REMEMBER ME (Secrets of Spirit Creek Book 1)

by Linda Style

  She let out a soft snort of laughter. “I didn’t notice, either.”

  He felt her gaze following him as he hobbled out the door.

  “Linc…”

  He stopped. Turned.

  “Thank you.” She smiled sleepily. “I’m grateful.”

  “Well, if anyone understands nightmares, it’s me. And now, I’m going to shower and make breakfast. Are you hungry?”

  “I’m starving. And I’ll make the coffee before I shower.”

  He raised a brow at her. Her way of saying the coffee he’d made yesterday sucked. He didn’t disagree. “Great.”

  Once he made it to his room, Linc went over to the laptop to turn it off, and as he did, he saw a new message. He didn’t recognize the e-mail address, but why would he? He didn’t know anyone who’d email him, and the few people he’d emailed asking for information would have a subject line he recognized.

  He reached over and hit the open key.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “LINC,” TORI CALLED OUT, then headed for Linc’s bedroom. It didn’t take a man more than ten minutes to shower and it had been over half an hour. She’d made coffee and showered already.

  At the partly open bedroom door, she rapped lightly. “Linc, the coffee’s been done for a while now. Are you okay?” She pushed the door open a little farther to peer inside.

  Linc was still in his shorts and sitting at the table with the laptop open.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll be right there.” He hit a few keys and quickly shut the laptop. “I was finishing some messages I started writing earlier and time got away from me.”

  Tori frowned. He seemed hesitant, as if something had happened. Had he learned something he didn’t want to mention? Remembered something? Something related to her? “I would’ve made breakfast if you’d said something.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll be there in five. Okay?” He gave her one of those raised-eyebrow little-boy looks, then braced himself on the table and stood. Gathering the crutches, he headed for the bathroom. “Five minutes…and I’ll be there to make you the best breakfast you’ve ever eaten.” He turned and flashed a bright white smile.

  His smile was contagious and she couldn’t help smiling back. “Okay,” she said, and started to leave. “I’m holding you to it.”

  She went back to the kitchen, flipped on the television to catch the news, then, at the counter, poured herself another cup of coffee. An image of Linc in his boxer shorts popped into her head. She hadn’t seen a lot of men without clothes, other than in magazines, and it had taken a long time for her to come to grips with her sexuality after the attack, and having real, so-called ‘normal’ feelings right now was a step she needed to embrace. Linc had a sexy body and she was definitely attracted. There was nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with fantasizing, remembering how soft his lips were when he’d kissed her…

  A ringing sound snapped her alert. The telephone on the other end of the counter. Odd. Her landline almost never rang. Anyone she knew would call her cell. She moved over to see the caller ID. Her mother’s home number. Even more odd. Her parents should still be in Paris. She picked up the phone. Maybe it was Gordon checking their place and he was calling from there.

  “Hello?”

  “Is this Victoria Culhaine?”

  A man’s voice, but not Gordon’s. And no one she knew would call her by her given name? “Who is this?”

  “This is Lee Wong. Mr. and Mrs. Culhaine’s gardener. I found the door open and thought I should tell someone. I found your number in the address book.”

  A sense of relief washed over her. Lee Wong had been her parents’ gardener for years. She’d known him since she was a kid. “Mr. Wong, are you saying someone broke into the house?”

  “I don’t see anything out of place, but I don’t come inside much. You might want to come and make sure nothing is missing.”

  “What about the alarm? How could the door could be open without the alarm going off?” She was sure she’d activated the security system before she and Linc left. And for sure she’d closed and locked the door.

  Linc came into the kitchen and she waved at him, pointing to her cell phone. “I’m going to call the police, Mr. Wong. Will you be there for a while?”

  “I haven’t finished my work in the yard yet.”

  “Okay. I’ll let them know you’ll be there.”

