by Edna Curry
“What happened to you? Is that the remnants of bruises on your face?”
Lucy’s hand flew to her cheek. “It’s almost gone now. Yes, I had a small accident. I was hit by a car in St. Paul a few weeks ago.” Why was she telling that to this man? He seemed so caring and sympathetic, but what if he wasn’t? What if he was the man who’d been following them the other night? Or the one who’d searched her apartment and left the threatening email?
“Were you hurt bad? Did you go to a doctor?” He frowned at her.
“Yes, I spent several days in Regions Hospital. I’m okay now.” Well, mostly. He didn’t need to know about her memory loss.
“Really? Lucy, how can you be okay if you don’t know me?”
She had no answer and merely stared at him. Another family came in and took one of her tables. She rose, saying, “I really must get back to work, sir.”
***
He watched her leave, then sighed, ate his pie, paid for his order and left. Back in his car, he pulled out his phone and called his brother. “I found her, Tom. She seems to be fine, but she doesn’t know me.”
“Thank God she’s okay. Betty and I have been on pins and needles. Lucy always carried her phone before. What do you mean, she doesn’t know you? She’s known you all her life.”
“Just what I said. She said she’d never seen me before today. Treated me like a lecherous old man. Thought I was giving her a pick-up line. She must have a memory loss of some kind. She’s working in a restaurant in Mankato. She seems okay now, but has bad bruises that have almost healed. She told me she was hit by a car in St. Paul and spent several days in Regions.”
“Oh, my God. And no one called us?”
“Well, if she doesn’t know her own name, how could she call us?”
“Well, damn it, our names should have been in her phone and address book. Somebody could have checked those, couldn’t they?”
“I don’t know what’s going on, Tom. I’m going to drive up to the hospital now to see what I can find out.”
“Good. Remember that our cousin Jeanine works there in accounting. Talk to her. Maybe she can find out something more than they’ll tell you otherwise.”
“Good idea. Damned privacy laws.”
“Yeah. Not what will help us right now. We’d better be on the next flight home.”
“No, don’t cut off your trip, yet. Give me a couple of days to see what I can find out, okay?”
“Well, okay, but I don’t know if I can convince Betty to do that. Talk to the police, too. There should be an accident report. I’ll call Rob and Rick. Maybe one of them can get off work long enough to go see her. She might recognize them easier than you. Call me when you find out more.”
“Will do. Say hi to Betty for me.”
***
Roscoe was on his fourth or fifth beer, lounging on a beach chair in the Bahamas. He watched his latest blonde conquest swim laps in the hotel pool. She didn’t like the ocean, claimed it was too dirty, and might have a shark in it, so they’d stayed by the hotel pool. That suited him fine, since it was closer to the bar, anyway.
Now he answered his ringing phone, trying not to slur his words.
“Yeah, Buddy. What’s up?”
“Bad news. Lucy’s uncle Dirk found her. I’m following him now. Looks like he’s headed for the twin cities. What do you want me to do?”
“Can’t you stop him by causing an accident before he gets there?”
“Too risky, Roscoe. Besides, if he’s found her, he’s sure to have talked to the rest of the family, you know? Probably her parents or her brothers sent him to look for her. Why else would he be here? Too many loose ends that way. You know I can’t guarantee success with that kind of deal. Besides, I don’t like this.”
“Are you chickening out on me?”
“Yeah. Why don’t you do your own dirty work for a change? Too good for real work?”
“Go to hell. Can you just keep me informed for the next day or so anyway? I’ll take the next plane home and buy her off, then, like my dad wanted. Satisfied, now?”
“Yeah,” Buddy said, his voice relieved. “That’s a much less risky solution. I’ll do that much, then I’m out of here. I’m not going to jail for you, you jackass.”
“Okay. Okay. Just let me know if she sees him again and what’s going on.”
He stumbled to his feet and waved to the blonde. When she climbed out of the pool and came over to him, he said, “I’ve got to go back to the States, babe. Sorry about that.”
