Holiday Amnesia

by Lynette Eason

  “I’m thinking about calling Oliver, too.” FBI Special Agent Oliver Manning and Toby had worked together with Ben in the CIA before the other two men had decided they needed a change. They’d tried to convince Toby to follow, but he’d wanted out altogether.

  “How’s he doing?”

  “It’s hard for him.” Oliver’s wife had died and Toby blamed himself for her death—even though no one else did. He stood and walked Aaron to the door. “Lance might not appreciate me involving Amber in all of this.” Lance was Amber’s husband and a deputy for the town.

  “Lance is a big boy,” Aaron said. “He can take care of himself and Amber, too.” He paused. “Although, I’d say Amber’s pretty good at taking care of herself.”

  “True.”

  “Just promise me that you and Robin will use the place and do whatever you need to do to help her heal and recover her memories.”

  “Yeah.” Toby nodded. “All right, it’s a deal.”

  “Joshua Crawford is the doctor in town.”

  “I’d heard he’d taken over for Doc Anderson.”

  “He did. You might want to let him check out Robin. The guy might be a small-town doctor now, but he’s got big-city training.”

  “I’ll run it past her.”

  Aaron opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. “Oh, and I’ll leave you instructions on how to take care of the animals.”

  “Wait, what—?”

  But Aaron was already gone.

  Toby shook his head. He’d walked right into that one. But it was for the best. His phone buzzed. “Ben?”

  “Hey, I’ve got something for you to talk to Robin about.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The arson team found a piece of paper outside the lab. It looks like there’s some kind of formula or partial formula or something. I’m no scientist. I was wondering if you’d show it to Robin and see if she can tell me what it is. I’m sending you a picture of it now.”

  Toby’s borrowed phone pinged. “Got it. I’ll ask her first thing in the morning.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Hey, what do you think about asking Oliver to help out?”

  A pause. “Might not be a bad idea. He works a lot, staying busy and all that.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Couldn’t hurt to touch base with him and see if he’s even available.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “You do that. I’ll be in touch.”

  They hung up and Toby scraped a hand down his cheek, absently noting he needed to shave.

  When the text arrived, he took a look and shook his head. The formula made no sense to him, but maybe Robin would be able to tell him what it belonged to.

  So...for tonight, he’d keep an eye on Robin. Tomorrow, maybe she’d remember who wanted her dead. While it would be good to have a name, the thought of her remembering still scared him to death because if she remembered that, she’d remember why she’d kicked him out of her life.

  SIX

  Robin woke slowly, hunger pains pulling her from the dark abyss. The fact that her body was one huge ache might have had something to do with waking her, as well.

  For a moment, she simply stayed still, trying to remember. Her head pounded with the effort, and she reached for the bottle of pain medication and the glass of water she’d placed on the end table before crawling beneath the covers.

  Downing the pill with a gulp of water, she mentally ran though the food she had and decided on some fruit and...something else.

  Moving her head as little as possible, she pulled on the clothes she’d briefly worn last night and headed for the kitchen.

  A buzzing from the intercom near the front door turned her steps. She pressed the button. “Yes?”

  “Good morning, sleepyhead,” Toby said. “It’s ten o’clock. I hope that means you slept well.”

  “Ten o’clock! No wonder I’m starving.”

  “Meet me outside in ten minutes. Aaron texted and said Zoe fixed a feast.”

  Her stomach rumbled at the word feast. “Okay.”

  In nine minutes, she stepped out of the cottage and found Toby sitting in the chair on the porch opposite hers. He stood. “How’s your head?”

  “Pounding, but at least it’s a dull one, not sharp and nauseating.”

  “Maybe some food will help.”

  “And coffee.”

  “Definitely coffee.” He paused. “Are you supposed to drink coffee with a concussion?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s find out.”

  “Sounds good to me, but first, I have something to show you. Ben sent me a picture of a piece of paper found outside the lab. It looks like a formula of some kind.” He tapped the screen of his phone, then turned it so she could see.

  She frowned. “It’s not a formula, it’s the structure for a virus.”

  “What virus?”

  “I’m not sure, but it looks like the matrix contains about eight viral RNAs,” she murmured. She continued to dissect the structure and finally drew a blank. “It’s definitely a virus of some sort, the flu, but I don’t know what these add-ons are. Can you print it out somehow so I can study it?”

  “There’s a printer in Aaron’s home office. I’ll send it there and you can grab it after breakfast.” He tapped the screen. “Done. Now, let’s go eat.”

  Once inside the main house, Robin settled into a comfortable ladder-back chair and inhaled the aroma of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and fried ham steaks. “Wow. Feast is right.” Hunger hit her hard and fast. She was ready to dig in but didn’t want to seem rude.

  Aaron said a quick blessing.

  “Where are the kids?” Toby asked as he helped himself to a heaping spoonful of eggs.

  “Mom came by and got them about an hour ago. She dropped Sophia at the church to catch the bus with the other kids and then took Grace on home with her. Zoe and I are going to stuff ourselves and take off.”

