted Julie’s hair and had it drifting down again.
    Was it innate? Was it learned behavior? Some combination of both? In any case, Elizabeth thought she could emulate it, though she no longer had hair to toss.
    “Message received. Oh, he’s got such an adorable smile. Oh my God, he’s coming over. He’s like actually coming over.”
    “But you wanted him to. That’s why you … sent the message.”
    “Yeah, but—I bet he’s at least twenty-four. I bet. Follow my lead.”
    “Excuse me?”
    Elizabeth looked up as Julie did but didn’t risk the smile. She’d need to practice first.
    “I wonder if you can help me with something.”
    Julie executed a modified hair toss. “Maybe.”
    “I’m worried my memory is failing because I never forget a beautiful woman, but I can’t recall either of you. Tell me you haven’t been here before.”
    “First time.”
    “Ah, that explains it.”
    “I guess you’re here a lot.”
    “Every night. It’s my club—that is,” he said with a dazzling smile, “I have an interest in it.”
    “You’re one of the Volkovs?” Elizabeth spoke without thinking, then felt the heat rise as he turned sizzling blue eyes on her.
    “Alex Gurevich. A cousin.”
    “Julie Masters.” Julie offered a hand, which Alex took, kissed stylishly on the