“Oh, the States. I’ve never been there. Can’t I go with you?” She draped herself over him giving him little kisses.
“Hey, watch it, you’re all wet. No, you can’t go with me. I got some business to take care of. Our room here is paid for the next week. You just enjoy the sun. I’ll be back soon.”
She pouted prettily and sent him air kisses. “All right. You got my number, haven’t you?”
“You bet. See you soon.”
***
Harry Mattison’s phone rang just as he climbed into his car to go to another ribbon cutting. He needed to take advantage of every chance to speak or get his picture in the paper. Keeping his name on TV as often as possible was his ticket to winning the election.
“Mattison here,” he said as the driver started off. He closed the car’s divider for privacy when he saw it was his detective calling and lowered his voice. “What’s up?”
“Lucy’s uncle, Dirk Denton, showed up at the restaurant where she works and has been talking to her,” he said. “So I’m thinking the game’s up, boss.”
“Damn. How’d he find her?”
The detective laughed. “Probably the same way I did, with her social security or credit card numbers. If I can do it, don’t you think a hot-shot lawyer can?”
“Yeah, I guess. Well, keep tabs on them.”
“I’ve already put a tracer on the uncle’s car. I can follow them at a good distance that way so they won’t know I’m there.”
“Good thinking. Just make sure they don’t go to the newspapers or the cops to press charges against Roscoe. If they do, you’ll have to take care of them.”
“Are you sure it’s worth going that far, boss? That’s a pretty big risk, just to avoid bad publicity that maybe no one will pay attention to.”
“The media would have a field day and you know it. I can’t let that happen. I’ve come this far. I’m not going to let what that brat does screw up my election. But make sure it looks like an accident, you hear? And then get lost for a while. You can use an overseas vacation anyway, right?”
“Sure, boss. As long as I have enough money.”
“Don’t worry. I can handle that part.”
The detective hung up, muttering, “Sure, as long as I do all the dirty work and take all the risk.”
***
That evening, Dirk called Tom again. “I’ve got more news. The police talked to Lucy in the hospital and just put her down as lying to them. They have the accident down as an unknown hit and run. Nobody admits to seeing anything, but a passerby called 9-1-1 and stayed with her until the ambulance came. All they found with her was her purse. No luggage or phone or laptop.”
“That’s odd. Lucy never went anywhere without her smartphone. And she carried her laptop most of the time, too.”
“I know. Probably someone grabbed them before the ambulance got there. But the address on her driver’s license was the old one for the apartment she used to live in before she took that job at IBM. She must not have changed her address on it.”
“That’s not like Lucy. She was always on top of things like that. And where’s her car? Was it damaged?”
“I don’t know. She was walking, they said, just crossing the street.”
“Well, see if her car was parked nearby. Maybe they towed it or something.”
“I’ll check on that.”
“Was that boyfriend, Roscoe, with her? Did you talk to him?”
“No sign of him. Anyway, the
cop wrote that she was playing a game with him. Claiming to have parents in North Mankato and that it was 1955. The people whose names she gave them were real people, except they died a long time ago.”
“How odd. Wonder how she got the names of real dead people.”
“Are you kidding me, Tom? Lucy knows the internet up and down. She could easily have found what she wanted.”
“But why would she do that? It makes no sense. You said she didn’t have her smartphone or laptop. This is just crazy. When and why would she have looked this stuff up and memorized it all? What’s the point? Who paid for the hospital bill?”
“She did have a valid insurance card, so that’s taken care of. The rest…yeah, I know. None of it makes any sense. And that’s why the cop wrote her off as a nut case.”
“Damn. So they aren’t trying to find the driver of the hit and run car?”
“Doesn’t sound like it. I gather the case is still open, just not high priority. Her doctor wouldn’t speak to me, quoting privacy laws, but I talked to Jeanine. She said Lucy’s record at Regions says she has a concussion and amnesia and that it should clear up after a while. So maybe she really doesn’t remember me.”
