Christmas Amnesia

by Laura Scott

  “Jackson.” Her fingers clutched his arm. “You think this is evidence of Arvani shoving Jackson into the passenger seat after the murder.”

  Noah slipped the vial back in his pocket and turned off the flashlight, hoping, praying this was the clue he needed to prove his innocence. “We’ll know more once we get this blood tested in the lab, but yeah. That’s exactly what I think. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Even if the cops wanted to keep Jackson’s murder quiet, they’d still have to notify his next of kin and there’s no guarantee that they would keep quiet. But if Arvani got rid of the body and moved the truck, then there would be nothing to report, other than a missing person.”

  Like the prosecutor she was, Maddy immediately picked up on his train of thought. “And missing adults don’t make headlines until they’ve been gone for an extended period of time. Or unless someone within the family creates a ruckus.”

  “Exactly. I don’t remember Jackson’s schedule. Sometimes he took odd days off and if he had, there would be no reason for the police to raise an alarm.” He swept his gaze over the area. There was a long stack of chopped wood neatly piled up between two large oak trees off to the right of the cabin. The patches of snow covering the ground were large enough that if they took a direct route up to the cabin, they risked leaving footprints. Yet he really wanted to take a look inside to see if there were additional signs that someone had been inside recently. The tire tracks were good, but they could belong to anyone, even someone driving in by mistake.

  Maybe if they went around through the trees, coming in from the side of the house closest to the woods? If Arvani had been here in the past few days, he would have left tracks between the cabin and the woodpile.

  “Now what?” Maddy asked, breaking into his thoughts.

  “This way.” He turned, moving slowly so that he could be sure not to leave footprints. Maddy once again gripped the back of his utility belt, following close, making him smile.

  He didn’t like knowing Maddy’s mother and grandmother were in danger, yet being with Maddy like this, working the case with her, was no hardship. Noah hadn’t experienced this kind of connection since working alongside Matt.

  He reminded himself that this was only a temporary arrangement. After Arvani’s trial, he and Maddy would go their separate ways.

  Depressing thought.

  The process was slow, and he hoped that they weren’t caught in the act by Lance Arvani’s return. The moon was bright in the sky, illuminating the patches of snow. When he finally reached the woodpile, he was disappointed to see there were no footprints between the front door of the cabin and the pile of logs.

  Was it possible Arvani hadn’t been staying here? Or had he given the key to his cabin to someone else? That didn’t seem likely without any footprints leading to the woodpile.

  The balloon of euphoria he’d experienced at seeing the blood in the driveway instantly deflated. So what if he was able to prove the blood belonged to Jackson? The link to Arvani was slim.

  “What’s wrong?” Maddy whispered.

  “Nothing.” He mentally measured the distance from where they were standing to the side of the cabin. There were a few bare patches, but too far apart for Maddy’s shorter stride. “Do me a favor and stay here. I’m just going to take a quick peek through the window.”

  “Okay.”

  He took long, wide steps, carefully placing his feet on the parts of the ground not covered in snow. It didn’t take long to reach the structure. Cupping his hands around his eyes, he peered through the window.

  It wasn’t easy to see much at first, but he was able to distinguish shapes. A tall dresser and a wide bed that had obviously been used recently and left unmade. His gaze stumbled across a chair with a duffel bag on it.

  Someone staying here might take off for a while, but leaving a duffel bag behind indicated that person would likely return.

  Arvani? Or someone else?

  Using his penlight, he flashed it in the window, hoping to see through the doorway into the room beyond. He caught a glimpse of a sofa and what looked like a corner of a fireplace. He rationalized that there might be a decent stack of wood already inside the cabin, which could be why no one had come outside yet to get more.

  He turned off the light and made his way back to where Maddy was waiting, huddled beside one of the large oak trees. “I believe the cabin is being used. We need to get out of here before he returns.”

  “Lead the way,” she said, shivering in the cold.

  Ignoring the sense of urgency wasn’t easy, but he forced himself to go slow, unwilling to make any mistakes. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the road. He opened the passenger-side door and assisted Maddy up into the seat. He was rounding the back of the truck when he spotted headlights on the road, a few miles in the distance.

  He leaped into the driver’s seat and tapped the brakes long enough to start the engine before letting up and easing on the gas. Racing away would only draw more attention, so he drove slowly at first, gradually picking up speed. He flicked the lights off, but could still see dim running lights. He searched for a way to shut them off, but couldn’t find the switch, so he gave up.

  Technology didn’t help in situations like this.

  Maddy leaned forward, turning up the heat. “That was close.”

  “Yeah, although there’s no way to know if that vehicle back there was heading to the cabin or somewhere else.” He continued down the highway, trying to keep an eye on the headlights behind them.

  The lights vanished from his field of vision as the driver turned off the highway.

  Noah quickly slowed down, making a three-point turn to head back.

  “What are you doing?” Maddy asked, her voice raised in alarm.

  “I want to see if the car pulled into Arvani’s driveway,” he said. “Help me look as we drive by, okay?”

