Deadly Memories

by Mary Alford

Kyle returned to the car and pulled out the night-vision binoculars he’d stashed in his bag and focused them across the lake. There appeared to be four houses there. All but the one were dark. He homed in on the illuminated one and its surrounding area. The same car that had passed them earlier was parked outside. Duncan. The address would match the one Jase gave him. Still, an uneasy feeling settled into the pit of his stomach. He fought the instinct to rush back to the house, wake Ella and get out of there. With everything that happened in town and the realization that Alhasan was here in the same area, Jase was right. The odds were just too much to ignore.

  He zeroed in on the rooms that were lit. Several blinds were open. He could see the living and dining areas. Nothing inside stood out as the lair of a terrorist. Still, he didn’t like it.

  As an added precaution, Kyle pulled the car around to the back of the house as close to it as he dared. There was a small storage shed tucked in close to the tree line. Inside, he found an aluminum fishing boat and oars. Not the easiest way to cross, but if they had to, they could make it to the other side.

  He took the boat to the dock and tied it off, then he did a quick search around the home’s exterior. Nothing appeared out of place, so he went back inside. Sleep wasn’t going to be an option for him. He went to Ella’s room and cracked the door open. She lay on her left side, facing away from the room’s entrance. She didn’t stir. She had both hands tucked beneath her cheek. Exactly like Lena used to do.

  Kyle closed the door and went back to the living room. With so many things about her reminding him of his late wife, he couldn’t help but wonder: If she was Lena, then why couldn’t she remember him?

  His emotions were in shreds. He knelt next to the sofa and prayed. Now more than ever he was desperate for God’s strength.

  Kyle poured out his heart and felt the welcomed peace that came from turning all his troubles over to God.

  A quick check of his watch confirmed it was just after midnight. With Sam’s survival chances dwindling as each second ticked past, Kyle tried to reach Liz once more. The call went straight to voice mail. A call to Michael produced the same results. Liz was his lifeline on the ground in Afghanistan. He didn’t believe she would willingly turn off her phone.

  He’d give it an hour and try again, and if she still didn’t answer he’d call Booth for an update. He wouldn’t wait any longer, because his gut was warning him a terrible thing had happened out there in the desert.

  * * *

  Something woke her. Ella sat up quickly and listened, her heart pounding, her survival instincts keen. As she started to get up, she felt the soft bed beneath her fingers. She wasn’t in the torture zone any longer. She was safe.

  She struggled to calm her nerves. Would there ever come a time when she’d truly be free of the nightmare? She was thousands of miles away and yet she felt as if she were still a prisoner.

  Light filtered through curtained windows. It was morning. She’d slept through the night for the first time in years.

  Then she realized what had woken her. Voices. Ella swung her legs off the bed and stood. Her body ached from years of abuse.

  She slipped out of the room and followed the voices. The front door stood ajar. Kyle was talking to someone. Another man, but she really couldn’t make out the voice.

  Kyle turned when she came into the room. When he spotted her, something in his expression warned her to stay put. She moved back into the shadows of the hallway and listened.

  “Well, thanks for stopping by, Mr. Duncan.”

  The other man said something indistinguishable.

  “No problem.” Kyle’s tone was noticeably tense. He held up what looked like a business card. “I have your card and I will.”

  After the two men shook hands, Kyle closed the door and faced her. To say he was worried would be an understatement.

  “Who was that?” she prompted, because his expression scared her.

  “The man in the car who almost ran us off the road yesterday. Believe it or not, he lives across the lake.”

  She tried to make sense of it. “How did he find us?”

  Kyle went over to the window and inched the curtains apart. Ella followed. She could only see the back of the man as he walked away. He had blond hair...just like the American at the prison.

  “He said he walks around the lake every morning and he spotted our car and felt bad about yesterday. He wanted to apologize.”

  This was no accidental meeting. If this was the American from the prison, then things were much worse than she thought. He would know she was here with Kyle and would be expecting results.

  “But you don’t believe it,” she managed.

  He seemed to be debating how much to tell her. “No, I don’t. I spoke to one of my team members last night. He told me the man’s name is Peter Duncan.” Kyle shook his head. “Then, in a text this morning, I found out Duncan and his wife have lived here for over six years. He’s an accountant and she works at a shop in the neighboring town of Brenton. There’s nothing that triggers any warning other than the fact that he was on the same road as us and he found us here.”

  “Why would he come all the way over here just to apologize to people he doesn’t know?”

  She could tell from the hard set of Kyle’s jaw that he agreed there was reason for concern. “Maybe he really is just a nice guy who felt bad about losing his temper yesterday.”

  Her gaze held his. “You don’t believe that.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Not really. After what happened in town and in light of some of the intel we’ve received recently, we believe Alhasan could have men everywhere. Sleepers ready to do his bidding.”

  Was she one of them? When her memories finally returned would she find out she really was a killer?

  Please, God, no.

  She recalled something Alhasan had told her about moving his entire operation to the United States. He’d said there were too many people in Afghanistan looking to gain the reward being offered by the Scorpions for his capture. He couldn’t trust them not to turn him in. And the American was growing impatient. Something critical was in the works.