“Hm. I’ve heard sometimes it works to take an amnesia victim to a familiar place to help them remember. Could you try that before I try to explain this to Betty? Otherwise, we’ll have to cut this trip short and fly home. We have to know Lucy’s all right.”
“I’ll do my best, Tom. But right now, Lucy considers me a lech who’s coming on to her. She wouldn’t go anywhere with me.”
“Does she have a trusted friend? Maybe if you ask her to bring a friend along, too, she’ll do it. Show her the pool where she loved to swim and her old room. You have your key to our house, right? You’re still checking it for us?”
“Yes, of course. Everything’s fine at your house. I was there the other night. Your housekeeper and gardener are keeping everything in good shape, as usual.”
“Good. So, take her and her friend there. Get her to stay for a day or two. Marla will be happy to cook a meal for you. See if that helps Lucy remember living there, okay?”
“Okay, I’ll try. But I’m not guaranteeing anything.”
“Try your best, Dirk, please? And call Mattison. See if he knows where his son is.”
“I tried that. Had to go through his campaign manager. He claims Lucy and Roscoe broke up and Roscoe is still in the Bahamas.”
“Oh, that’s good news. Betty will be happy to hear it. And I’ll try to reassure her that Lucy’s okay, so we can do at least the next couple of legs of this trip.”
But when he told Betty, she wouldn’t hear of going on. “No, no, Tom. First, we fly home and see Lucy for ourselves,” she told him. “Then, if everything is okay, we can fly back to wherever the group is and finish the tour. Just get us on the next flight and don’t argue with me.”
Relieved at her decision and knowing that was best, he punched in the number for the tour guide. “Okay, honey, get packed. I’ll make the arrangements.”
She smiled, gave him a quick kiss and went to get their suitcases, saying over her shoulder, “I’ll warn Marla we’re coming home and we may have guests for a couple days.”
***
Two days later, Lucy again saw Dirk come into Hometown Restaurant. Her heart sped up. He was back! She hadn’t been able to get the man and what he’d said out of her mind. What if he was telling the truth? What if he could give her the answers she needed? Dare she trust him? With a sigh, she filled a coffee pot and went to wait on him.
She poured him a cup of coffee and took his order. As she turned to go to the kitchen to place it for him, he stopped her with a hand on her arm.
“Lucy, please, I need to talk to you again.”
She pulled away, frowning at him. “I told you, I don’t know you. And you’re way too old for me. Why don’t you look for a woman your own age?”
He shook his head. “I’m not coming on to you. I’m a respectable lawyer. You’re my niece. If you have amnesia, I’d like to try to help you recover by taking you to a home you may remember, okay?”
Lucy laughed. “No. I know better than to get in a car with a strange man.”
“Do you have a friend you trust? Would you ask her or him to go with us?”
She stared at him. He looked so earnest and sincere. Dare she try that? What if he was telling the truth? Would she remember her past if he took her somewhere she used to live? She swallowed hard. “I’ll put in your order, sir.”
“Please, think about it. It’s in Edina. We could be there in a couple of hours. Wouldn’t you like to get your memory back? Doing this may help.”
She shrugged and hurried away to the kitchen.
As she waited on several other tables, she kept an eye on Dirk. He patiently read a newspaper and sipped his coffee. She took a break and pulled out her phone. She called Dave and told him about the man.
“You know that man, Dirk, that I told you about last night?”
“The one who said he was your uncle?”
“Yes. He’s in here again. Somehow, he knows that I have amnesia and wants to take me to a house he thinks I’ll remember.”
“Lucy, what if he’s telling the truth? What if he really can help you find your current family and the life you had before that accident?”
“I know, Dave. But I’m scared. He wants me to go with him to Edina. He offered to have me bring a friend I trust, too.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound like he’s planning to run off with you, does it?”
“Don’t joke, Dave. This is serious.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
She hesitated, then asked timidly, “Would you go with us?”