  She nodded and leaned forward so she could see past him. He kept his speed steady but not too fast so they’d miss it.

  “There!” Maddy said excitedly. He nodded in agreement as he caught sight of the large shape of a truck parked in front of Arvani’s cabin.

  He’d only gotten a quick glimpse, but he was certain the vehicle was the same one Jackson had been driving the night of his murder.

  Somehow, some way, he needed to prove it.

  * * *

  Maddy couldn’t believe they’d gotten away from Arvani’s place in the nick of time. If they’d been five or ten minutes later, they would have been caught for sure.

  She sent up a quick prayer of thanks to God for watching over them.

  Noah slowed the vehicle and turned. The truck bobbed up and down as he went down through the shallow ditch up the embankment and then through a small clearing.

  “You’re not seriously going back there, are you?” she asked when he threw the gearshift into Park.

  “Yeah, just long enough to get the license plate number.” He shut down the engine and handed her the keys. “Will you be warm enough for a few minutes?”

  “Sure.” The word was barely out of her mouth when he pushed open the driver-side door and jumped out, slamming it shut behind him.

  Truthfully she didn’t like it, but tagging along would only increase the risk of Noah’s being seen, so she huddled down in the seat and waited.

  Three minutes passed, and she told herself not to worry. Noah wouldn’t be rushing down to Arvani’s driveway, he’d be moving slowly, taking his time. After five minutes, she twisted around in her seat to look out through the rear window, trying to see if Noah was on his way back.

  Seven minutes later, her heart rate sped up with distress. What if something had happened to him? Arvani could have caught Noah sneaking around the edge of his property.

  Ten minutes was more than enough. She needed to take action.
Scrambling over the middle console, she adjusted the seat for her shorter legs and started the engine. She’d never driven a truck this big, but since there was nothing but trees and brush on either side, she figured she couldn’t do much harm.

  After putting the truck in Reverse, she drew a deep breath and slowly rolled backward out of the woods. The rear end of the truck tipped downward, scraping along the ground, making her wince.

  A loud banging on the side of the truck had her slamming on the brakes, her heart lodged into her throat. Then Noah’s face was pressed against her window.

  He was all right!

  She threw the truck back into Park and unlocked the door. Noah opened it and she made room for him to get inside by scrambling back into her own seat.

  “What took you so long?” she demanded. “I was going crazy waiting here for you.”

  “I know. I hung back, making sure the guy was inside the cabin before creeping close enough to see the license plate.”

  “And?” she asked, as he maneuvered the truck back out to the highway.

  He headed back the way they’d originally come, toward the interstate that would take them to Milwaukee. “The tag number is 555 EVP.”

  She repeated the series of numbers and letters to herself, committing it to memory. “Does it belong to Jackson?”

  “Same make and model, but I don’t know his plate number off the top of my head. I’ll check with the DMV records when we get back to the motel.”

  She nodded, knowing cops had access to the DMV database. Even her brother Michael, who worked as a private investigator, had that capability. Several DAs used private investigators to help them find witnesses that might not want to be found, and her brother was just one of the PIs taking on the occasional case for them.

  Thinking of her brother reminded her of the intruder who had been caught outside her mom’s house. She knew the guy had to have been sent by Pietro’s goons, but why would they send someone so low on the criminal totem pole? The guy who’d assaulted her outside the courthouse and rammed them into Lake Michigan hadn’t been some low-life drug addict.

  What had Matt said the intruder’s name was? Slotterback? Yeah, that was it. Ervin Slotterback.

  Maybe Pietro had sent him as a scare tactic. To prove he could get to her mom and Nan if he really wanted to. She swallowed hard, reminding herself that Matt and Duchess would take good care of them.

  “Are you hungry?” Noah asked, breaking the silence. “I can pick something up on the way back to the motel.”

  The late lunch they’d eaten prior to meeting up with her twin seemed ages ago. Fast food wasn’t her favorite, but it was better than nothing. “Now that you mention it, I could eat. It’s pretty late, though, most places won’t be open.”

  “I know. We’ll have to settle for a burger.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “See if there’s a salad.”

  Noah waited until they were closer to the motel before pulling into a fast-food restaurant. They used the drive-through and were back on the road in no time.

  She’d given up meat, but the fries still smelled good. Noah pulled into the parking lot of their motel, a place called The American Lodge, and backed into the parking spot so they could drive out in a hurry if needed.

  She followed him into his room and waited for him to set up the computer. The vest was heavy beneath her fleece and she toyed with the idea of taking it off, but then decided to wait for a bit.

  Noah quickly logged in to the computer. She watched over his shoulder as he brought up the DMV database and punched in his username and password. When he entered the license plate number, the program’s icon spun in a circle as it searched for the information.

  She began to unpack their food as he stared at the screen. Suddenly a new page bloomed into view.

  “I knew it,” Noah said with satisfaction. He tapped at the screen. “The license plate belongs to my partner, Jackson S. Dellis.” He turned to look up at her. “Arvani is linked to Pietro and to my partner’s death. I’m convinced now, and the blood I found at the scene will prove it.”