  Zoe grinned at her husband and a pang of longing swept through Robin. She wanted a happily-ever-after like these two seemed to have. They’d built a home here, filling it with love and laughter—and good food. She didn’t kid herself into thinking they didn’t have any problems or life struggles, but at least they had each other to lean on during the hard times.

  The kitchen opened into the great room where a large mantel dominated the area. Christmas stockings lined the wood, and a wreath hung in the center. The tree in the corner blinked with multicolored lights and presents surrounded the base of it. Robin decided this was what a home built with love looked like.

  “Robin?”

  She blinked and focused on the three people staring at her. “Oh, I’m sorry. I got lost in my own thoughts there for a moment. What’d I miss?”

  Zoe smiled. “I was just making sure you had everything you needed in the cottage.”

  “Yes, thank you. It’s lovely.”

  “And you’re about my size. I know it may seem weird or awkward, but if you need to raid my closet while we’re gone, feel free. Toby said you didn’t have much of a wardrobe.”

  Robin shot him a tight smile. “I don’t, so thank you. I hope it won’t come to that but will if I need to.”

  “Great.”

  For the next several minutes, Robin listened as Aaron and Zoe caught Toby up on all the family members Aaron seemed to be related to. The one that snagged her attention was Clay Starke. “He’s the sheriff?” she asked.

  Aaron nodded. “I’ve already asked him to come on out around lunchtime so you can fill him in on anything he needs to be on the lookout for.”

  “Just someone who wants to kill me,” Robin muttered.

  Toby squeezed her hand.

  Her memory blipped. They were in the lab sitting at one of the long tables. Toby was laughing and she was cold. H
e slipped his jacket around her shoulders.

  The Bunsen burner was on. The flame grew until she was surrounded by fire and she couldn’t breathe. She jerked to her feet with a gasp.

  Aaron and Zoe froze.

  Toby stood. “Robin?”

  “I... I’m sorry. I just had a weird memory and then I was surrounded by fire and it seemed so real. I’m really sorry.”

  He placed a hand on her arm and guided her back into the chair. “It’s okay. The doctor said it would take a while, but that your memory might come back in snippets.”

  “I know, it’s just so...strange.”

  “I really think you should let Joshua check you out,” Aaron said.

  “Joshua?” she asked.

  “The doctor here in town,” Toby said. “We’ll head over there and introduce ourselves a little later.”

  Robin cleaned her plate and didn’t hesitate to help herself to seconds of the eggs and bacon. When she was finished, she placed her napkin on her empty plate and gave a contented sigh. “Thank you so much.”

  “Of course.” Zoe stood. “I’m going to get this kitchen cleaned up and then we’re out of here.”

  “I’ll help,” Robin said.

  “Nope. You’re going to rest that head of yours. I can tell it’s still hurting.”

  “I took some medicine. Hopefully, it’ll kick in soon.” Robin took her plate to the sink and looked out the window. “Someone’s here.”

  Toby bolted to the window, hand on his weapon. Then he relaxed a fraction. “That’s Amber.”

  Robin flushed. “Of course.”

  “She came to get her phone back, I’m sure.”

  “Not to mention her vehicle,” Robin said.

  “Yeah, that, too. I hope she brought phones for each of us.”

  Toby opened the door and Amber stepped inside. “Hi, guys, how’s it going?” she asked.

  “We’re safe for now,” Toby said. He handed her the phone and the keys to her Tahoe.

  She slid them into her jacket pocket, then hung the coat on the rack near the door, then handed him a bag. “Two phones in there. Your truck is safely parked at the bus station. Any food left?”

  Aaron walked over to his sister and kissed her head. “Always for you, Mooch.”

  Amber scowled at him but grabbed a plate and filled it. “I hear Mom and Dad have baby duty for the next few days.”

  “Yep. And you get to help with the animals,” Aaron said.

  She grinned. “You think that’s a problem? Sam already wants to move in here.”

  Robin’s gaze bounced between the siblings, wishing she could understand that special dynamic they shared. But foster care hadn’t been kind to her in that regard. At the age of seventeen, she’d graduated high school early, gotten a full ride to Vanderbilt University and had graduated with honors from there. All by herself. She lifted her chin. She hadn’t needed anyone.

  Her chin lowered.

  But that didn’t mean she hadn’t wanted someone, she silently admitted. A family to call her own. She looked away, her gaze snagging on Toby’s. His brow furrowed and his eyes seemed to question if she was all right.

  Sharp pain shafted through her head, and she blinked at the vision of the two of them sitting on a porch, rocking and laughing. And then she was curled in a recliner alone and crying herself to sleep.

  She shuddered. Was any of it real? Why would envisioning herself with Toby make her want to cry?

  Her heart beat a fraction faster, and she vowed to listen to that inner voice that kept trying to send her warnings not to get too involved with the man. While she fought for her life, she didn’t need to worry about having to repair a broken heart, too.

  * * *

  Toby couldn’t tell what Robin was thinking while he cleaned the second stall of the morning. After Amber had left, he’d retrieved the printed paper with the virus structure on it, then decided he needed something to take his mind off the guilt he was feeling in not telling Robin everything he knew. Even though it was for her own good, the feeling persisted. Because if he was completely honest, he’d admit not telling her everything was a form of self-protection, as well.