“Sure. I can be there in an hour or so. I just have one more patient today. You get off at three, don’t you?”
Relief ran through Lucy. “Yes, I do. Good. I’ll tell him I’ll go if you can come with me.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Thanks so much, Dave.”
Lucy hung up and took Dirk his order. “All right, I’ll go with you if my friend Dave can come with us.”
“Wonderful. When can you go?”
“He’ll be here in about an hour. That’s when my shift ends.”
“Perfect. I’ll wait right here.”
***
Dave called Georgia to tell her what was happening. He explained what Lucy had told him and added, “What do you think, Georgia? Is this a good idea or not?”
“I have no idea, Dave. I’ve never had a case like this before. All you can do is be there for her, however she reacts to this home. Just love and support her, she may be very upset, whatever she learns about her former life. I’m glad someone in her family has finally appeared. I was worried that she was all alone in the world.”
“All right, sis. Thanks for your help.”
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. But she says she can’t commit, not knowing about her life before. Maybe this will answer some questions for her. If he’s really her uncle, he should know all about her, good or bad.”
“Just be there for her, Dave, either way. Okay?”
“You know it, sis.”
***
Less than an hour later, Dave walked into the café, looking for Lucy. He spotted her near the kitchen, talking to Sally and walked toward them.
Lucy glanced up and smiled at him, waving him over to her. “I just have to change out of my uniform and I’ll be ready to go.”
Dave eyed her carefully. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Lucy’s lip trembled. “I have to know, Dave. Whatever I learn. Do you understand?”
“Of course, sweetheart. I’ll be right beside you, okay?”
She nodded. “Dirk is over there. Come and I’ll introduce you.”
They walked over to where Dirk was sitting, watching them curiously. “Dave, this is Dirk. Dirk, Dave is my good friend.”
They shook ha
nds, both men sizing each other up with wary looks.
Lucy frowned at them. “Behave. You can sit and visit a bit while I change.” She headed back to the break room’s bathroom to change.
Dave stayed on his feet, watchful. “First, show me your ID.”
Dirk sighed and pulled out his billfold, opening it to his Minnesota Driver’s license.
Looking carefully at the photo and reading the accompanying statistics, Dave nodded. They matched the man standing in front of him. “Okay, sorry to be careful, but a lot of odd things have been going on lately.” He sat.
“I appreciate that you care about Lucy and want to protect her.” Dirk sat, too, his brown gaze running over Dave’s red hair and tall, muscular body. “So, how did you meet Lucy?”
“We happened to be sitting next to each other on the bus coming back to Mankato from Minneapolis.”
Dirk stared at him. “A likely story. Lucy hasn’t taken the bus in years. She drives a red convertible Corvette.”
Dave laughed. “A Corvette? Are we talking about the same girl? Lucy doesn’t even drive, let alone a fancy sports car. Does her job here look like she can afford that?”
Dirk sat up straighter and snapped, “Her family is not poor. Nor is Lucy, for that matter. Her dad bought the car for her for a college graduation present. Besides, she’s a computer specialist. Her job at IBM did not pay peanuts. I have no idea why she’s working here, but I intend to find out what’s going on.”
Dave bristled at the insinuation that his mother was taking advantage of Lucy. “No one forced her to take this job. She asked my mother for it and she’s a good waitress. But she does have some memory loss. Maybe you can help her with that?”
“I will definitely try. Her parents are going to be very upset when they hear what’s going on.”
“My parents are dead,” Lucy said, overhearing Dirk as she returned, now wearing a yellow silk blouse and brown slacks. Her lips trembled with grief she was trying to hide and she brushed away tears.
Dirk stood and reached for her. “Oh, honey, they’re not dead, they’re fine. Right now they’re on a world cruise. They were supposed to fly over the volcano on Hawaii’s big Island today.”
Lucy stepped back, refusing to allow Dirk to hug her. “Don’t lie to me. I saw their graves. I read their obituaries in the Mankato Free Press.”
