Holiday Amnesia

by Lynette Eason

  He hesitated, the grief in his eyes so raw, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his waist and let her cheek rest over his heart. “Oh, Toby. I’m so sorry.”

  “Yeah. Me, too.” He cleared his throat and leaned back. She missed his closeness, his comfort. When he held her, she felt safe and wanted that feeling to go on. Her mind flashed, a memory clicked. She stilled and let it wash over her. She and Toby standing on a porch under the light. Toby leaning in. His lips on hers for a few brief sweet moments, then he was pulling back, regret in his eyes. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.

  She tumbled from the past back into the present. “You kissed me,” she whispered.

  He stilled. “What are you talking about?”

  “On my porch one night. You kissed me. Then apologized.” His eyes slid from hers. “Toby?”

  “I did.”

  “Why apologize?”

  “Because I felt like I’d overstepped a line. We were coworkers and friends and I was afraid I’d messed that up by kissing you.”

  “What did I say?”

  “That it was all right.”

  “I see.” She cupped his cheeks and pulled his face to hers. His eyes went wide when she pressed her lips to his. Then he gathered her close once more and settled in to the kiss. She took comfort from it—and it confirmed at least one thing for her. She wanted to be more than friends with Toby Potter.

  When she pulled back, he let her go and leaned his forehead against hers. “Oh, Robin, this isn’t a good idea.”

  “So, you’re going to apologize again?”

  His lips quirked. “I don’t have anything to apologize for. You kissed me.”

  She laughed. “I did. And I enjoyed it.” She let the smile slide from her lips. “I like you, Toby. I trust you. And yet...”

  “Yet what?”

  “I feel like you’re not telling me everything.”

  He sighed. “I’m not.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m afraid that...”

  “What? Tell me, please.”

  “I will. Soon. But Ben’s death has really thrown me.”

  She nodded. “Okay. Then talk about that.”

  “I don’t think Ben’s death is an accident. It’s just too coincidental.”

  “If it’s not an accident, then you’re talking murder.”

  “Yes.”

  “But why?”

  “Because whoever’s after you knows he was helping us.”

  “And who would know that?”

  He rubbed his chin. “Someone he works with. Someone he trusted.”

  Robin caught her breath. “The two agents who were just here?”

  “Maybe. They inherited Ben’s cases, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t know what was going on before he died.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Watch our backs and do a little digging into the two agents. Oliver said they were legit, but that doesn’t mean they’re not dirty.”

  “How are you going to find that out?”

  “By enlisting the help of people we know we can trust.”

  “Who?”

  “Clay, Trent, Lance and the other deputies. I know for sure they didn’t have anything to do with the events in Nashville. I trust my friend Oliver Manning and a couple of other agents I worked with.”

  “You were with the FBI?”

  He hesitated. “No, not officially. I used to work for the government in a capacity that allowed me access to certain information that the FBI found helpful.”

  She frowned. “You’re being deliberately vague.”

  “I know.”

  “So, are you still working for them?” A thought hit her. “Wait a minute. Were you working for them when the lab exploded?”

  “Yes.”

  “In what capacity?”

  He stood and strode to the mantel. “Ben thought there might be something going on at the lab. He asked me to look into it.”

  “Did you find anything?”

  “No. Nothing.”

  “But something was obviously going on. How did you miss it?”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t there long enough to really do the kind of digging I needed to do.”

  “I see.” But she wasn’t sure she did, and that worried her. Right now, she trusted Toby with her life.

  Was she making a mistake that would cost her more than she wanted to pay?

  TEN

  Toby had chosen his words carefully. He’d told her the truth, just not all of it. Like the fact that he’d followed orders to win her trust and investigate her. And to use her to get information about the people who worked at the lab. No, he couldn’t tell her that, yet. Not if he wanted to protect her.

  He could tell her he’d been with the CIA, but was afraid that would trigger her memory of the email. The email he was still in the dark about as to who the sender was. He’d tried to find out, but all of his searching had led to a dead end. Which meant the person was highly skilled with technology—or knew someone who was.

  The fact that Robin had remembered the kiss and his apology stirred his relief—and anxiety. She was going to remember soon and he needed to find out who was trying to kill her before that happened. And not only that, he now needed to know if Ben’s accident was really an accident.

  “I need to make a phone call,” he said. “I’m going to slip back out on the porch and call Oliver. Are you going to be okay?”

  “I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about now.”

  Her words seared his heart. “Thanks. I’ll grieve, but I’ll be all right in time.” Toby dialed Oliver’s number once more and took a seat out on the glider. Lance, seated in his cruiser at the curb, caught his eye and nodded. Toby did the same.

  “Twice in one day,” his friend said by way of greeting. “To what do I owe this honor?”

  “I need some help and information, and I think you’re the only one I trust to provide it.”

  “Well, that’s got my attention. This have anything to do with those two agents you called me about?”

  “Probably. But first, is there any way Ben’s accident wasn’t an accident?”