  She hung up and took the cell from Linc. “Someone burglarized my parents’ home,” she blurted as she punched in 911. “I’ll be just a minute, but don’t bother making break—”

  He raised a hand. “I’m making breakfast. Do what you need to do.”

  When someone answered, she stepped out the sliding doors and onto the patio and glanced for Bruno and Cleo. “Hello,” she said, hearing a click.

  Because her house in Spirit Creek was on a slight hill, she could see the entire yard on one side and was able to see the dogs most of the time. When the dispatcher answered, she relayed what Mr. Wong had told her, and then answered the woman’s questions. As they talked, she stood at the edge of the patio where the pool began and scanned the yard. The dogs were lying under the ponderosa pines that shaded the outbuilding where she kept the pool and gardening supplies. Quint had fixed the gate and there was no way to know how it got broken in the first place. “Someone needs to get over there right away,” she said.

  “The police are on their way now, ma’am. And since the owners are gone, I suggest you or someone else be there to answer questions.”

  “I live out of town, but I’ll see if I can have someone else go to help Mr. Wong. I’ll call you back.”

  “Fine. But you’ll need to call a different number,” the woman said and rattled it off. “Someone else will take the information.”

  After hanging up, she called Gordon, told him the whole story, and then asked him to go to her parents’ house. He agreed. “Thanks, Gordon. I’ll call and tell them you’re on your way.”

  “You sound really upset, Tori. Is there something else going on?”

  “I’m upset because—” she swallowed, pulled herself together “—because…if anything’s missing, it’s my fault. I must’ve forgotten to activate the alarm. And on top of that, I’m here and can’t do anything.”

  “Well, your parents keep most of their valuables in a safe-deposit box, so I doubt anything important is missing. And knowing you, you did not forget to activate the alarm. Professional thieves know how to get around security systems. Frankly, I’m glad you’re there. I feel better knowing you’re safe at home.”

  Safe. She was, but how safe would Gordon think she was if he knew Linc was there? Truth be told, she felt a lot safer with Linc there.

  As safe as she could feel under the circumstances.

  Back inside, Linc wanted to know everything about the phone call and she didn’t want to discuss it. Something had gone wrong at her place with the gate and lock, and now someone had broken into her parents’ home. Coincidence? Maybe, but she couldn’t help thinking the worst. In all the years she’d been here, nothing like this had happened…until Linc had come to stay with her.

  After wolfing down only a small portion of the vegetable and cheese omelet and guzzling a glass of juice, she picked up the dishes and carried them to the sink. “I’m going to be working on the mural at the café, so I’ll be gone for the day.”

  Linc looked at her, one eyebrow cocked, but before he could ask, she said, “I’m fine. Just call if you need anything.”

  “Anything?” He laughed. “By the time Mac is done with me, I’ll probably need a masseuse.”

  Linc’s PT, David McAllister, aka Mac, was ruggedly good-looking and an über-type-A personality. Tori got tired just watching him. Her friend Natalia had recommended the ex-navy SEAL who was part of Natalia’s Emergency Response Team in Iraq. Mac had been trained in E.R. techniques and after being injured had gone on to study physical therapy. According to Natalia, he never talked about his experience. But he knew his job and Linc had made incre
dible progress in the short time the two had been working together.

  Tori gave a hurried laugh, rinsed the dishes and stuffed them into the dishwasher. “I don’t envy you that.” Then she asked, “Do you mind if I leave the dogs here?”

  “I’d love it. They can keep me company until Mac gets here. Oh, what if someone calls while you’re gone?”

  Gordon had said he’d call after he talked to the police, but he’d use her cell phone number. “Don’t worry about it. Just let the machine take messages.”

  “That works for me.”

  “Okay. I’ve got to get my paint and supplies,” she said, then turned and headed for the garage to gather what she needed. She’d already ordered scaffolding and an extension ladder to be sent directly to The Cosmic Bean, so it was just the paint, and numerous brushes and rollers that she needed, and after loading them into the SUV, she went back to see if Linc needed anything from town.

