Snowbound Targets (HQR Romantic Suspense)

by Karen Whiddon

  Chapter 9

  Until today, Lucy had never really spent time in Jason’s bedroom. She’d always felt she owed him that amount of privacy at least.

  Now, with a closed door and a stranger outside keeping her in the small room, she allowed herself to really look around.

  Her first impression reinforced her notion that Jason preferred organization and order. He apparently made his bed every morning, smoothing out any wrinkles or folds in the beige and black comforter. She perched on the edge of the mattress for a moment, breathing in the intangible scent of him that somehow managed to linger in the air.

  Pushing to her feet, she wandered over to his dresser, eying herself in the mirror. As usual these days, the sight of her caused a brief jolt of shock. In her mind at least, she looked completely different. More polished, more poised, with an easy confidence shining from her blue eyes and apparent in the way she carried herself.

  Stunned, she realized she’d just experienced another memory revelation. Letting herself absorb and digest this, she tried tentatively to see if she could remember her name.

  Nothing. A big fat blank. Nothing beyond the fact that she knew she usually looked different.

  Eying Jason’s dresser, she picked up the lone bottle of men’s cologne and smelled it. Musky, masculine and something she’d yet to smell on him. Part of her felt glad—she loved the natural, outdoorsy way he smelled. The other part of her felt a bit piqued. Clearly, he only used the cologne for special occasions, or special people.

  Ridiculous to feel that way. They were together every single day. Why would she even expect or want him to wear cologne around her? Answer, she didn’t.

  Replacing the stopper, she put the bottle back where she’d found it. On one corner of the dresser, he had a display that linked to a wireless weather station he must have set up outside. Wind direction, speed, temperature, all were displayed.

  Next to that sat a polished wood storage box. A men’s jewelry box, she thought. But since Jason wore no jewelry that she’d seen, she couldn’t help but wonder what he kept inside.

  She glanced back at the closed door, full of misgivings. It would be wrong to snoop, but she told herself she wouldn’t touch anything, even as she slowly raised the lid.

  A diamond ring sat in solitary splendor inside. It appeared old, the gold tarnished and the large marquise-cut diamond dulled with age. She couldn’t help but wonder at the story behind it, who had it belonged to and what it might mean.

  Knowing she couldn’t ask, she closed the lid and continued her exploration of the room. On the nightstand, he had a lamp and a beat-up alarm clock, nothing else. His sliding closet door was closed, and she left it that way, already feeling bad about snooping.

  Outside, she could hear voices, Jason’s and another man’s, who must be the sheriff, though she couldn’t make out the words. When they came inside, she tensed up, but knew there was no way Jason would let him see her.

  They continued talking, Jason clearly filling him in on all the possibilities that might make someone want to stalk and harm him. All of them except her. True to his word, Jason never mentioned her, and finally the sheriff left. She waited until she heard his vehicle drive away before opening the bedroom door and peeking out.

  Jason stood near his desk, apparently lost in thought. When he caught sight of her, he smiled. “Hey there. I was about to come get you.”

  Come get you. The phrase triggered a memory. She walked out onto a stage alongside a man, though she couldn’t see his face. Thunderous applause greeted them—actually, him. She was there in a supportive role, while he...

  Just like that, the memory vanished.

  Disoriented and disappointed, she blinked.

  “Are you all right?” Jason asked, crossing the room and taking her arm. “You looked like you were about to faint.”

  “I don’t faint.” Her automatic response made her blink again. “I’m just trying to process another random memory.” She told him what she’d seen, triggered by his simple phrase.

  “This man,” he asked, his casual tone fooling neither of them. “Was he famous?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, but then realized she might. “Not movie-star or musician famous, but maybe well-known. CEO or philanthropist, maybe? Or politician?”

  “That’s great!” He actually rubbed his hands together in glee. “That will make it much easier to search for a missing girlfriend or wife.”

  “Or relative,” she pointed out. “I didn’t get a feeling of love when that memory came to me. More of obligation. Duty. That man might even have been my brother.”

  “Are you just guessing or is that your gut feeling?”

  She sighed. “Guessing. Whenever I have these flashes of memory, any time I try to expand them, everything shuts down. It’s frustrating.”

  Pulling her close, he gave her a quick hug, though he released her before she gave in to the temptation to linger. “It sounds like your flashes of memory are coming more frequently. That’s got to be good.”

  “I guess.” Try as she might, she couldn’t summon up any enthusiasm. “I need more, though. For example, it’d be really nice if I could remember my name.”

  He laughed. “Patience. Eventually, you will.”

  She liked the certainty in his voice. “I know. Impatience is one of my greatest faults.”

  “See?” Grinning, he repeated what she’d said. “Bit by bit, it’s all coming back to you.”

  His optimism was infectious. She nodded, her heart skipping a beat, and grinned back.

  They spent the next several hours poring over his photographs. He’d had her set up three folders on the computer, labeling one No for the photos that were too graphic or simply bad shots. Another folder called Maybe for all the ones she wasn’t sure about. And the last folder was titled Yes for those rare photographs that were clearly above par.