  Silence. Then Oliver released a slow breath. “You think someone killed him?”

  “I don’t know what to think,” Toby said. “I just know Ben was helping Robin and me run from a killer and now he’s dead. What does that sound like to you?”

  “Suspicious when you put it like that. He told me about the explosion at the lab. Even asked me to look into it with him, use my connections and see if I could turn up anything.”

  “No kidding.”

  “Nope. He knew we were friends and figured I’d want to help.”

  “Yeah. Well, now these two agents have shown up and are pressing to get Robin to remember...” Toby shook his head even though Oliver couldn’t see him. “Pushing her isn’t going to work, and I’m not sure how to convince them of that.”

  Another pause. “I’m going to head your way,” Oliver said. “With the two of us working on this, we should be able to dig up answers—and maybe I can help keep the other vultures at bay.”

  “You sure?”

  “Positive. Although, you and I both know that these guys are just doing their job.”

  “I know. And I don’t want to stop them from doing it. Completely. Let them investigate the bombing all they want. I just need them to leave Robin alone for now.”

  “I can help with that. If someone killed Ben because of his involvement with you, then you’re going to need backup you can trust. Young and McBride are good agents, but as you’ve discovered, they’re not exactly patient. They’re going to do whatever it takes to get this wrapped up—including using measures that might not be palatable, if you know what I mean.”

  Toby did. Th
ey wanted to put Robin in a room and question her ceaselessly, to traumatize her poor brain until she either remembered or had a mental breakdown. He’d seen it done before and it wasn’t fun. And there was no way he was going to allow that to happen to Robin.

  * * *

  Robin told herself she needed to keep her distance from Toby. A man she trusted but couldn’t remember—and yet had kissed at some point in her murky past. So, when he asked if she wanted to walk across the street to grab a bite to eat, her mind said no, even while her lips said, “That sounds great.”

  With Lance and Trent on bodyguard duty, she’d be glad to get out of the house and do something normal. Forget her troubles. Or, if not forget, at least put them aside for a short hour.

  Once settled in a booth in the back near the restrooms, Robin took note of Lance and Trent seated just inside the door. Clay stepped inside, caught Toby’s eye and headed for their table.

  “All right if I join you two?”

  “Of course,” Toby said. “Thought you’d be at the hospital. What’s up?”

  “Sabrina’s grandmother is doing much better, so Sabrina was fine with me coming back here. I saw you all walk in the diner and wanted to let you know that I just heard from Nashville. The guy we had in custody, Holloway, died.”

  Robin gasped.

  Toby stared. “What? How?”

  “From complications with the bullet wound. Apparently, he developed a blood clot that went to his heart and killed him.”

  Toby shook his head. “Great.”

  “Yep. So...we’ll get nothing from him.”

  “And the other guy in the Jeep escaped,” Toby said.

  “Yes. Same type of rap sheet as his partner. There’s a BOLO out on him.”

  The waitress interrupted, took their order and hustled off with the promise to be right back with drinks.

  Toby nodded at Robin. “She’s been studying the paper found at the scene of the explosion,” he told Clay, “but so far hasn’t been able to come up with what it could be related to.”

  “It’s definitely a virus,” Robin said, pulling the paper from her pocket. She’d copied it from the picture on Toby’s phone. “But I think there’s part of the structure missing.”

  “Like what?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t have any idea. I can think of several ways to complete it, but none of them have anything to do with what we were all working on.”

  “Which was what?”

  “Cures for cancer. Vaccinations against viruses and super viruses. That sort of thing.” Her eyes widened. “Wait a minute, this would create a virus, not prevent one.”

  “So, create it,” Toby said softly.

  “What?”

  “Create it. That might be exactly what they were arguing about in the lab,” Toby said. “You said they were talking about a virus and having it ready. We’ve already speculated they could have been working on something in secret, creating a virus that could be used as a bioweapon. Can you do that with what you have there?”

  Robin shuddered. “How awful.” She glanced at the structure again. “But yes, they could have.”

  “If there was a buyer for it, that could explain what you overheard about having it soon,” Toby said.

  “Then whoever torched the lab and tried to kill me might have the ability to make the virus and be planning to sell it,” she said.

  The bidding has already started. I need that virus now!

  It’s not ready. I told you. I’m still working out some issues, but I should have it soon.

  She sucked in a breath and Toby’s eyes narrowed on her. “What is it?” he asked.

  The waitress returned with the drinks. Robin stared at her hands, thinking. “One of them said the bidding had already started and needed the virus,” she said, “but Alan said it wasn’t ready.” She pulled the structure up one more time. “I need a pen and paper. I don’t want to write on this one.”

  Clay handed her a pen and Toby slid her a clean napkin. She drew the structure as it was on the paper then added more information. She flipped the napkin and continued working, adding various other structures that might work or might not. For the next thirty minutes, she filled up napkin after napkin with her scribbles.