  He wanted her to gain access to the Scorpions’ headquarters for a reason... She closed her eyes and tried to hold on to it. He needed something hidden there, but she couldn’t recall what it was.

  Once, she’d pretended to be unconscious and overhead the American discussing her with Alhasan. He’d shown doubts about her ability to fulfill her mission from the beginning. He’d said she had too much of a personal stake involved to finish the job. She had no idea what he meant by that. Was it simply because of her attachment to Joseph?

  “What is it?” Kyle asked when he spotted her reaction. “Have you remembered something?”

  Would she be giving away too much if she told him what she suspected? Joseph’s image popped into her head. She still had a few days left to save him. She couldn’t do anything that might cost the boy his life.

  She shook her head and started to move away.

  “Ella...” He came closer, preventing her from escaping. Clasping her chin gently, he tipped her head back so that she was forced to look into his eyes. She struggled not to jerk away. The same warmth his touch had invoked before returned. “You can tell me, whatever it is.”

  If only it were that simple.

  When she didn’t answer, he dropped his hand and his tone turned hard. “I need you to stay here and lock the door behind me. I should be back within the hour.” He took out his spare Glock and handed it to her along with a burner phone. “If anything comes up, call me. If someone tries to break in, shoot them.”

  “Where are you going?” she asked in fear. He was leaving her here alone.

  He checked his watch. “It’s almost nine. I’m going to wait for Peter Duncan to leave for work, and then I’m going to s
ee what I can find out about the man by searching his house.”

  She grabbed his arm and stood her ground. “I’m coming with you.”

  “No, Ella, it’s too dangerous. Alhasan wants you dead. Duncan could be working for him.”

  She shook her head. “You’re the target, Kyle. He couldn’t care less about me as long as I...” She broke off. She’d almost told him everything.

  Kyle stilled. “As long as you what?”

  She didn’t answer. “I’m coming with you,” she insisted and squared her shoulders, ready to battle him. “I can help. I know what to look for...” Her voice trailed off. How did she know?

  Frustration claimed its rightful place next to his growing curiosity, yet he finally gave in. “All right, but you stay close.”

  Kyle went to the back of the house and cracked the door. She followed. After a quick surveillance of the area, he stepped outside. “We’ll have to circle around the lake through there.” He pointed to a wooded area overgrown with brush and trees. “If he’s watching the house still, he won’t be able to see us here.”

  Nothing about the thicket looked inviting, but she wasn’t about to give in to her paranoia. If Alhasan was close by, then there was the chance Joseph might be with him. She’d risk her life to save the boy.

  Kyle stopped in front of the overrun opening leading into the woods. After a second when he appeared to close his eyes and pray, he shoved aside some of the tree branches and headed in with her close behind.

  Within no time the rigorousness of the trail took its toll and she found herself winded. After they fought their way at a snail’s pace through branches snagging their clothes and ripping their exposed skin, the path finally dumped them out of the woods and into an open area.

  Ella was so exhausted she didn’t think she could make it much farther. She sucked in a lungful of air and noticed that Kyle looked worried.

  “Try slowing your breathing down,” he suggested as he watched her struggle to do so. “We need to hide. If Duncan’s watching, he might see and be expecting us.”

  Speaking was out of the question, so she nodded. Kyle pointed to the closest house. “There’s a shed over there. That should give us some cover.”

  Once she reached the shed, Ella braced her hands against her knees and closed her eyes.

  “You’re ready to drop. Wait here and keep a watch out for anyone coming up to the house.”

  She immediately rejected the idea and straightened. There was too much at stake. Joseph might be in the house. “I’ll be fine. I’m just a little winded. I’m going with you, Kyle.”

  His misgivings were obvious. “Stay behind me, and if you feel yourself struggling, I need you to let me know.”

  Kyle eased to the back of the shed and pulled out a small set of binoculars. He panned the area and then said, “I have the house. The car’s still there... Hang on, it looks like he’s leaving.”

  He handed her the binoculars and she saw Duncan get into his car and slowly back out of the drive. He had the basic build and look of the American, but she wasn’t sure.

  Once the car was out of sight, Kyle took the binoculars and tucked them back in his pocket, shoving the Glock at his waist underneath his jacket.

  As they headed down the road toward Duncan’s place, she felt exposed like she had in the desert. They passed several clearly empty houses showing no signs of life inside. Either the occupants were at work or these were vacation homes.

  Once they reached the front of Duncan’s house, Kyle did a quick check around. “I don’t think anyone’s watching. Let’s do this quickly.”

  They hurried to the back. “Check the windows. We need a way inside and we can’t afford to break in. I don’t want him knowing we were here.” Kyle tried the back door. It was locked.

  Ella tried several windows with the same results.

  “Over here,” Kyle said as he slid one of windows open. “Let me go in first and make sure everything’s okay. I’ll let you in the back door.”

  She waited while he eased through the opening. With her nerves shot, she was jumping at every noise and it seemed to take forever before Kyle opened the door.

