Memory Reload

by Rosemary Heim

  “What’s he talking about?” Kimo asked as they retreated to the cool dimness of the back room.

  AJ looked from one man to the other then dragged three high stools from the storage room and arranged them around the work island. Ryan eased onto one. Kimo took the stool across from him. She pulled bottles of water from a small refrigerator and placed one in front of each of them.

  The plastic seal on her bottle cracked open, sounding loud in the silence. Pacing the width of the lab, she sipped water and avoided looking at either of them.

  “Alex?” Kimo prompted her when she failed to start her explanation.

  Ryan nudged the third stool with the toe of his Top-Sider. She accepted his silent invitation to sit and settled on the edge of the stool. His hand closed over hers, stilling her fingers before she completely shredded the water-bottle label. “Would you like me to tell him?”

  Kimo was bristling with protectiveness. He deserved the truth. It would be better coming from her, but Ryan would do his best if she wasn’t up to it.

  The tightness around her mouth gave a hint of how much she wanted to have this conversation. Ryan couldn’t blame her. How could she explain with any sort of logic what she didn’t know, who she didn’t know and why she didn’t know any it.

  She shook her head, took another swallow of water and began. “I seem to be in something of a fix, Uncle. And I seem to have dragged you into it. I am truly sorry.”

  Kimo waved off her apology. “Don’t worry about that. Tell me what’s happened and why this one is with you, and not David.”

  She did her best to explain what little she knew, beginning with waking up the previous morning with no memory. She told how Ryan had found her. Why they’d pretended not to know each other when she’d dropped off the film. Who they’d followed after leaving.

  Ryan watched and listened. Kimo reacted much as one might expect upon hearing such a story. Ryan wanted to believe it was because everything AJ said was true, Kimo wasn’t involved in any way and there was no setup against either of them.

  “I’m so sorry I endangered you.” She brushed her hand over Kimo’s where it lay on the tabletop. “If I’d had any idea someone was after my film, I never would have brought it to you.”

  Kimo patted her hand. “You did the right thing—you trusted your instincts when they told you to come here. But you haven’t explained who he is and why he has a gun.”

  Kimo fixed his dark-eyed gaze on Ryan.

  Ryan shifted on his stool, grimacing as sore muscles protested the movement. He pulled his ID wallet out of his back pocket, opened it and laid it on the table in front of Kimo. “FBI. I’m between assignments at the moment. What I told you yesterday about staying with a friend on the north shore is the truth.”

  Kimo examined the ID with admirable thoroughness, even pulling it out of the case and checking for signs of tampering. He put it back in the case and slid it across the table to Ryan.

  He didn’t try to return the case to his pants pocket. Instead, he slipped it into his shirt pocket. “If AJ was going to be found by someone who didn’t know her, I’m probably the best person.”

  “What about David?” Kimo looked at AJ.

  She closed her eyes and massaged her temples. “Who is David?”

  Kimo stared at her for a moment. “David Angelini. You have no memory of him?”

  AJ shook her head.

  “And Justin?”

  Again she shook her head, never opening her eyes. “Every time I hear their names, I just feel…sad.”

  Kimo looked at Ryan. “How could this happen?”

  “We don’t know. We may never know, unless she recovers some of her memories. Some things have come back to her. That’s how we found you yesterday. There’s a chance she’ll remember more as we find more familiar surroundings.”

  “Like her home?” Kimo asked.

  AJ’s head snapped up. “Yes! Please, Kimo, tell me where I live. I need to know at least that much about myself.”

  Kimo gave them an address in a middle-class area not far from the lab. “That’s where you’ve lived ever since the brothers brought you back.”

  AJ opened her mouth, but Kimo waved her question away before she could ask it. “There are details only David can tell you. I don’t know them. But I’m thinking, if you never remember that time…maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”

  There it was again, the reference to AJ needing rescuing. Ryan resented not being the rescuer. Curiosity and jealousy took turns poking at his conscience. The Angelinis, whatever else they were to AJ, had been the ones to rescue her.

