Fatal Flashback

by Kellie VanHorn

  A reason that might have something to do with what had happened to her last night.

  Wheeling the suitcase into her bedroom, Ashley slowly unpacked all the neatly folded clothing. Beneath the clothes, shoes and toiletries, she found a layer of books. A Bible, a couple of novels and a guide to desert animals and vegetation.

  She thumbed through each one, placing them, in turn, on top of the dresser. When she got to the guidebook, as she flipped through pages of snakes and spiders and scorpions, a piece of paper fluttered out onto the floor.

  She picked it up, noting the darkened, worn edges—as if someone had held it with dirty hands—and opened it carefully to reveal a full page of hand-drawn markings and tiny words.

  A map. It was a map! A long, twisting river ran along the lower section with labeled towns on both sides. Strings of upside-down V’s looked like mountain ranges and they were labeled, too. She almost needed a magnifying glass to read the letters. Or a lamp might help. She glanced up, suddenly noticing how dark it was—she’d been so absorbed with unpacking she hadn’t looked at a clock in hours.

  It must be getting late. Logan would be here soon to check on her.

  She took the map into the living room, pausing to feel for a light switch, but in the momentary silence she heard a sound that made her blood run cold. A low scraping noise coming from the bedroom window, like someone was running a chisel between the casement and the wood frame. And it was far too rhythmic to be an animal or the wind.

  Someone was trying to break into her house.

  FOUR

  Ashley’s breath echoed loudly in her ears, her heart hammering, as she hastily folded up the map and tucked it inside the waistband of her pants. The sound persisted—scratch, scratch, scratch—and she tried to slow her breathing as she glanced around the room for a weapon.

  She wanted her gun, but Logan had given it to the superintendent and he wouldn’t return it until she was ready for duty. There—in the kitchen—the knife block. She crept through the dark living room and around the peninsula into the kitchen, pulling out one of the long knives at the top of the block.

  The casement was moving now. The intruder struggled with the window, trying to pull it up as quietly as possible. With all the lights off, the trespasser probably thought she wasn’t home. Her eyes darted to the front door. If she slipped outside now, whoever it was might never know she’d been in here.

  But what if someone was waiting out there, too? Whoever had hit her in the head? And if the person at the window was working alone, she didn’t want to miss her chance to identify the intruder.

  Taking one slow, deliberate breath after another, she crept to the doorway leading into the bedroom. She pressed her back against the living room wall and stole a glance around the doorjamb into the room. It was too dark to see who was outside the window, but gloved fingers worked underneath the inch-wide crack. If she had to pick, she’d guess they belonged to a man.

  Her heart lurched. Breathe. FBI agents don’t panic. They could wish for backup though, couldn’t they?

  Ashley’s palms went slick with sweat. She tightened her grip on the knife handle as the window moved up another inch. She couldn’t let him get all the way into the room or he might overpower her. But she wanted to see his face before she made a move.

  Waiting was agony. Another inch and two hands appeared under the casement, now pushing together.

  Almost time.

  Somebody banged on the front door and Ashley was so startled she let out a cry. The hands disappeared from the window. That low, gritty brushing noise had to be retreating footsteps across the desert sand.

  “Ashley?” Logan called, knocking again.

  She dashed across the living room, throwing the door open. “Quick, around back. He’s getting away.”

  Logan stared, his head cocked to one side. “What?”

  She dropped the knife to the floor with a clatter and shoved past him, forgetting about her bare feet until she was already running around the back of the house. Even though the intruder might be long gone already, maybe she could still catch a glimpse of him. Anything that might give her a clue as to his identity.

  “Where are you going?” he called, running after her. “You’re supposed to be resting!”

  Breathless, she stopped at the back corner of the building. Nobody. Nothing but an endless stretch of dirt, rocks and cactuses rolling toward the dark mass of the Chisos Mountains, barely visible against the sea of stars above.

  He stopped next to her. “What’s going on?”

  Without a flashlight, it was pointless trying to run after the intruder. “A man was trying to break into my room, but you scared him off when you knocked.”

  “Are you all right?” Logan’s resonant voice was full of concern.

  “Yes, but I didn’t get a description.”

  “Here.” He pulled a flashlight from his pocket and flipped it on. “We can at least check for prints.”

  Of course he had a flashlight. Hers was sitting uselessly inside on the nightstand. Irritation sizzled through her veins but she forced herself to smile. “Glad you have a light.”

  “It’s not very smart to wander around out here unprepared.” The beam of light traveled across her feet, blindingly white against her black pants. “Or barefoot, for that matter. Don’t you ever wear shoes?”

  “It’s not like I had time to lace up a pair of boots. And the river claimed the last pair. Let’s look for footprints.”

  Logan held up his hand as she stepped toward the window. “No, you stay right there. You’ll end up with your feet full of cactus spines, if they aren’t already. Or worse, a rattlesnake bite.”

