Sanders 01 - Silent Run (8 page)

Curiosity sparked in Dylan's eyes. “A murder, huh? What else did she see in her dream?"

“She saw the arm of the man who was holding the gun. He had a tattoo of a tiger on his wrist. She couldn't identify where she was, but she felt like she was in hiding. The man said, ‘I want the girl.' Jake drew in a sharp breath as the words reminded him that that girl could be his daughter. “Then he took a shot at someone."

Dylan's lips tightened. “Is that it?"

“Sarah saw blood, but that's all she remembers. When she woke up, there was a man in her room trying to smother her with a pillow."

“Right,” Dylan said. “Well, at least some information is coming back into her head. Although she never seems to remember enough, does she -- just little teasing bits. When did this alleged murder happen? While she was with you? After she left you?"

“I think it was before she left me -- maybe the reason she ran."

“If it happened while she was with you, why wouldn't she tell you, go to the police, ask for help?” Dylan gave a warning shake of his head. “Don't start giving Sarah reasons for running off with your kid."

“I'm putting the facts together."

“Just don't manipulate the facts to paint the picture you're looking for. If you let that woman convince you that she's some innocent --"

“She's not going to convince me of anything that isn't true,” Jake interrupted. “But I can't ignore what Sarah tells me. My daughter's life is at stake."

Dylan nodded, conceding the point. “All right. It's not much to go on, but I can look through the crime files. We might get lucky on the tattoo. It could represent some kind of gang affiliation. If it means something, I'll figure it out.” He stopped talking as Sarah came through the door. “Was it the right wrist or the left?” he asked.

“What are you talking about?"

“The tattoo on the arm of the killer in your dream."

“You told him about that?” she asked Jake.

“Why not? It might help us figure out who you are."

“I guess,” she said. “It was the right wrist, I think... I don't know. It's hazy now."

Jake could see that Sarah's vague reply only deepened the skepticism in Dylan's eyes.

“Of course it's hazy,” Dylan said. “What else would it be?"

Sarah's back stiffened. She shot Dylan an angry look. “I don't care whether you believe me or not, but I've told the truth to every question that I've been asked since I woke up in this hospital room."

Jake was surprised by Sarah's strong response. It occurred to him that he'd never seen her react with anger toward anyone in the two years they'd been together. She'd always kept her feelings in check, her expression pleasant. She'd been a people pleaser, not someone who liked to stir things up, or even a person willing to continue an argument. She'd done everything she could to avoid conflict, usually by giving in.

But this new Sarah, who couldn't remember who she was, had also forgotten how to stay neutral, how to keep herself from showing emotion. In some odd way he thought he might be closer to getting to know the real her than he had ever been.

Sarah slipped her feet into her tennis shoes and then sat down on the bed to lace them. Her hands shook, reminding Jake that she'd come very close to losing her life. She certainly wasn't faking the bruises and the injuries she'd suffered, nor the pain in her eyes. He told himself not to feel sorry for her. Sarah deserved the same kind of pain he'd been living through for the past seven months and more.

Sarah finished tying her shoes and stood up, facing him with determination in her blue eyes. “Where are we doing this?” she asked.

“There's a conference room downstairs. It's just going to be you, a reporter, and a cameraman."

“You're not going to be part of the interview?"

“I don't want to confuse anyone by suggesting that we were together. We want the public to think about whether or not they saw you alone, or you and Caitlyn together."

“They're going to put Caitlyn's picture on the screen during the live shot,” Dylan added. “It's not up-to-date, of course, but maybe those blond curls will ring a bell."

Sarah nodded and threw back her shoulders as she headed for the door. “Let's go. I want to get this over with."

* * *

Every step Sarah took toward the downstairs conference room filled her heart with dread. She was going to do an interview that would be broadcast around the county. Who knew who would be watching her, listening to her? But this was a good opportunity to get the word out that Caitlyn was missing.

But was she missing? Or had she hidden her daughter somewhere?

The thought had been growing slowly in her mind. If someone were trying to hurt her and her daughter, wouldn't it have made sense for her to find a way to protect her child, put her in a safe place? However, if that place were somewhere close by, why hadn't anyone come forward to see her, to tell her that Caitlyn was okay? And if she had been in trouble, why hadn't she turned to Jake for help at some point in the last seven months?

She blew out a breath of frustration. She didn't have any answers, but she did know one thing for sure: She'd gotten herself involved in something big, something that made her a target for murder. And she prayed to God that her daughter wasn't in the middle of her mess. She had to find a way to make things right. Maybe this interview was the first step. But as they reached the conference room, every instinct she had screamed at her to run, to hide in the shadows, to stay out of sight, not to trust anyone or anything. Somewhere in her past she'd been betrayed by someone she'd trusted.

Jake caught her eye, a question in his gaze. “What's wrong?"

“I don't want to do this."

“You have to."

“Sarah is just stalling, trying to figure out how to protect herself,” Dylan interjected. “She only cares about herself and what she has to hide."

“Maybe what I have to hide is the only thing protecting Caitlyn,” Sarah returned, glaring at Dylan. “You told me you don't know who I am or where I've been. You don't know any more about me than I do."

“I know a liar when I see one,” Dylan retorted.

“That's enough, both of you,” Jake said, cutting Sarah off before she could reply. “This isn't getting us anywhere. None of us knows where Caitlyn is or why she's not with you, Sarah. But this is one thing we can do to try to move forward. And that's the only place I'm interested in going. So let's get this over with."

Sarah drew in a deep breath as they entered the conference room. An attractive blonde named Jillian Davis greeted them, giving Dylan a particularly flirtatious smile. They seemed to know each other from somewhere, talking about their time together on a previous story while the cameraman set up the shot. Finally Jillian turned to Sarah.