  Ryan walked across the room, as much to get away from the unwanted emotions stirred by AJ’s situation as to loosen his stiffening muscles. The large processing machine drew his attention. “We were hoping the film we brought in might give us some more clues.”

  He checked his watch then verified the time with the wall clock. More than an hour had elapsed since the confrontation with Drano. Pointing at the wire basket hanging from the end of the machine he asked, “The processed film comes out here?”

  Kimo nodded. “Yes. If there were any film in the machine to be processed.”

  “Perhaps you better spell it out for me. You told ole Drano-voice that AJ’s film would be coming out in twenty-five minutes. It’s looking to be about forty minutes late. You said there were other rolls in the machine, too. I’m not seeing anything. Did the machine malfunction?”

  “Yes.”

  Chapter Eight

  “No.” AJ’s whispered cry cut to Ryan’s soul. There was no mistaking the pain in her voice. The anguish revealed how much she’d been hoping to see the film. He couldn’t blame her, he was mighty curious himself to see what she’d taken pictures of.

  Kimo took both of her hands in his. “Not with your film in it. Alex, look at me.” He waited for her tear-filled eyes to focus on him. “I never run your film through the processor. You know that. I was going to develop your film last night, but the machine broke down. So instead of processing your film, I had to work on the machine. I finally got it running this morning. I haven’t even had time to run a test strip. If you want, I can run your film as soon as I know the processor is running properly again.”

  He looked from Alex to Ryan. “To be honest, I’d feel much better if we still ran it by hand. But I won’t be able to do that until this evening.”

  Ryan nodded in agreement. “I think you’re right. Do it by hand. We can get it tomorrow.”

  AJ pulled her hands free of Kimo’s hold and commenced pacing again. “No. We need to see what’s on that film today. I can’t wait. I need to know….”

  Ryan crossed the room and gathered her into his arms. “I know, baby. I know.” He pressed a kiss to AJ’s soft hair. When he looked up, Kimo’s knowing expression had him grinding his teeth. Let the Hawaiian think what he would. He was wrong. Ryan was being nothing more than considerate of AJ’s needs. Right now she needed to be comforted.

  He loosened his hold and forced her chin up so he could look in her eyes. “We’ve got plenty of ground to cover now that we have your address. Maybe we can even track down David.”

  That last bit left a sour taste in his mouth. The last thing he wanted to do was turn her over to another man. A man who, by all indications, held great importance in AJ’s life. Ryan forced himself to continue. “The film can wait a little longer. I’d rather know Kimo is doing it by hand and we’re safe from mechanical breakdowns.”

  Small tremors racked her body. He rubbed his hands up and down her back. If he thought it would do any good, he’d suggest that she stay at the lab and process the film herself.

  The idea had some merit. He wasn’t sure how many more shocks she could endure. The idea of taking her to an unknown location without some assurance that she wouldn’t be hit with yet another disappointment sat like a mess of week-old grits in his belly. While she was busy in the lab, he could execute the initial recon of her home without having to keep an eye on her. Then
, whatever he found, he could prepare her.

  Besides, he worked best alone.

  On the other hand, there was also the chance that Drano might return to the lab with reinforcements. Ryan looked at Kimo. “If you have any more trouble—”

  “I don’t think he’d be so foolish and come back here. What he wanted was the film and he’s gonna figure you have that now. By this time tomorrow, you will.”

  Ryan nodded. Whoever was searching for AJ, he preferred to keep their attention focused in one direction. That would be the best protection for AJ’s friend.

  Ultimately, keeping AJ with him was her best protection, too. At least physically.

  When it came to the emotions, he was really concerned they’d both wind up getting hurt. His own pain he could deal with. He’d been doing that since he was knee-high. Where AJ was concerned, he might not be able to protect her from everything the world kept throwing at her, but he damn well refused to be the cause of any hurt.