  Ashley opened her mouth to retort but then closed it, because now that he mentioned it, one of her feet did sting rather badly. But she wasn’t about to tell him, so she watched silently as he waved the beam of light across the ground near the back of her house.

  “Do you see anything?” she asked after a minute.

  “Some crushed vegetation, but the dirt is bare and hard here. The window has been raised about two inches, though. We can dust for prints.”

  “He was wearing gloves.”

  “How do you know it was a man?” The beam of the flashlight obscured Logan’s face.

  “A hunch. The hands looked too large for a woman.”

  “Well, let’s get you back inside.” He shone the light on her feet again. “Can you walk?”

  Ashley glared at him, even though he couldn’t see her expression. “Of course. How do you think I got out here?”

  “Oh, I saw it all. Just trying to be thoughtful.”

  “Well, you could at least light the path back for me.”

  He held out the light and Ashley picked her way carefully around to the front. Now that her body wasn’t full of adrenaline anymore, her gaze snagged on the low-lying spiny plants and rocks. It was a wonder she hadn’t tripped on them before. “Do you think there are rattlesnakes under any of those rocks?” she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

  “Nah, not now. They come out at night to hunt, so they’re more likely to be lying out in the open.”

  “You’re just trying to scare me,” she said hopefully.

  “No, I’m not. But don’t worry about the snakes. You’re much more likely to step on a tarantula or a scorpion.”

  All those creepy pictures she had seen in the guidebook flooded into her mind. “I am?” She stopped, pulling up onto her tiptoes, as if that would help keep the spiders away.

  “Sure. In fact, I think I see one right...there.” He aimed the flashlight a little off to the left, and there, scuttling out from under a bush, was the largest, hairiest black spider she had ever seen.

  Every muscle froze. Except her heart, which escaped into her throat along with a tiny scream. She’d rather face down a man breaking into her house any day. The tar
antula crossed out of the beam of light, scuttling straight toward them. Whether out of self-preservation or sheer terror, Ashley flung her arm around Logan’s neck and jumped.

  He laughed, a rich, rolling sound, and easily caught her legs under the knees, until he was holding her against his chest. “You could’ve asked me to carry you.”

  “I...I,” she stammered, her cheeks burning. “I hate spiders.”

  “Why exactly did you come to Big Bend, then?”

  “That is the question, isn’t it?”

  The scent of pine trees and flannel emanated from his shirt, making her want to burrow into his arms for safety. She swallowed. What was wrong with her?

  “I take it you haven’t gotten back more of your memories yet?” Logan carried her around to the front of the house.

  Why, yes, she had.

  But until she learned why she was here and whom to trust, she had to keep things to herself. It would also help to know what her file here contained—surely the Bureau had invented some history for Ashley Watson. Whatever she told Logan had to match.

  “Not really. Just some vague impressions. Maybe when I remember my laptop password, I’ll figure out more.” She hated lying to him, especially since he was the closest thing to a friend she had in the world right now.

  They reached the front porch and the idea of letting the handsome ranger carry her across the threshold was more than she could take. She pushed against his chest and he released her gently onto her feet. “Thanks for the lift.”

  “Anytime. But—” he pointed down at her feet “—I don’t want to see those bare feet again.”

  “Yes, Ranger Everett.” She gave him a mock salute.

  * * *

  Logan stopped in the doorway, grinning at Ashley as she flipped on a light, picked up the knife she had dropped, and walked back into her house. She had a lot of nerve—he had to give her that. But he hated to think what might’ve happened if he hadn’t come to her house when he had.

  “What, exactly, were you going to do with that knife?” he asked casually.

  She scowled. “Someone was breaking into my house, and you took away my gun. I needed some way to defend myself.”

  “You could’ve called for help.”

  “Like opened up the door and yelled?”

  He shrugged. “It probably would’ve been enough.”

  “Probably?” Ashley dropped the knife into the kitchen sink and then walked—no, more like hobbled—into the living room. She must have stepped on something, after all.

  “You can come in.” She plopped onto her sofa and waved him into the living room. “Unless you think we’ll be giving our neighbors the wrong impression.”

  He pulled away from the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind him. “No, someone tried to break in tonight. I think that warrants my being in here for now.” He sat on a chair next to the sofa. “Do you have any idea what they wanted?”

  Ashley’s eyebrows pulled together for a moment but then she shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

  She was keeping something from him, no question. Was it something she’d found today? Or remembered? And how to get it out of her? He ran a hand across his chin.

  “It bothers me to think about you staying here alone,” he said finally. “Maybe we should see about getting you into an apartment or staying with one of the families for tonight.”

  “No, I want to stay here. If he’s stupid enough to come back, I want to see who it is.”

  He hadn’t expected anything else. So much for worrying about giving the neighbors the wrong impression. Logan wasn’t going to let her stay here alone. “Then I’m going to sleep on your sofa.”

  She leveled her dark brown eyes at him, as if weighing whether it was worth a battle. “Fine,” she relented. “Suit yourself. But only for tonight, until I get my gun back.”

  “Agreed, on one condition.”

