by Spear, Terry
Yet, she knew before she even opened the drawer that the rubber divider would be orange like the sofas in the living room, and the silverware, plain and old, like everything else in the cottage, rested neatly in their special slots.
As if in slow motion, she lifted a spoon from the drawer. Her hand shook, and she hurriedly set the spoon down on the counter.
She reached up to grab the cabinet door to the left, her heart thundering. Would the coffee mugs truly be behind door number one? If so, what did it really mean?
Chapter 16
Jenny pulled the door to the cabinet open, holding her breath at the same time. The coffee mugs weren’t in there. She exhaled her breath in surprise.
Dale crossed the floor and reached for a cabinet over the sink on another wall. “The mugs are over here, Jenny.”
“Oh, well, thanks. I guess I would have been searching for them for a while.”
He pulled three out, then set them on the counter. “I’ll just start the water.” He pulled a kettle out from under a cabinet, then began to fill it with water from the faucet.
“Oh, no, you have to use the spring water.” She pulled the milk jug out from under the sink and handed it to him.
Allan’s voice startled her when he spoke suddenly. “What do you remember about being here before, Jenny?” His voice sounded unduly irritated.
Stiffening her back, she folded her arms. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Allan looked at Dale who nodded. A secret communiqué was going on between the men, and she didn’t like it one bit. Then she glanced at the coffee pot. Had the two men set her up? Tested her to see how much she knew?
She stormed out of the kitchen and nearly reached the patio door before Allan grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop.
“Listen, Allan, I told you a hundred times already. I get images of the broken pieces of my life. I don’t really remember having been here before. I couldn’t have been here.” Already her voice was on the verge of breaking. She had no intention of cracking under Allan’s harsh and critical review.
She jerked her arm free. “You have your cup of coffee. I don’t drink it. Remember? When you’re done with your coffee break, we’ll go to Keene. But for now, I’m taking a walk around the lake.”
Allan motioned to Samuel. “Let’s take a walk.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
Allan took Jenny’s hand and held on tight. “I understand you don’t remember everything. But what do you remember?”
“Ask Dale.”
Allan turned to Dale.
“She knew about the water for the coffee. She knew where the mugs were kept until Miss General Patton moved them.”
“That’s a female agent who loves to reorganize the kitchens in our safe houses so we have a devil of a time locating things,” Allan said.
So the mugs had been behind door number one. Jenny’s knees turned to jelly, but she stood her ground.
“She knew where the coffee was and which jar contained the sugar.”
“All right, so I’ve been here before. I remember some stuff about the kitchen, nothing else.”
Allan looked back at Dale. “Did you find out who was staying here during the time Roxie and Jenny vacationed at Pilgrim Pines?”
“The boss is having it looked into. He wanted to know what all she remembered.”
“He wasn’t furious that a couple of our agents brought the women…”
Jenny jerked her hand free and headed for the door again.
Allan seized her arm. “We’re going for a walk. Ready, Samuel?”
***
Allan couldn’t quell the sense of unease filling his mind. Jenny had been at the agents’ safe house. No doubt about it. And she’d been there for more than just a card game or two. Strip poker? The notion fired him up. What else didn’t he know about her?
He held her hand as she stormed along the gravel road.
Samuel followed from a hundred yards behind, watching their backs. Allan kept an eye out for anything suspicious as he attempted to settle his own troubled mind. “I’m sorry, honey. I don’t know what to think about this.”
“You think,” she said, her voice harsh, “that Roxie and I came here to fool around with a couple of agents.”
Yeah, that’s exactly what he thought, but he couldn’t tell her that. She had a life before him. That’s what he had to remind himself. And it was none of his business. On the other hand, he was bound and determined to give the agents a black eye with the Agency who’d fooled around with them. Anyone who took civilians to a safe house for after-hour pleasures was worse than despicable. They endangered any agent who used the house thereafter.
She continued to walk at breakneck speed, her shorter gait hurried, but with his longer legs, the pace was no more than a slightly faster stroll.
He glanced at her. Her mouth was turned down and her eyes narrowed. He figured if he didn’t smooth things over between them, he was liable to find himself sleeping on the couch later that evening.
When they reached the Pilgrim Pines Resort, he led her inside the building where blue couches were seated around a large open fireplace and a piano sat to one side. They approached the check-in counter where a gray-haired woman wearing a floral dress greeted them.
“I’m Agent Thompson and my partner called earlier to see if we could look at the condo that Roxie Adams rented last summer.” He showed the woman his badge, then pocketed it. “He said three this afternoon, but this is the young woman who stayed with Ms. Adams, and she’s lost her memory. We thought maybe you could show the condo to us earlier.”
“Let me see if the current guests have checked out yet.” She flipped through a file. “Yes. The place hasn’t been cleaned though.”
“That’s okay. Were you working here last summer?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember Jenny Brant?”
“No. But I’m not always at the desk.” The woman circled a condo on a map, then handed it and the key to Allan.
“Thanks. We’ll return it in a short while.”