  AJ PULLED HERSELF TOGETHER, second by second. Falling apart was a surefire way to end up in worse trouble. She might not remember the exact details of why she knew that, but the knowledge flared in sharp contrast to her curtained memory.

  Since leaving Kimo’s shop, Ryan hadn’t pressed her for any information or details she may have remembered. She appreciated the space he’d provided so she could begin to function as something resembling a sane person.

  Rather than focusing on everything she couldn’t remember, she needed to work from what she did know. Such as the fact that she wasn’t alone. She had Ryan on her side. And Kimo. Jamie. Three strong men who seemed to accept her without qualifications.

  That realization eased her fears enough that she could take stock of her surroundings and pay attention to what lay ahead—her home.

  The neighborhood changed in subtle ways as they neared the address Kimo had given them. The houses were smaller, older, with more yard and taller trees. She searched for something she could identify with a bit more certainty than a vague sense of familiarity, but nothing stood out.

  Ryan pulled to the curb. The hope she’d been tending so carefully began to deflate. She turned to Ryan. “This isn’t right. It can’t be.”

  “It’s not.” He lifted one hand as though he was going to touch her, then stopped himself. He curled his long, lean fingers into a tight fist and pulled back a bit farther. “We’re still a couple blocks away. Considering what we ran into at the lab, caution seems like a good idea.”

  She nodded. “What do you want to do?”

  “Take you back to the estate.” He raised a hand before she drew a breath to protest. “You asked what I wanted to do. But that’s not going to work. So, we’re going to drive these last couple blocks in red-alert mode. We’re both going to watch for cars that look like they don’t belong. Cars like the ones we saw outside the lab.”

  She nodded. “Then what?”

  “Then, if there’s an alley, we’re going to drive down that. Once we’ve covered all the approaches, and I’m reasonably sure we’ve ID’d any possible stakeouts, we’re going to park around the corner and talk a bit more.”

  AJ wanted to protest the caution, but the bruise darkening along Ryan’s jaw kept her silent.

  They followed the plan exactly as Ryan outlined it. The height of the Explorer gave them the added advantage of being able to look down into some of the vehicles parked along the street. None were nondescript sedans with stuffed animals on the dash and no child seat in the back. Everything looked clear.

  The alley was narrow with garbage cans lined up like neat little pillars at the end of each driveway. Everything appeared as it should.

  They left the alley and Ryan pulled to the curb a block away. She clung to the camera bag to keep herself from opening the door and leaping out. She’d spotted the house number, her house number, painted on the driveway. The only thing she wanted to do now was run back down the alley, caution be damned.

  Ryan’s hand closed over hers. She clung to it like a life preserver.

  “Everything looked clear. We’re going to walk back down the alley. When we get to the house, I want you to stay behind me.” He gave her hand a soft squeeze. “Ready?”

  The simple question ignited a firestorm of emotions, most prominently fear. What if she didn’t recognize anything?

  She fought off the doubts and nodded. As they walked down the alley, her hand brushed Ryan’s. He slipped his over hers, cradling her fingers in a gentle embrace. He also kept his right hand on the pistol tucked against his back.

  They crossed the driveway and continued on into the yard. She pretended this was exactly how she always came home.

  The lawn needed mowing and a few weeds mingled with the flowers. Nothing about the yard seemed extraordinary. She searched the house for something that would trigger a memory but the black curtain still held the details swathed in darkness.

  Then she heard it.

  A small cry.

  Ryan heard it, too. He pulled her behind him, released her hand and drew his gun, all in one smooth motion. They stood still, silent, waiting.

  The wisp of noise came again, sounding suspiciously like a cat’s meow.

  A memory sneaked out from beneath the curtain. AJ almost shouted with joy. She stepped around Ryan. He tried to stop her, but she avoided his outstretched hand and headed for the house.

  “Ansel. Where are you, sweetie?” She crouched to look beneath the lanai and called again. “Ansel, come on out.”