  “What?”

  He pointed to her feet. “You let me check those for cactus spines.”

  Ashley frowned, pulling one foot up onto the opposite knee and leaning over to examine it. “I can do it myself.”

  Logan ran his hands through his hair. This woman was going to be a whole lot of trouble. “Is there a reason you can’t accept my help?”

  Maybe he was imagining things, but he could swear a pink tinge crept into those pale cheeks.

  “You don’t have to keep rescuing me.” She stared at her foot. “I can pull my own weight.”

  “Ah.” He waited until she looked up again. “You’re afraid I’ll think less of you.”

  She didn’t say anything, but her cheeks turned a shade darker and she averted her eyes. She seemed so down-to-earth, so natural, sitting there with no makeup and her hair loosely pulled back. Unaware of how pretty she was.

  “Ashley, I don’t know why you’re here, or how qualified or experienced you are, but I do know this—accepting help in a place like this is not a sign of weakness. The rangers here work as a team and we support each other. You and I are going to be spending a lot of time together, so you’d better get used to the idea.”

  She picked at her foot in silence for another minute before giving him a hesitant smile. “All right. I guess a pair of tweezers would help.”

  By the time she had retreated to her bedroom and Logan lay on the couch staring up at the dark ceiling, he could scarcely believe two hours had flown past. No more signs of the intruder, but he wasn’t about to leave her alone.

  Some mystery surrounded Ashley, lurking beneath the surface. Her file hadn’t revealed anything insightful. But why would they assign her to Big Bend with no apparent experience in a similar environment? No ranger experience at all, in fact. Something wasn’t adding up.

  She had agreed to go with him to Santa Elena Canyon the next day, both to pick up her car and to see if anything jogged her memory. Until then, he had to find some way to fall asleep without thinking about the way Ashley had felt in his arms as he’d carried her back to the house. Even Erin, for all her inexperience as a new ranger, hadn’t stirred such a strong protective instinct.

  Maybe it was because five years had passed since Erin had left and Logan had changed during that time. He’d grown wiser. He’d seen more rangers come and go. He’d seen more loss and death.

  Sam. That was who Ashley reminded him of. She didn’t have quite the same youthful optimism and enthusiasm, but he could imagine she used to be that way. She certainly had the same energy, the same air of competence. Even some of their facial expressions were similar.

  He rolled over on the couch for the twentieth time, wishing the government could afford better furniture. It made sense that Ashley would bring back all his memories of Sam—she was the first new law-enforcement ranger since his death.

  But the thought of Ashley ending up with the same fate... He shuddered. He wouldn’t let that happen, no matter how much she objected to his help.

  It took another hour of prayer before he finally fell asleep.

  FIVE

  Ashley was relieved to find a note rather than a ranger in her living room the next morning. The events of last night had been awkward enough without waking up to share a cup of coffee and breakfast. She had felt horribly vulnerable in the last few days and now that her head was healing, it was time to reclaim some control over her life.

  Logan’s note indicated he wanted to get some things done before their drive to the canyon and that she could find him in his park office after her meeting with the superintendent.

  She showered and dressed in one of the NPS uniforms in her closet; apparently they had been given to her when she’d arrived. More memories had solidified in her mind in the night, her past clicking back into place, giving her a reassuring sense of who she was and where she had come from.

  But why she was here? Nothing. The previous months, except for that memory of a cab
ride, were like staring at a blank wall.

  She glanced at the time on the microwave. She had to meet with Dr. Barclay soon, but no harm in squeezing in another attempt at that laptop password. The last one she remembered hadn’t worked yesterday. What else to try? Names of pets? Bobo the parakeet? Too short.

  How about JackyBoy, after their chocolate lab?

  Strike one.

  College roommate? KristaReed.

  Strike two.

  She crinkled her nose. Only one chance left.

  She closed her eyes, setting her fingers against the keyboard. Maybe muscle memory could pull out the password her conscious mind couldn’t remember. It hovered right there, on the tips of her fingers. How about a hashtag first, for extra security?

  Then... P-r-o-v—She stopped, rubbing her forehead.

  Favorite Bible verse. Proverbs 3:5-6. But she would’ve abbreviated it. #Prov3:5-6.

  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding...

  So painful to type, with the way the words seared her heart.

  But it worked.

  Ashley let out a little squeal of delight before sifting through the documents stored on the hard drive. Most of it seemed irrelevant, until she came across a file labeled “Big Bend.” It contained several documents related to the park, including multiple maps and, better yet, several scanned pages of her own hand-written notes.

  One name kept coming up over and over: Rico Jimenez. She shuddered. Somebody bad. But who was he?

  She glanced again at the clock. Time to go. The superintendent was waiting. Tension crept into her shoulders as she hurriedly scanned the last few pages of notes. No doubt about it, she was here because of Jimenez. Now she had to figure out why.

  Her gaze snagged on the message at the bottom of the last page, written in her own hand, as if her past self had left a warning. Don’t trust anyone.