Red Scarf

Chapter 3

She was brought back to the present when the DA handed her the phone.

"Your uncle wants to talk to you," he said and walked out of the office.

"Uncle John?" Her voice vibrated with uncertainty.

"Amy, I hear you got yourself in a bit of a bind?" he asked concerned.

"I don't know what to do!" She was near hysterical.

"Now listen, Amy, you have to tell him the truth."

"I can't. I don't want to. Do you know what this will do to my life?" She had the phone pressed tightly to her ear, and her other hand was waving frantically in the air.

"Amy, calm down. I am not saying you must scream it out to the whole world. I mean you must tell Ryan the truth about what you can do. You can trust him. I do!" Her uncle's voice was urgent. "I don't see any other way out of this. If the FBI finds out about you and you knowing about the other body, you will immediately become a suspect or an accomplice."

"I don't know if I can do this. What if the District Attorney doesn't believe me?"

She sat down in the chair again. With her elbow on her knee, she pressed her forehead against her fist.

"I promise you, Amy, it will be OK. I've known Ryan for many years. We've been friends since Dartmouth. You can trust him. You have to trust him to do the right thing for you here. I can't get involved more than what I already have."

"I know, I know!" Amy said knowing she was fighting a losing battle. "He shouldn't have called you in the first place."

"I am glad he did! You wouldn't have been able to handle this on your own. I know you don't want me to interfere in your life and specifically in your professional one. I know you don't like people to know I am your uncle. I understand why, and I take no offence to it."

She smirked to herself.

"I guess I have no other choice, do I?" she stated, shaking her head in defeat.

"Sorry, my dear! You are right. You have no other option. Take care; I will talk to you later or better yet, come over tonight. You can let me in on the details and tell me exactly how you got yourself into this mess."

"I would like to, but I've already made plans with Angela."

"Bring her; she is practically part of the family."

"We'll see. I will let you know later."

She hung up the phone and waited for the DA to come back. He took close to five minutes to return to his office; Amy felt like it was the longest five minutes of her life.

Shapiro walked over to the chair behind his desk and sat down.

"I take it your uncle talked some sense into you."

Amy just nodded trying to brace herself for what was coming.

Shapiro leant forward in his chair, waiting for her to speak. Amy looked down at her hands folded in a tight grip on her lap. She didn't know where to start. She inhaled deeply and perched herself on the edge of the chair and looked at the DA.

"Sir, to be honest, I don't know where to start or how to explain this." Her shoulders slumped forward.

"Just start from the beginning and tell me everything," he said.

"OK, very well," said Amy. "I was about six years old when it started."

Shapiro looked confused and leant in even closer, waiting in anticipation for Amy to continue.