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That was how things went for them the first month they knew each other. Everyone at the diner came to know Andrew and talked to him, even teased Jillian in private about him. He always walked her home or drove them home if it was raining. They talked together and got along well. The more time he spend with her, the more he liked her.

A month and two weeks into their friendship:

Jillian set Andrew's cup down as a group of four guys came into the diner. Jillian was telling him what Francis had been saying when she was in earlier as she started pouring the coffee into his cup. He was looking at her while she looked at his cup when one of guys in the group yelled at his friend, playfully. Andrew watched as the color drained from her face at once. Her eyes lifted up to stare out the window as she continued to pour the coffee.

" Jillian?" Andrew asked. The coffee was coming close to the edge of the cup. " Jillian." He said again when she didn't respond to him. He noticed her hand started to shake as the coffee started to overflow the cup. " Jillian!" He grabbed her wrist to get her attention. She jumped and dropped the coffee pot, sending it flying to the ground and breaking.

The group of guys turned and looked at her at the same time she looked at them. Andrew watched the exchange like it was in slow motion. She brought her hand to her mouth as big tears started down her cheeks. One of the guys muttered something to one of the other guys who pulled his hat down over his eyes. Another guy swore and the group quickly left the diner. Andrew grabbed the pen out of her apron and wrote down the plate number of the car they got into. Sam came out of the back as Jillian rushed passed him.

" What the hell happen?" He asked as he saw the mess on the floor. Andrew stood up careful to not get coffee on himself.

" I think you better call Jeff and the police." He said as he followed after her.

Andrew walked carefully into the woman's bathroom and found Jillian in the corner, her knees drawn up to her chest. She had her arms wrapped around them and was crying, her head down. He crept over to her and crouch down in front of her. He carefully placed his hands on her arms while he softly said her name.

" What happen?" He asked gently. She looked up at him then, her breath coming out in hiccups.

" That was them...they killed my mother." She struggled to get out.

" Are you sure?" He asked. She nodded.

" I will never forget his voice." She said. Andrew put his hands on her arms and pulled her up to stand. She put her arms around his waist. She put her head against his shoulder as he held her close to him. She sobbed loudly making him squeeze her tightly.

By the time Jeff and the police arrived, Andrew had moved Jillian to Sam's office. He shut the diner down for the night and they had wrapped a blanket around Jillian. Her face was pale and she had stopped talking. Sam brought her in some coffee but she just held the cup in her hands. She was trembling but didn't seem to notice. The police were taking down Andrew's statement when Jeff arrived. He walked into Sam's office and rushed over to her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up into a hug but Jillian was unresponsive to him. He pulled away and took a hold of her face as everyone grew quiet. Jeff searched her eyes as he started to speak to her.

" Honey, it's Dad. Can you talk to me?" He asked softly. Sam had his arms crossed as he leaned against the door frame. Andrew and one cop were standing to Jeff and Jillian's side. " Can you look at me, Sweetie?" He asked. When she didn't respond to him, he sighed then pulled her against him again. " Can I take her home? You can come to the house but I need to get her home." Jeff said.

" Go ahead, Jeff. I will finish up with this young man's statement then meet you at your house." Office Williams said. He had worked the case when it first happen and remembered Jillian's reaction beforehand.

" I will see you at home, Andrew." Jeff said before he put his arm around her shoulders and led her outside.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Andrew walked up the stairs to the house, followed by Officer Williams about an hour later. They walked into the house and were right in the living room where Jeff sat on a couch. He had a cup of coffee on the coffee table and his head was back. He took a big sigh as Officer Williams shut the front door. Andrew stood by the couch with his hands in his pockets, he was uncomfortable being this close to a cop giving his past.

" Where is she?" Williams asked.

" I put her to bed. I doubt she's sleeping but I didn't know what else to do." Jeff said as he sat up straight.

" You know I need to talk to her. I can't just haul those guys in on nothing." He said. Jeff nodded.

" I know."

" I got a hit off that number your farmhand gave me and I'm sending some uniforms to the address listed to the car. But I'm going to need her to ID the guys."

" But she never saw their faces, I thought." Andrew spoke up.

" She didn't but if she can pick out the voices, we might have a case." Williams said.

" You need her to do it tonight, don't you?" Jeff asked with a sigh.

" Yeah, I do. I'm sorry." Jeff shook his head and stood up.

" It's okay, it's not your fault. Let me go get her."

Andrew felt his comfort level drop as soon as Jeff left the room. He hadn't wanted to be alone with the cop. He didn't want to go to the police station either but he wanted to be there for Jeff and Jillian. The cop was nice enough and didn't seem suspicious of him but Andrew was still nervous. He had never been fingerprinted as he hadn't been arrested before but he knew there were plenty of people that got a good look at his face back in California when he had been living.

" So you're working as a farmhand for Jeff?" Williams asked. Andrew meant his eyes and nodded. He didn't want the cop to see he was nervous. " Jeff's a good man. His wife was an amazing lady, did wonders for the community, we all felt her lost."

" Yeah. They don't talk much about her, Jillian never says anything at all but sometimes Jeff will mention her." Andrew said. They heard noise from upstairs and saw Jeff and Jillian coming down the stairs. He was holding her hand while she looked straight ahead. She stayed like that the whole way to the police station. They took Jeff's truck, with Jillian sitting in between the him and Andrew. No one spoke the whole way.