  Though she knew he’d have to go over everything she’d done later, he’d told her that the simple beginning to sorting would help tremendously.

  Since he’d warned her, she braced herself before clicking on the first set of images.

  Many of them were disturbing, some gut-wrenchingly so. Some seemed routine, matter-of-fact, while others carried an exotic flavor. All of them, the banal and the horrifying, were starkly beautiful.

  “You’re really talented,” she mused, no doubt telling him something he already knew.

  Peering at her over the top of his laptop, he smiled. “Thank you. Remember, if looking at these gets to be a bit too much, you can stop.”

  “I’ll remember,” she said, already clicking to open the next file. She had no idea where these were taken; however, the degree of wretchedness of life appeared to have increased. Here, terror and pain and grief shone from people’s eyes. In one particularly disturbing shot, a mother cradled her wounded or dead child. In another, Jason had captured resignation in the ancient gaze of an old man who sat cross-legged on the street littered with rubble, his bony back against a crumbling wall.

  Reminding herself that she had a job, she carefully sorted the pictures, moving them to one file or another. She lost track of time, so engrossed had she become in her task.

  “Let’s take a break,” Jason said, standing and stretching. “We’ve been going at this long enough.”

  Pushing to her feet, she nodded. “I’d really like to get some fresh air.”

  Hearing this, he grinned. “It’s a balmy thirty-seven out there. I’m thinking with that temperature and the sunshine, a lot of the snow should have melted.”

  She eyed him steadily. “Does that mean we can go for a walk without needing snowshoes?”

  “I guess we won’t know until we go outside and check it out.”

  It took a few minutes for each of them to get bundled up in layers. She felt a level of anticipation that seemed out of line with merely going out
side for a walk, but didn’t care.

  Once they stepped outside, the crisp air made her inhale deeply and stand up straighter. “It’s beautiful out here,” she exclaimed, instantly invigorated. Jason had been right, the snow had mostly melted, except for a few spots that remained in the shadows.

  She walked down the porch steps, into the yard, twirling around and taking in the patches of muddy earth. Remembering the path, she walked around the back side of the cabin, passing the still-blackened firewood.

  Instead of stopping to look at it once more, she refused to allow her exuberance to dim and continued on. Laughing, Jason followed.

  “There.” Stopping, she pointed at the path, mostly clear of snow, winding up through the trees. “Let’s go. I love a good hike, even though I don’t have my hiking boots.”

  “See.” Jason caught up to her and prodded her with his elbow. “Another one. Seems like those memories are coming closer together. I predict it won’t be long until you know everything.”

  Though she nodded, she didn’t want to dwell on that right now. She wanted to live in the moment, rejoice in the clean mountain air and snowless path. And of course, the amazing man at her side.

  Together they hiked up the path, managing to avoid most of the muddy puddles, though they hit their fair share. It felt great to stretch her legs, and she could feel her lower back loosening up. Slightly out of breath, she inhaled great gulps of cold air. “What a perfect day,” she told him, taking his hand and swinging their arms in the air.

  He glanced sideways at her, a smile quirking the edges of his mouth. “You’re sure happy.”

  One brow arched, she grinned at him. “I am. I think I must be an outdoorsy type of person.”

  This time, they made it to the top of the hill, overlooking the cabin. “Look,” he pointed. “There’s the road that leads to our driveway.”

  The words had no sooner left his mouth when a caravan of vehicles came into view. One, two, three and then four vehicles, mostly pickup trucks with one SUV.

  “What the...” Jason scratched his head. “They’re coming from town. I wonder where they’re heading. There’s not much else up that road but a couple more houses.”

  She froze. “What if...”

  His expression changed as he realized what she’d been about to say. “Damn it.” Tugging her hand, he started back down the trail. “Maybe if we hurry, we can get to the cabin before they get here.”

  Due to a combination of the steep slope, the mud and rocks, they couldn’t run. Hand in hand, the two of them climbed back down as quickly as they could. She slipped and stumbled a couple of times, and only his grip on her hand kept her from falling on her behind in a puddle of mud.

  They’d barely rounded the last corner when she heard the unmistakable sound of tires on gravel. Skidding to a halt, she stepped back, hoping no one had seen her.

  Multiple car doors closing rang out as loud as gunshots.

  “You go,” she said, jerking her hand free. “I’ll stay up here until they leave.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I have no idea how long they’ll stay.”

  “I don’t care. I can wait them out.” Lifting her chin stubbornly, she tried to hide her very real terror. Meeting people meant she’d once again be exposed. Vulnerable.

  “You can’t. Once it gets dark, you’ll freeze.”

  “Not if you get rid of them quickly. What do you think they want?”

  He thought for a moment before cursing again. “I imagine the sheriff told someone in town about the fire and the stalker. Cedar is a good town, full of great neighbors. They’re most likely here to help me clean up, cut new firewood and help in any way I need.” He took a deep breath. “I can’t just run them off when they went through all the trouble to drive up here. Just come out with me and I’ll introduce you as a friend who’s visiting. It won’t be a big deal.”

  Maybe not to him. She shook her head. “The idea of even doing that terrifies me. What if one of these people turn out to be the one who’s after me?”