  She’d been so angry with him when she’d found out he’d been assigned to use her to gain access to the inner workings of the university lab. So very angry. And hurt. Robin was usually slow to anger, but the email detailing his deception had set her temper off faster than a match to gasoline.

  And he couldn’t blame her.

  He hadn’t exactly been happy about the whole thing either but had been convinced to go along with it for the greater good. Just like when he’d been active in the agency.

  Unfortunately, that didn’t help him now. As an ex-CIA operative, he’d reminded Ben that the agency didn’t deal with domestic threats, but that hadn’t stopped Ben from asking for his help.

  “I’m FBI now, Toby,” Ben had said, “and I need your help to discover exactly what’s going on at the lab. Robin Hardy seems like a good person, but that doesn’t mean squat. I’ve been fooled before. You already have an in since you’re an employee of the university. It would take too long to get someone else on the inside.”

  “Fine. I’ll look into her and the lab. Unofficially.”

  “Of course.”

  Toby leaned the pitchfork against the wooden stall and glanced at Robin. She’d joined him about an hour ago, tucking the paper into her pocket. “You figure out anything about that formula?” he’d asked.

  “Not really. I’ll keep studying it when I can. When I try to focus too long, my eyes blur and my head hurts.”

  She’d resisted his encouragement to rest and he’d let her be. Now, she tilted a water bottle to her lips and drank deeply. When finished, she sighed and drew an arm across her forehead. While it was cold outside with the threat of snow hanging in the air, the barn was much warmer.

  “Are you all right?” he asked her.

  “Fine.”

  “How are your hands?”

  She still had them bandaged, but they didn’t seem to bother her too much. “They’re fine, too.”

  “Would you tell me if they weren’t?”

  She gave him a tired smile. “Yes.”

  “Do I sound like a mother hen?”

  “A bit, but it’s all right.”

  “Okay, well, if it’s too cold or you want to just go inside and relax, you should do that. You have a concussion, remember?”

  “I remember. It’s kind of hard to forget.” She paused, then smirked and rolled her eyes. “In fact, that seems to be the only thing I haven’t forgotten. Everything else just slides out of my brain like melting ice cream.”

  “Ooh, that sounds good.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “Ice cream.”

  “Are you kidding? It’s freezing, and you want ice cream?”

  “I do. Chocolate.”

  “I would have figured you for a rocky road kind of guy.”

  “Nope. Just plain ol’ chocolate. What about you?”

  “Mint chocolate chip.”

  He raised a brow. “You didn’t even hesitate on that one.”

  “And you already knew it, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t have any trouble remembering stuff before I started working at the lab.” She rubbed her temples and grimaced.

  “All right, that’s it.”

  She dropped her hands. “What’s it?”

  “You’re going to rest before your appointment with Joshua this afternoon. You shouldn’t be out here exerting yourself.”

  She hesitated, then gave a gentle nod.

  And that worried him.

  Once he had her back in her cabin and settled on the couch with the remote, a cup of water and a bag of chocolate chip cookies he’d found in his sister’s
house, he left her with orders to rest. Her eyes were already drooping before the door shut behind him.

  Standing on her porch, he pinched the bridge of his nose, blew out a breath as he pulled out his phone and dialed Ben’s number. He needed an update.

  But, of course, he got the man’s voice mail. “Call me when you get a chance, Ben.”

  As Toby crossed the short walkway that would take him to his own place, he saw a glint in the trees beyond the pasture. And again, a wink of the sun reflecting off of something.

  Tension spread across his shoulders. Was someone out there?

  With a glance back at Robin’s cottage, Toby dialed Clay Starke. Thankfully, the man answered on the first ring. “Clay, are you anywhere near Aaron and Zoe’s place?”

  “About five minutes away, why?”

  “I think someone’s snooping around and I want to take a look, but I don’t want to leave Robin alone. She’s inside and supposed to be resting since she’s not feeling all that great thanks to her concussion.”

  “I’m already on the way. Four minutes out and I’ve got Lance with me. He can stay with Robin while you and I check out the tree line.”

  “Perfect.”

  The light flashed again. What was that? Binoculars? A rifle? Nothing? No. It was something.

  He pressed the phone to his ear and moved so he could get a better look without the person realizing that Toby was on to him. If there was a him.

  “Two minutes out,” Clay said.

  “Park on the other side of the barn so you’re not visible from the tree line across from the first pasture behind the cottages.”

  No answer.

  “Clay?”

  The call had dropped and now he didn’t have a signal. Weird. He put his phone back in his pocket and stayed put, watching for more flashes of light.

  In the distance, coming up the road that would lead to the driveway, he could see the Wrangler’s Corner squad car.

  He turned back to the tree line and wondered if whoever was out there had a visual on the car, as well. He thought maybe not. The house and the barn would probably block any view from that vantage point.

  Clay finally pulled in front of the barn. He and Lance climbed out and approached. “Thanks for coming,” Toby said.