  Finally, she dropped the pen and sat back staring at the last napkin, appalled at what she thought she’d just put together. “I don’t know, but I think I just created a virus that could do a lot of damage if it fell into the wrong hands. And if I did it that easily, there’s no way that Alan couldn’t have done it.”

  She snatched up the napkin and ripped it to shreds, then shoved the pieces into her coat pocket. She’d burn them later. With a groan, she palmed her eyes and let the memories come. “They were arguing. Alan was working on the virus. The other man said he needed it for the auction. Alan convinced him to give him more time, that it wasn’t finished. The other guy left and then...”

  Nothing.

  “Then?” Clay asked.

  “Then...” She pushed her brain, trying to figure out what happened next. The blood pulsed behind her eyes and she blew out a low breath. “Oh my. I don’t know what happened after that. I mean, I know—argh! This is so frustrating.” Tears surfaced, surprising her. She swiped at them. “Sorry.”

  “Okay, stop,” Toby said. “Just relax for a minute. It’s coming back to you, but I don’t think pushing for it helps.”

  She nodded. Then frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re remembering, but it’s coming in spurts when you don’t expect it. So, just stop pressing yourself so hard.”

  He was right, but... Alan. “He didn’t want to do it,” she said. “I think he was buying time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I think Alan had the virus but didn’t want to give it to the other man for some reason. He was buying time to do something on his own. I think. I don’t know for sure, it’s just a feeling I can’t push away.”

  Clay rubbed his eyes. The man needed sleep and it didn’t appear to be on the agenda for him any time soon. “What if he had his own buyer?” he asked. “What if he needed time to get away and sell it and keep the money for himself?”

  “What makes you say that?” Robin asked.

  “One of the FBI agents working the case is a friend. I reached out to him and he agreed to keep me updated. This friend said they’d discovered that Alan Roberts had bought a round-trip plane ticket to Thailand leaving the next day. But what if he never planned to return? What if he planned to sell the virus that night and simply disappear?”

  Robin swallowed hard. “Wow.”

  “Anything’s possible at this point,” Toby said. “I’ve called in reinforcements. My buddy, who also works with the FBI, Oliver Manning, is going to come help us out. I hope you don’t mind that I asked.”

  “Of course not,” Clay said. “I never turn down help.”

  The waitress delivered the food, and Robin’s stomach turned. Her appetite had disappeared with the discovery that her coworker had developed a potentially deadly virus that could be used as a weapon should it fall into the wrong hands.

  She forced herself to eat simply because she needed to stay strong, but her mind whirled in an endless spin. When she was finished eating, she placed the fork on the plate and continued to ponder the situation.

  “Robin?”

  She blinked and focused on Toby’s concerned gaze.

  “Did you remember something else?”

  “No. Sorry.”

  “We’re ready to go when you are.”

  “Of course.” She followed Clay toward the exit with Toby bringing up the rear. As they passed the large wall-sized window, it shattered.

  A thousand needles pelted her left side before something slammed into her back and she fell hard to the floor.

  ELEVENr />
  Toby rolled from Robin and reached for his weapon as the screams from the other diners washed over him. Bodies littered the floor, but at least they were moving. “Robin!”

  “I’m okay.” Her shaky voice reached him even as he turned to see for himself. Blood streaked the left side of her face. Clay and Trent were already outside the restaurant going after the shooter. Lance had positioned himself in front of Toby and Robin and shouted into his radio, requesting backup. Another round of bullets slammed into the restaurant.

  “Everyone stay down!” Lance yelled.

  Toby snagged Robin’s hand. “Head for the back door by the bathrooms,” he said. “Keep your head down and crawl.”

  She yanked her hand out of his grasp and slithered along the floor in a horrible army crawl, but it was getting the job done so he let her go. Toby stayed behind her.

  A young woman lay on the floor hovering over her toddler who was strapped to her chest in a baby carrier. He touched her arm. “Come on,” he said. “Stay with me.”

  Shaking, she nodded and crawled behind him while another bullet slammed into the counter. More screams echoed above the sirens.

  Robin flinched and paused. Toby passed her and got to the bathroom door. He stood and pushed it open, then helped Robin and the young mother to their feet. “Stay against the wall. The shots are coming from the front so you should be safe here.”

  They obeyed without a word. Robin wrapped her arms around the sobbing mother and pulled her into a loose embrace while her gaze connected with Toby’s. Everything in him wanted to turn and head back into the restaurant, but he didn’t want to leave Robin unguarded.

  Someone rounded the corner of the building and Toby lifted his weapon. “Freeze!” Then the uniform registered and he lowered the gun. “Lance.”

  “You okay?” Lance’s concerned gaze took in Robin’s bleeding face.

  “Yeah,” Toby said. “We’re alive. Gotta get Robin to a doctor, but what about in there?”

  “Trent and Clay went after the shooter. They think he was across the street behind the B&B. Clay told me to check on you two.” He turned to the woman with the baby. “Brenda, James is waiting for you at the police station. I’ll take you over there.” Back to Toby. “Are you two going to be all right?”