“I'll just ask a couple of questions,” Jillian said. “Try to be as open as you can. Let the public see your desperation, so they will want to respond to your plea for help. This is going to be a live shot."

Live? That meant she couldn't screw up. She had to get it right the first time. Sarah sat down in a chair in front of a big bright light. She could hear Jillian speaking to her cameraman about how much time before they started. Their voices faded in her head, replaced by a rush of panic. She closed her eyes, trying to find some calm, but then another disturbing image popped into her head...

There were news trucks outside the building, reporters with microphones, light stands set up on the sidewalk. Every network in the city was waiting for the news.

“It's almost time to go,” a woman said. “No one will see her leave, I promise."

She ignored the woman, looking over at the tall man in the center of the room, the one who was calling the shots. “I can't do this."

“It's too late to change your mind. From now on you're dead; do you understand? It's the only way out."

“Ms. Tucker. Sarah.” The voice seemed to come from a long way away. “What's wrong with her? Is she going to be able to do this?” Jillian asked.

“Sarah, snap out of it."

Jake's voice broke through her reverie, and she jerked under the hand he had placed on her shoulder. Her eyes flew open. “What? What did you say?"

“I said we're ready.” His gaze narrowed. “You disappeared right in front of me, went into your head. What did you see? What did you remember?"

Before she could answer, the cameraman was counting down the seconds, “Five, four, three, two, one, go."

Dylan dragged Jake out of the shot as the reporter said, “This is Jillian Davis reporting live from St. Mary's Hospital, where an amnesia victim needs the public's help to find her missing child.” Jillian turned to Sarah with an encouraging smile. “Tell us what we can do.”

With a suspicious eye Jake watched Sarah stumble through her answers. Something had happened to her. She'd gone into herself, remembered something that scared her. Did it have to do with Caitlyn?

Sarah appeared to have gathered herself together now, but he could see that it was a struggle for her to speak. Her answers were short, clipped, and no matter what Jillian did to encourage a longer response, Sarah remained maddeningly brief in her replies. Finally it was over. The lights went off, and Sarah slumped in her chair.

Dylan shot him a pointed look, reminding Jake that his brother thought Sarah's behavior was odd, too. Nothing new there. Fortunately Dylan walked Jillian and the cameraman out of the room, leaving Jake alone with Sarah. He needed to talk to her before she got her guard back up.

“I didn't do well,” she said, looking down at her hands. “I froze when it started."

“You froze
before
it started.” He moved over to her, squatting down in front of her so they were eye-to-eye. “What did you remember? Don't try to lie. I know it was something."

“I was in a building, and there were reporters' news trucks outside. There were a couple of other people in the room, and they were talking about getting me out without anyone seeing me. I didn't want to go, but this man said I had to go, that I was dead, and it was the only way out.” She raised her gaze to his, and he could see the fear in her eyes. “I had the feeling that whoever I was that night I was never going to be again."

Jake considered her words, his gut churning. Her statement confirmed what he already knew --
 
that Sarah had once been somebody else. But who?

“The fact that you were involved in something that the press was covering is very interesting,” he said slowly.

Sarah nodded. “Yes, but I don't know where I was."

“Was anyone wearing a uniform? Could you have been at a police station? What about a courthouse? Did you see a judge, a court officer, a bailiff?"

“No one was wearing a uniform, just suits, nondescript suits,” she said with a shrug. “I was in some sort of an office. It could have been in the courthouse or in a police station, but I can't say for sure."

“You saw faces this time?"

“They were vague, but sort of,” she said.

“You're going to have to do better than that, Sarah."

“It was a flash, Jake. It lasted, like, ten seconds in my head. I didn't know it was coming. I couldn't get ready for it."

“Just think for a minute. Can you describe the people in the room?"

“Only that it was a man and a woman. The man was tall. He had a commanding air about him. It felt like he was in charge. They talked about getting me out through a side door."

It sounded to Jake as if someone had been trying to help Sarah hide. It could have been the cops, her family, friends -- how could he know? But the fact that there had been news trucks implied that whatever she'd been involved in was big enough to warrant press coverage. That meant there must be a paper trail regarding that particular story, if he could figure out what the story was.

He stood up as Deputy Manning and his brother paused just outside the room, conversing with the hospital's head of security.

Sarah grabbed his arm. “Don't tell them what I just said,” she pleaded.

Jake wondered why. “I'm not going to keep your secrets.” But when Manning and Dylan walked over to join them, he decided to hear what they had to say first. He needed to think about Sarah's latest flash of memory, figure out what it might mean. He also wanted to ask her why she'd panicked at the idea of him discussing her memory with the police.

“I've spoken with Mr. Jamison in security,” Manning said. “They don't have any new information on the man who entered your room earlier. They've talked to the employees on the floor, and no one saw anyone who didn't belong there."

Jake hadn't really expected a different answer. Sarah's description had been vague at best.

“We removed your car from the canyon,” Manning continued. “It's in the impound lot. We found no other evidence or clues to your past in the vehicle. Except for the items belonging to the child, the car was clean. Our best hope is that tonight's broadcast will generate some new leads.” He glanced from Jake to Sarah. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”

Sarah gave a brief shake of her head, barely glancing at the deputy. She certainly didn't appear eager to work with law enforcement, and it was clear she knew that Manning had his doubts about her. Who could blame him? Sarah was a mess of contradictions. Jake had lived with her for two years, but he barely recognized the woman before him.

“I'm not feeling well. I'd like to go to my room,” Sarah said, sending him a pleading look.

He felt himself weaken at her desperate gaze. She was hurt. She was scared. And she wanted him to help her. He told himself he was concerned only because of Caitlyn. He didn't want Sarah to lose her grip on reality. Getting her memory back could be crucial to finding his daughter.