Allan let Jenny lead the way, but she hadn’t a clue as to where the condo was located. He finally looked at the map and guided them to the correct place. When they walked inside, Jenny stared at the brown sofa and matching chairs, ivory drapes, and a beige carpet. She peered into a bedroom, the comforter and sheets disheveled, and wet white towels crumpled on the floor.
From the look on her face, he surmised she didn’t recognize anything. He glanced at Samuel who’d been studying her reaction also. Samuel shook his head.
“Can you tell me where the silverware is, or where the plates are located, or anything?” Allan asked.
She pointed to a drawer. “Maybe the silverware’s in there.” But her voice was hesitant, unsure.
Samuel pulled it open and shook his head. “Butcher knives, spatulas.”
She pointed to a cabinet up above.
He opened the door. “No plates. Glassware instead.”
Shaking her head, she wrapped her arms around herself. Tears streaked down her cheeks, and Allan felt rotten to the core. He didn’t like whatever the scenario had been between Jenny and Roxie and the agents who must have had them to the cottage, but Allan had pushed her too hard, trying to force her to remember. The frustration she felt must be overwhelming, and he should be here to comfort her, not treat her like she was a prisoner of the Gestapo.
He crossed the floor to her and wrapped his arms around her, embracing her warmly. “Jenny, honey, I’m so sorry.”
She responded by slipping her arms around his waist and in that instant, he was undone. He wanted to take her far away to some desert island and keep her safe from the whole wide world. He wanted to make love to her and forget she’d ever had a past.
“Let’s go back to the cottage. All right?”
She nodded, her tears already wetting his T-shirt in spots.
He handed the key to the condo to Samuel, who nodded in silent agreement. Then Allan led Je
nny outside and walked slowly this time back to the cottage. He would give Samuel time to catch up to them and time for him to be alone with Jenny for a few brief moments. He slipped his arm around her waist, their hips touching as they walked. “You know, Jenny, I love you no matter what. Nothing about your past is going to make me feel any differently, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I am worried,” Jenny whispered tearfully. “What if Roxie and I were fooling around with a couple of agents when we vacationed here? What if they told us not to waste our money at Pilgrim Pines and stay with them instead? Jeez, Allan. I don’t even want to know anything more about my past. I hook up with a serial killer and terrorist. What else have I done?”
“Like I said, honey, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you get your memories back. But I promise it won’t change things between us.”
“You were angry with me. I heard it in your voice. In the way you wouldn’t come near me in the bedroom. You can’t deny it bothers you.”
He squeezed her lightly. “You’re right. It bothers me. I want you exclusively for myself. But you’ve had a past life, and I can’t let it come between us. I’m concerned though, that two of our agents would open up the house to civilians. They have to be dealt with.”
Lantham ran toward them, the gravel road crunching beneath his boots. When he reached them, he said, nearly out of breath, “Dale wanted me to tell you the Agency can’t find any record of the agents’ names that stayed here when the women did.”
“Damn. Do they think the agents cleaned the files?”
“They’re looking into it.”
“What next?” Allan couldn’t keep his temper under control. He wanted to break the agents in half. If they’d cleaned the files, they must have figured they’d get caught sooner or later. What other deviousness had they pulled? He imagined on top of that, they were married.
Then he thought of Roxie. “Have them contact Roxie. She’ll know what happened and she won’t owe any allegiance to the men.”
“I don’t either,” Jenny said, her voice on edge.
He smiled. “No, I know. You just don’t remember. That’s all.”
***
Thurman Wilson’s blood boiled as he wiped a dribble of sweat off his brow. He gripped the phone so hard, it was a wonder it didn’t melt in his clenched fist. Even the soothing ocean waves rolling over the beach couldn’t placate the anger surging in his veins. “Let me get this straight, Caruso. You lost her. Right?”
“Yes, sir. But they won’t be keeping her forever. Eventually, she’ll return to her house and then—”
“There’s no way,” Thurman said through clenched teeth, “they are returning her to her home in Waco until they’ve either captured or killed me.” He paced across the deck. “Unless…unless I die, rather someone dies for me. Does she have her memory back?”
“The last we know, she didn’t.”
“Good. Find someone who can pretend to be me. Once he’s dead, they’ll release her. Then she’s mine.”
“Yes, boss. Shall I bring him to Pensacola first?”
“Have him meet me in Amarillo. He’ll need a bullet in his shoulder and a knife wound in his side. Make sure Jimmy, the butcher, comes, too, so he can patch him up afterward.”
“Won’t the injuries be too fresh?”
“We’ll have to make sure it’s not real noticeable.” He smiled. Burns could disguise the body. Acid. Lots of ways to take care of him. Then Thurman would get Jenny.
“Get him and soon.”
“Gotcha, boss.”
Thurman slammed the phone down, then seized a bottle of antacid off his kitchen table and guzzled several swallows of it. “Jenny, Jenny, Jenny, you’re breaking my heart. And you’re giving me the worst case of indigestion I’ve ever had. But soon you’ll give me the kind of pleasure I expect from you. Won’t be long and you’ll be mine again. Forever, this time.”
***
Jenny’s face sparkled with enthusiasm as she walked into the Colony Mill Marketplace with Allan, Samuel and Dale. From a toyshop to bookstores and dress shops, the variety provided Jenny with a world of shopping choices.