  “I checked around to make sure the house was empty. According to my intel, the wife leaves for work around seven each morning. Still, we don’t know how much time we have so we need to search the house as quickly as possible. I’ll take the top floor. Can you handle down here?”

  It surprised her how easily they worked together. Almost as if they’d done this same thing before... She shook her head. Preposterous. The chances of them having met before were slim. There would be no reason for them to have worked together.

  “You’re looking for anything that doesn’t fit with your everyday Joe. If you’re not sure, let me see it. If you hear anything suspicious, come get me.”

  She nodded and he hurried upstairs while Ella began searching the living room. There were photos of the couple together. Most appeared staged and a little too perfect to be realistic. Nothing from vacations taken together or family gatherings. She stared closely at the man in the photo. Could he be the same American from the prison?

  Ella spotted a desk in the corner of the room. Mail had been piled high on it. She examined it closer. Most of it appeared to be bills, and all were addressed to Peter Duncan. Nothing for the wife.

  A quick search of the drawers produced only a handful of pens. Other than the staged photos and the bills, the room contained nothing personal. No books or movies. Not even a newspaper to make the house seem as if it were actually being lived in and wasn’t just a front.

  Ella checked the downstairs bedrooms and bath, and found more of the same. The closet in the master bedroom held only a couple of items of men’s clothing. Was the wife nothing more than a cover?

  She started for the kitchen when she noticed another door hidden beneath the staircase. She tried opening it, but it was locked. Why was the door locked? Her first thought was Joseph. Was he being held there? Ella felt around the top of the door frame until she located a key. That was a little too easy to find. Would she be walking into a trap?

  She slowly opened the door. No sound could be heard from inside. She flipped on the lights and charged down the stairs. The room was dank and cobwebs hung from all the corners. Dust covered the few items in the space. There was no sign of Joseph or any evidence that anyone had used the basement in a long time.

  Her spirits sank. For a moment, she’d hoped—even though she knew Alhasan well enough to know he wouldn’t make it that easy.

  Where could Alhasan have him stashed? She needed some clue if she had any chance of saving Joseph. The child’s time was running out.

  She returned to search the kitchen, which provided only more dead ends. The usual pots and pans, a drawer full of old batteries, the bare minimum of food in the fridge and pantry. Nothing that indicated someone spent a lot of time and prepared meals here. With unanswered questions flying through her head, Ella continued her search. She couldn’t give up now.

  Inside a drawer near the sink, something captured her attention. It was a piece of paper stuck in the back of an old cookbook. The paper was a receipt from three years ago. It was from an airport restaurant in Kabul. Kyle had told her Duncan lived here with his wife for six years, so she concluded the receipt had to be Duncan’s. But what was an accountant doing in Kabul, Afghanistan?

  Before she could process it, a sound from outside captured her attention. She listened carefully. It came from the front of the house, where she’d just been. A board creaking under someone’s footsteps.

  Ella stuffed the receipt in her pocket, headed for the stairs just as Kyle descended them. She put her finger up to her lips and pointed to the front.

  He nodded and reached her side as a key slipped in the door. He pointed toward the back and she understood. Their only means of
escape was quickly evaporating. Before they managed even a single step, a figure of a man stepped up on the back porch and spotted them.

  He shoved through the door at the same time the front entrance was breached and they came face-to-face with Peter Duncan. But it was the second man who captured Ella’s attention—the man who had attacked her at the base.

  Both were armed with guns.

  Kyle pushed Ella behind him, whipped out his Glock and pointed it at Duncan’s head. The man stopped dead in his tracks.

  Her attacker smiled a sinister grin. “You should have listened, Ella. Done what you were supposed to do. Instead you fell in with the enemy. Now you’ll die with him. I guess we’ll have to take care of the rest of them ourselves...along with the boy.”

  Her stomach clenched in fear. Joseph.

  “Tell your guy to drop his weapon, Duncan. Or you’ll be dead before he can get off a single shot,” Kyle ordered in the same steely tone she’d heard him use in the desert.

  Duncan didn’t react. “And my partner will take you both out. He’s very well trained, thanks to your people.” The jab didn’t go undetected. The implication was clear. The man who attacked her had US military training.

  They needed an advantage and quickly. If she could reach the Glock tucked behind her back, she was positive she could take out her attacker. At least eliminate part of the threat.

  She slowly eased her hand behind her body. Kyle must have realized what she was doing, because he turned just a smidgen, partially blocking her from Duncan’s partner.

  “You’re not going to hurt her,” Kyle said, trying to call their bluff. “She’s too important to your cause.”

  Duncan laughed as if enjoying the exchange. “You think you know what’s happening here, Agent Jennings?” He shook his head. “You have no idea.”

  Kyle tapped her arm twice. She recognized the signal somehow.

  Ella whipped the weapon out and fired once, hitting her attacker between the eyes. He dropped to the floor, dead. Before a stunned Duncan had time to react, Kyle opened fire. Duncan dived for cover, racking off multiple shots in the process. Kyle grabbed Ella’s arm and they raced for the cover of the kitchen island.