  He was already at the laptop.

  “Need anything from town while I’m there?” she asked.

  “Nope. I’m good.” He kept his eyes on the screen. “Look at this,” he said, waving her over.

  Leaning down beside him, she saw a map of Los Angeles. “What’s that for?”

  “A lead on my father. I sent an e-mail yesterday to one of my father’s old landlords and he gave me a forwarding address for him.”

  “That’s…great.”

  “It’s old, so he’s probably not there. But I have other leads to work on, too. Most are ten years old, but the two most important are the one for the woman I was engaged to, and the one for my father. Both of them should be able to tell me some things about my past.”

  She straightened. “How…do you feel about that?”

  He pushed back the chair, let out a gush of air. “I don’t know. I really don’t. It’s hard to feel anything about something you don’t remember. I get excited, and then…” He rubbed his eyes and groaned as he closed the laptop. “I just can’t think too much about it because if I do, I get discouraged. I mean…no one has bothered to contact me. What’s up with that? Was I some kind of degenerate or…or what?”

  His eyes narrowed. “And thinking about the people responsible for what happened to me, I just want to punch something. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have lost ten years of my life—and I’d know who I am.” He clenched his hands.

  The people responsible. Tori looked away, cast her eyes down. “I’m so sorry you have to go through this…sorry you had to go through anything.”

  He shook his head, raised a hand. “No. Don’t do that. I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. I can’t change the past, but I can do something about the future.”

  The tightness in her chest eased. “I admire your ability to go forward. Do you have a plan?”

  “I do. I want the real criminal behind bars. I want to find the people who stole my life.”

  Tori froze.

  “Starting with the person who identified me.”

  Oh, God. Her pulse raced. “Because? It seems like a waste of time since―”

  “Because, after reading the scant information in the file my attorney gave me, and some old newspaper articles, it’s obvious the police arrested me and never looked at anyone else. If I talk to this…woman, I might get information the police never bothered to find out. This creep has been out there the whole time, and who knows how many other people’s lives he’s ruined.”

  The same thought that had plagued her twenty-four seven since she’d learned what she’d done. “And then?”

  “Then―” His voice softened. “―if I get anything, I’ll take the information to the police. Or the attorney general’s office…or to someone who can do something.” He took a breath. “Then, I can go on. I’d like to live the way I should have all these years.” He looked directly into her eyes. “Maybe get married. Have some kids.” A gentle smile tipped his lips. “Yeah…I think I’d like to do that.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “SO… HOW DOES THIS QUEST of his affect you?” Serena asked. She stood below Tori, who’d positioned herself on a scaffold between two ladders so she could paint the outline for the mural on the side of the Cosmic Bean.

  “You mean other than when he finds out who I am and hates my guts?”

  “Yeah, but you knew that was going to happen before you started all this.”

  Yes. She’d known. But she hadn’t anticipated getting emotionally involved. And she was involved…more than she could ever have imagined. She had feelings she never could have imagined. Lord. She didn’t even want to think about what it might mean. It had been so long since she’d felt anything, much less this…whatever it was. “I know, it’s just that I thought…” She stopped painting, lowered the brush to her side. “I just thought it would take longer, that he’d get better first, get a job and be self-sufficient. If he finds out before that, where would he go? What would he do?”

  “Maybe he’ll find someone else who’ll help him. A relative or something. What I don’t get is what he plans to do. Catch this pervert himself?”

  Serena had a way of cutting to the chase. “No. He wants to get information, and then take it to the police. I don’t doubt that he’ll do it. He’s determined. He’s that kind of guy. Certain of what he wants.”

  “You’re sounding like you like him.”

  Tori sighed, put down her brush. “He’s likable. What can I say.”

  “No, I mean really like.”

  Tori picked through the different-size brushes she used for large murals, chose the four-inch and started outlining the moon. Serena wanted a galaxy scene with the Sedona red rock landscape on the side of the old Victorian house. “Do you want the whole universe?” Tori asked. Her friend had always had a fascination with the energy vortexes in the Sedona area and thought the scene would be a great conversation piece. Maybe put the Bean on the tourist maps.