“Do you remember anything?” Allan asked Jenny, as she ran her hands over binders on the mystery books in the bookstore, hoping she would recall some kind of memories of the place.
She frowned. “No.”
When they arrived at a lingerie shop, she ducked inside. Allan glanced at Dale who shrugged a shoulder, raised a brow, and smiled. Samuel leaned against a brick wall a few feet away, keeping an eye on customers.
Allan’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of its pouch. “Hello?”
“Garcia. Roxie Adams can’t be reached at the moment. Is the information imperative?”
“It might help Jenny to remember.”
“How’s she doing at the shops?”
“Having a blast, but not remembering a thing.”
“You’re taking her to the mountain tomorrow?”
“Yes, sir. First thing. It’s a two and a half hour climb. Figure we’ll carry lunch up there, eat, then climb back down. Will you keep trying to get hold of Roxie for me?”
“Sure thing. Call me if she remembers anything further.”
“Yes, sir.”
Allan shut his phone off. “No luck with getting hold of Roxie at the moment.”
Jenny wiggled her finger at him to come into the shop. When he entered, she showed him a blue silk nightie with a French lace neckline. “What do you think?”
“It’ll keep the guys up again tonight.”
She grinned.
His boxers tightened. He pulled out his wallet. “Whatever you want, honey.”
The clerk, a petite brunette, her hair fashioned in a short cut, smiled back at Jenny. “I remember you. But you were with a girlfriend last time. You didn’t have this hunk with you.”
Allan observed Jenny for any sign of reaction. She smiled at the clerk, but he could tell by the way Jenny hesitated to respond, she didn’t remember her.
“You remember?” The girl prompted. “A man tried to rob me, and you nailed him to the floor. You told the police you used Army hand-to-hand combat on him. I thought maybe you were some kind of Kung Fu expert.”
Allan ran his hand over Jenny’s fingers. “She’s used one of those Army combat maneuvers on me a time or two.”
The clerk laughed. “You make a cute couple.” Then she said to Jenny, “You and your girlfriend were moaning about not having a boyfriend in the world. After you knocked that guy for a loop, I figured guys had to be pretty decent with you, or you’d show ‘em a thing or two.”
Allan perked up at the mention of them not having any boyfriends. He motioned to Dale. “Can you take Jenny next door and buy her some candy?”
Jenny hesitated to leave the lingerie shop as Dale nudged her to the exit. Finally, she walked out with him, her step reluctant and a frown visited her brow.
Allan paid for the lingerie. “Miss, Jenny and I are newlyweds, but she’s had a memory loss and doesn’t remember a whole lot about what happened when she was here before.”
“Ah, that explains it. The police were all over the place. Most excitement we’ve ever had. I’ve never seen a woman take out a big guy like that, six feet tall, if not taller.”
“You say she didn’t have a boyfriend?”
“Nah. She and her girlfriend were talking about how all guys were worthless bums. They wondered why buy pretty negligees when they had no one to show them off to.”
“So the ladies weren’t seeing any men while they were here?”
“Not the way they were talking. I overheard your wife say she’d been dumped by her fiancé. I don’t know about her friend. They told the police they were staying at Lake Swanzee, but there were no guys with them, nor were any waiting for them outside the store.” She packaged the nightie. Then she slipped a sponge and container of floral body wash. “I wanted to do something to thank her, but after the police questioned her, the la
dies quickly left. I had to watch the store so I couldn’t run after them. Tell her thanks for me, will you?”
“You bet.”
Allan walked to the candy shop where the clerk was slicing a pound of chocolate fudge.
“Glad you got here in time to pay for it.” Dale raised his brows in question.
Allan shook his head. They’d known each other so long, nonverbal cues sufficed when they needed to communicate silently in public. Allan paid for the fudge, then slipped his arm through Jenny’s and escorted her to the steakhouse.
“Do you remember anything about the incident at the lingerie shop?” Allan asked Jenny.
“Some. I do remember hearing the man tell the clerk to give him everything in her cash register. I vaguely recall knocking him on his back. He had a gun and I remember kicking it out of his hand, then knocking him out when he tried to go for it.”
“Good thing you only just knocked me down.”
She leaned against him. “You were going to have Dale give me a sedative, remember?”
He chuckled. “We’ve kind of had a rocky start to our relationship. Don’t you think?”
“But it can only get better.”
He considered the package that held her new nightie. “I’ll say.”
“So what did you and the clerk say about me in private?”
“Nothing much except you and Roxie were discussing what bums men were. The clerk gave you some body wash and a sponge in gratitude for your stopping the robbery.”
“Hmm, I wonder if it has any special aphrodisiac qualities.”
He didn’t need any aphrodisiacs to get him all worked up over Jenny. But thoughts of running that sponge all over her soft curves got him thinking of how he was going to get her into the shower later on that night.
When they entered the restaurant, Jenny stopped dead in her tracks. “I remember this place. We came here after the attempted robbery. We went to the movies afterward.”
“Okay, great.” Allan felt elated to hear her finally recall something that vividly, and the smile on her face cheered him to think she was finally pleased with the memories that were dribbling back.