  She sat on the ground and waited. From the corner of her eye, she could see Ryan inching his way around her. She waved him off and he froze. She called again. “Ansel. Come out from under there.”

  A small black, white and gray bundle of fur ran out from beneath the deck and leaped into her lap. She scooped up the young cat and nuzzled the soft fur. Laughter and tears mingled. “I remember you,” she whispered. “I remember. What are you doing out here?”

  She stood, cradling Ansel in her arms like a tiny baby, tickling his tummy. For the first time in two days the hope that her life would return to normal seemed attainable. She turned to Ryan. “He must have slipped out when David came home.”

  Ryan caught his breath. AJ’s eyes glowed with happiness. The smile lifting her lips was nothing short of angelic, the elusive dimple in full view. Want for a taste of that kind of joy tightened a knot in his belly.

  “Maybe David’s still here.” She turned and headed for the back door. “He’s probably going crazy, wondering where I am.”

  Ryan followed her, all his senses on alert. He scanned the yard and what he could see of the neighboring houses. As much as he’d like to believe Angelini was inside, all the evidence indicated otherwise.

  This was the only house without a garbage can sitting at the end of the drive. None of the windows in the house appeared to be open. No lights shone. The house had a decidedly empty look from the outside. If anyone was in there, they were keeping real quiet about it.

  He watched as AJ tried the door. Hope that she wouldn’t be disappointed, that he was wrong and she would find David home ran up against the desire to keep her to himself, just for a little while longer.

  The door didn’t budge. She knocked and stepped back, peering through the closest windows as she worried the triple bands over her knuckle. When there was no sign of movement from inside, she knocked again, a little louder, a little longer.

  The desperate tattoo echoed in his chest, calling up an image he’d relegated to the farthest reaches of his memory a long time ago. A dull ache took up residence in the vicinity of his heart.

  She looked at him, the pleasure in her expression fading. “He must have gone out again.”

  “AJ.” There were no right words for him to say, nothing that could ease the disappointment. It was too late anyway.

  She brushed past him and he followed. She shifted the cat to her shoulder. The animal was purring loud enough for Ryan to hear it three feet away.

  He’d never had a pet when
he was a child. There’d been dogs and cats in the homes he’d stayed in. But he’d moved too often to risk getting attached to any of them. The entire concept was foreign to him. He watched AJ smooth a hand over the cat’s fur, and his fingers itched to share the contact, to feel that connection to another living creature that accepted without question.

  AJ pointed to a small, colorful glass globe hanging from a low branch of one of the trees. “There’s a key in there. Could you get it, please? I kinda have my hands full.”

  Ryan reached over her head, tipped the globe and a key tumbled into his outstretched palm.

  “Be sure to put the stick back in the doorway.”

  He stared at her. She’d changed in the few minutes they’d been in the backyard of the house. Some of the tension had left her expression and the dimple reappeared every time Ansel the cat gave her a lick with his little pink tongue. Even knowing she would be entering an empty house, she was home and she clung to that joy with a nearly palpable determination.

  She picked up the stick that had fallen to the ground when he retrieved the key. “It’s a fairy house. You need to put a stick in the doorway so they have something to sit on.”

  She balanced the stick in the opening, then headed for the back door. She would have pushed into the house without hesitation except he still held the key. And his gun.

  “AJ.”

  She stopped.

  He walked around her and slid the key into the lock. “Is there any kind of alarm system?” He turned to her, waiting for her answer. She chewed on her lower lip. Her hair rippled as she shook her head.

  “Please.” Her plea was nearly drowned out by Ansel’s contented purr. When she finally looked up at him, his heart nearly broke for her. He recognized the look in her eyes. Not from the outside, but from the inside. It was the emotion he’d felt after his mother left him with the first of many relatives. He’d been six.

  All she wanted was to be in her own home.

  He should make her wait outside while he searched the house, but he couldn’t do that to her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and swallowed around the growing ache in his chest. “Let me go first. Stay behind me. Okay?”