  Serena laughed, a teasing, almost gleeful laugh. “Oh, yeah. It’s true, isn’t it? You’re falling for the guy, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question, and she laughed again. “I knew it. I knew it.”

  Just then Natalia drove in, top down on her Mustang. “Hey, ladies. What’s up?”

  Serena looked at Tori, then said to Natalia, now standing alongside her, “Nothing.”

  Natalia, who spent most of her time in a helicopter flying search and rescue missions, gave her a cocked eye look. “Why don’t I believe you?”

  “Don’t look at me,” Serena said. “Tori’s the one who has issues.”

  “There are no issues except in Serena’s head,” Tori said, one hand on her hip and still on the scaffold above the other two.

  “So, does this non-issue involve the houseguest?”

  “This isn’t twenty questions.” Tori climbed down the ladder. “I need a little more input on the mural. And I need coffee. Hot, strong coffee.”

  “How about painting Sputnik in your mural?” Natalia suggested.

  “No Sputnik,” Serena answered.

  Natalia crossed her arms and studied the side of the house. “No? Why not?”

  “Because no one even knows what Sputnik is. And I want to keep it pure and simple. No man-made anythings.”

  “Like the universe is simple?” Natalia scoffed.

  “C’mon. I need a break.” Tori started for the door. Early afternoon, after the lunch bunch left, was a slow time at the café, so once inside, Serena got the espresso maker going and Tori took three fat latte cups from the shelf in the kitchen area.

  The restaurant portion of the home, formerly a living room and dining room, resembled a cross between a new-age shop and an old fern bar. Plants hung from copper chains in the corners on one side where some of Tori’s paintings were displayed. The furniture, an eclectic mixture of old wooden tables and chairs, some Formica sets from the fifties, and a Danish modern couch made up the seating. An alcove contained new age books and crystals and lots of information on the vortex sites around Sedona. On the left was an old soda fountain
with a mirrored wall and shelves with coffee cups instead of soda glasses. The crowning glory was the giant copper espresso machine behind the bar.

  “Double espresso for me,” Natalia said, “but keep the latte cup.” She wandered over to the wall where a couple of Tori’s paintings hung. “I should buy this one. I like the colors.”

  “My friends don’t buy my paintings. If you want it, you can have it.”

  “Not a chance. You could get a lot of money for these if you had them in a gallery in Sedona.”

  “Ex-cuse me!” Serena piped up from her position behind the counter where she was steaming milk. “Tori’s paintings get plenty of exposure here.”

  “But not the kind that appreciates fine art. Or wants to pay the big bucks.”

  “I’m having another showing at one of the galleries in Tlaquepaque next month, so they’ll get exposure then. In the meantime, this works just fine.”

  “So, let’s get back to the subject at hand,” Serena said. “Tori’s worried that Linc is going to find out who she is and hate her.”

  “Foregone conclusion. So, tell him now and be done with it.”

  Natalia was the only woman Tori knew who had a simple solution for everything

  “If it’s going to happen anyway, why prolong the agony?”

  Serena smiled as if Natalia had said what she’d been wanting to say all along.

  “I plan to tell him, but doing it now defeats the purpose. My whole reason for bringing him here is to help him recover. He has to be able to get around and find some kind of employment. Telling him now isn’t an option.”

  Natalia and Serena exchanged glances.

  “Besides, things have been going really well with Mac’s physical therapy, and Linc is getting better. It won’t be long.”

  Natalia pulled out a chair at a table by the window and dropped into it with a sigh. “So, what’s the problem?”

  Tori helped Serena fill the cups with espresso and then two of them with steamed milk. “The problem is that he thinks the police failed to check out anyone other than him. He wants to…to talk to people, including—” she took a long breath “—the person who identified him.”