  She gave him a hug. “I’m so glad. We’ll get to the bottom of this yet. Now, do you mind if we eat? I’m famished.”

  “Yeah, sure.” He pushed the computer off to the side, making room.

  Maddy finished unpacking the meal, then took her seat. Noah dropped down beside her. She glanced at him from beneath her lashes, wondering if he’d initiate the prayer.

  He did. Clearing his throat, he began, “Dear Lord, bless this food we are about to eat and, um, keep us safe as we seek to bring a murderer to justice. Amen.”

  “Amen,” she echoed. She smiled and reached out to lightly clasp his hand. “That was nice, Noah, thank you.”

  He ducked his head as if embarrassed. “Thanks, but to be honest I don’t know much about praying, other than what I learned at the Callahan family meals.”

  “Oh, Noah.” She ached to throw herself into his arms. “You’re always welcome to join us at church services and at brunch. You know very well Mom and Nan make enough food to feed an army.”

  He took a bite of his burger, then gave her a sideways glance. “I didn’t feel welcome, not after Matt’s injury.”

  She grimaced with shame. “I’m sorry. I know that was my fault. I should never have blamed you for Matt’s stab wound. I know, better than most, that police officers put their lives on the line every single day.”

  She thought for a moment about how her father, former police chief Max Callahan, had been shot in the line of duty. In her spare time, which truthfully hadn’t been very often since the Pietro case had been dropped in her lap, she pored over the police reports related to her father’s shooting, trying to find some clue the homicide detectives had missed. It irked her that his murder still hadn’t been solved and deep down she thought part of the reason was that the mayor had refused to let her brother Miles participate in the investigation, claiming he was too close to the victim to be objective.

  Now almost two years had passed. The colder the case, the less likely it was they would find the perpetrator responsible.

  Not that she planned to give up. Once the Pietro case was finished, she planned on taking some well-deserved vacation time to continue her own investigation. She kept the file related to their dad’s murder hidden in her desk.

  They ate in silence for several moments, enjoying the meal. When they were almost finished, Noah sat back in his seat with a heavy sigh. “You were right to blame me for Matt’s injury,” he said in a blunt tone.

  “No, I wasn’t.” She stole one of his french fries and popped it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “I actually saw the case file, you know. I’m the one who brought charges against the woman responsible. A drug addict named Corrine Lobely stabbed Matt, not you. It wasn’t fair of me to insinuate otherwise.”

  Noah pushed the remnants of his meal away. “I hesitated just for a split second, but it was long enough for her to cut him. So just know I’ve been blaming myself, too.”

  She hated knowing that he carried that guilt, along with feeling responsible for his college girlfriend’s death. “Noah, cops often have to make split-second decisions. Life-and-death decisions. Playing Monday-morning quarterback is easy, but not realistic. I don’t blame you at all. In fact, it’s hard to blame Corrine.”

  Noah’s gaze snapped up to meet hers. “What do you mean? Of course she’s guilty.”

  She munched another fry. “Yes, she’s guilty of a crime, that’s true. But I said it’s hard to blame her. Do you know her background? She was raised in the foster system, physically abused and shuffled from one house to another. At the time she stabbed Matt, she’d been living out on the street for six months after being aged out of the foster-care system.” Corrine’s case file had been difficult to read, each word seared into her brain. “Who’s to sa
y that couldn’t have been me, or one of my brothers, if we hadn’t been fortunate enough to have been born into the Callahan family?”

  Noah dropped his gaze. “Not all kids from broken homes end up drug addicts, and some kids who have decent families can still get caught up with drugs.”

  She sensed he was talking about something personal, and wanted to pry, but forced herself to hold back.

  “Regardless, Matt blames me, too,” Noah continued. “Sure, he claimed that he’d always wanted to be a K-9 cop, but the fact that he went straight into training immediately after the incident tells me that the truth is simply that he didn’t trust me anymore. And I can’t say that I really blame him.”

  She turned and took Noah’s hand in hers. “That’s not true. In fact, Matt was the one who convinced me to forgive you the way Jesus taught us. He held me responsible for you not coming over anymore. Trust me, Matt misses you. The two of you were more than just partners. You were friends.”

  His brown eyes held a hint of hope. “He really said that?”

  “Absolutely. So promise me that once we finish this case, you’ll come to church and brunch again.”

  The corner of his mouth tipped up in a lopsided smile. “How can I turn down an invitation like that?”

  “Yes! I’m so happy.” Impulsively, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Noah put his arm around her and held her close for a moment, then he turned his head and their lips met. Clung. Deepened into a toe-curling kiss.

  This time, he initiated the embrace and she willingly kissed him back, marveling in the fact that Noah had managed to break through the fear that had held her captive for far too long.

  ELEVEN

  Kissing Maddy hadn’t been a part of his plan, but she tasted so sweet he couldn’t help himself. How long had it been since he’d kissed a woman? Too long. Years, even.