  From his blank expression, she could tell the thought had never occurred to him. Holding her gaze, he shook his head. “Lucy, I know these people. I’ve known them for years.”

  Lifting her chin stubbornly, she refused to look away. “That may be true, but what if one of them brings their new friend, who just happened to arrive in town around the same time I did? You have no way of controlling what happens.”

  He glanced down at his cabin. “You know everyone is congregating on my front porch, knocking on the door.”

  “Probably,” she agreed, nodding.

  “Wait here,” he started to say. But just then, two of Jason’s visitors came around the back of the cabin and spotted them.

  “Hey!” one of them shouted, waving. “Jason.”

  Lucy swallowed her panic, looking from Jason to the two men below. A moment later, several others joined them.

  “Too late,” Jason told her. “Might as well go on down.”

  When he took her arm, she didn’t resist. Side by side, they headed down to meet their visitors.

  * * *

  Judging by the tightly rigid way Lucy held herself, Jason knew if she kept it up for too long, her entire body was going to hurt like hell tomorrow.

  “It’s okay,” he murmured, figuring nothing he could say would reassure her, but aware he had to try anyway.

  She shot him a look full of disbelief but didn’t comment.

  As they picked their way down the last of the trail, several more people joined the small crowd waiting. He quickly scanned their faces, recognizing each and every one of them.

  “No strangers,” he told Lucy, right before they reached them. Big Earl stepped forward, his beard not able to hide his huge grin.

  “Hey there, Jason,” he boomed. “Now we know why we haven’t seen much of you in town.” Transferring his light blue gaze to Lucy, he chuckled appreciatively.

  “Lucy, this is Earl. Earl, Lucy.” Jason performed the introductions quickly. There were seven others, and he took care to name them one by one.

  To her credit, Lucy gave every impression of being at ease. She shook Earl’s huge hand, kept a friendly smile plastered on her pretty face and gave no evidence of her earlier fear.

  They followed him around to the side of the cabin so he could show them the woodpile and the singe marks. Lucy came too, though she hung out on the outskirts of the small group and didn’t speak. While he understood she was trying to make herself invisible, he figured she didn’t realize that no red-blooded male would fail to notice a woman as beautiful as she.

  In fact, several of his friends glanced sideways at her, then at him, as if trying to understand the situation.

  Jason didn’t elaborate and he knew no one would be pushy enough to ask.

  Once they finished inspecting and commenting on the burned area, Jason led everyone inside. Judging by the grim set of Lucy’s mouth, she wasn’t happy about this, but he didn’t really see what else he could do. It would be rude to make everyone stand around outside.

  Everyone crowded into his small living room, some sitting, but most standing since he didn’t have enough chairs. Jason went into the kitchen and brought out all four chairs. A few more men took a seat on these. An older man named Joe who owned the local hardware store handed Jason a box. “Security cameras,” he said. “I figured we might put them up around the perimeter of the cabin. Next time, you’ll have the SOB’s face on film.”

  Next time. While Jason appreciated the sentiment, he really hoped there wouldn’t be a next time. “Thanks,” he said. “Are they complicated to install?”

  “Nah, not at all. In fact, we can knock this out in half an hour, especially since we have so much help.”

  At his direction, everyone trouped back outside, with the exception of Lucy, who chose to stay inside. A quick glance at her re
vealed she wished the earth would swallow her up.

  Unable to help himself, Jason went over and squeezed her shoulder. “It’s going to be all right,” he told her. “Stay in here and keep warm.”

  Relief shone in her blue eyes. She nodded, standing ramrod straight and watching him as he followed the others outside.

  Joe clearly knew what he was doing. He directed the installation of four cameras, one at each corner of the cabin. To Jason’s surprise, they were up and running within thirty minutes. “Let’s set you up with an account,” Joe said. “I’m assuming you have a computer and Wi-Fi.”

  “I do.” With Joe leading the way, they all went back inside. Jason booted up his laptop and signed in before handing the computer over to the older man.

  Joe typed for a few minutes and then passed it back to Jason. “Here you go. I created a shortcut and everything. Your sign-in is JSheffield and right now your password is JS. You’ll want to change that. Anything recorded will be stored in the cloud and can be accessed on that website. You have a free thirty-day trial. After that, you’ll have to pay.”

  “Thank you,” Jason said, truly grateful. “I appreciate you. If there’s any way I can repay you, please don’t hesitate to call.”

  Joe shook his head. “No repayment necessary. We look after each other here in Cedar.”

  Which was one of the things he loved about the small town.

  “I brought a cooler of beer,” one of the younger guys exclaimed. “It’s in my truck. Let me go get it.” He hurried out, returning a moment later pulling a good-sized Coleman cooler on wheels.

  Canned Coors Light was passed around. Even Lucy accepted one, popping the top and taking an experimental sip. Jason watched her face from across the room, trying to ascertain whether or not she liked it.

  “Earth to Jason.” One of the older men, a grizzled former mine worker named Dustin, elbowed him. “I’ve seen that look before, my friend. How long have you and Lucy been together?”