Killer Amnesia

by Sherri Shackelford

  Liam gave a negative shake of his head. “Deputy Bishop is the lead on this case.”

  “I’d rather work with you.” Emma reached for him. “Do I have any say in the matter?”

  Fighting his better nature, he avoided her appeal. He was tired of living in limbo. Each day he was away from Dallas, he slipped further from his old life. If he accepted this assignment, he risked being torn between two responsibilities. The US Marshals were liable to call him back to testify any day now. He had no business digging into a troublesome and personal case when he might not be able to follow through.

  “Deputy Bishop was the first on scene,” Liam said. “It’s up to the sheriff to change the assignments.”

  His protective feelings for Emma didn’t play any part in the matter. Emotions were a luxury he couldn’t afford.

  “You didn’t leave me before,” she pleaded. “You can’t abandon me now.”

  A swelling pulse throbbed in his ears. His first partner had nicknamed him “The Pitbull” because once he got his teeth into a case, he locked his jaws and didn’t let go. Despite his personal doubts, he’d gone along with faking his death. The department and the Feds had invested too much time and too many resources to risk blowing the case.

  No matter the reasons, whether real or fake, his death had left unfinished business. If God didn’t answer prayers from guys like Liam, then he had to do the work himself. No amount of righteous conviction assuaged his guilt.

  “We’ll assess your situation in the morning.” The doctor spoke into the awkward silence. “For now, get some rest, Ms. Lyons. The staff can reach me if there’s a change in your condition.” He paused in the doorway. “I’ll call the sheriff’s office when the rest of the tox reports come back.”

  Liam had hauled in enough drunk drivers to know the tests would come back negative. “Sure.”

  There was white paint on the bumper of Emma’s car, corroborating her story that someone had forced her off the road.

  Bishop had labeled the case an aggravated assault with a motor vehicle—no credible leads. Given her loss of memory, they were starting from scratch. There was no immediate way of knowing if Emma had a jealous boyfriend or a disgruntled acquaintance in her past.

  The lengths she’d gone to in order to hide her address on the internet gave the only hint there might be someone out there who wanted to harm her. People who simply preferred to remain anonymous online generally didn’t have the resources for such a thorough internet cleaning of location information. Then again, maybe she was simply a private person who was willing to pay to stay off the grid.

  She glanced at her clenched hands. “I’m scared.”

  Her whispered confession tugged at his conscience. “There’s a security guard, Tim, who we keep on call for...unique situations.” Usually for the unruly drunks being treated after a bar fight. He glanced at the clock. Nearly midnight. “I’ve got some paperwork to fill out. I might as well wait around for him. I’ll be just outside the door if you need anything.”

  He desperately craved some shut-eye, but her vulnerability kept him rooted in place. There was no harm in sticking around a little while longer.

  “I appreciate the offer.” She managed a wobbly half smile. “But it’s late. You should go home to your family.”

  “Don’t worry. There’s no one waiting up for me.” He mentally chastised himself for the lapse. Why had he offered up that information? “Try and get some sleep.”

  She leaned to the side, pulling her legs to rest on the bed. After adjusting her pillow, she tucked one hand beneath her cheek. “Thank you for saving me tonight.”

  The blanket was trapped beneath her injured arm. He carefully dislodged the edge and draped the material around her shoulders. Avoiding her gaze, he shuffled back a few steps. His fingers itched to brush the hair from her forehead, but he caught himself just in time. What was wrong with him? Lack of sleep was turning him sentimental.

  He wasn’t a nurturing person. He never had been. Maybe if he’d been raised differently...or maybe not. Maybe he simply wasn’t wired that way.

  “I’d do the same for anyone,” he said, wincing at the harsh edge in his tone. “It’s part of the job.”

  There was no need to make this personal. His involvement was already drifting into a gray area. Bishop was the first responder on scene. The investigation wasn’t Liam’s responsibility unless the sheriff said otherwise.

  She offered another smile that sent heat curling through his stomach.

  “I’m sorry for all the trouble,” she said, her hand muffling a yawn. “I’m sure this wasn’t how you planned to spend your evening.”

  She was grateful to him, but gratitude went only so far. He wasn’t the sort of guy who women introduced to mom and dad. His past was a hinderance.

  Marrying someone meant marrying their family, as well, and no one wanted to marry into the mess that was his family tree.

  He stared at the tops of his scuffed boots. “Deputy Bishop will update you on the case when he has more information.”

  A muscle twitched in his jaw. He wasn’t abandoning her. He’d keep an eye on Bishop’s handling of the investigation. He always did.

  When she awkwardly reached to adjust the blanket, he kept his hands at his sides.

  “Will I see you again?” she asked quietly.

  “Probably not.”

  If the doctor was right, she’d most likely wake with total recall. Once she remembered who wanted to harm her, even Bishop couldn’t botch the case, saving Liam from any further involvement.

  “Good night, Emma.”

  “Good night,” she managed to say over another sleepy yawn.

  No loose ends. No regrets.

  Why, then, did he feel as though it was already too late for both of them?

  * * *

  Emma startled awake and glanced at the clock in sleepy confusion. Just before 6:00 a.m. Which meant...she bolted upright. Today was Sunday already. After the accident on Friday evening, Saturday had passed in a blur. She’d slept nearly the entire day and night.

  Her impressions of the time were hazy. Nurses had told her to rest, but each time she’d dozed, she’d returned to the nightmare of the crash and the water rising around her. They’d finally convinced her to take something to sleep, and she’d spent the rest of the evening in blissful oblivion.

  They were planning on sending her home today—whatever that meant—and she was terrified.

  She’d been avoiding the shadowy recesses of her brain, fearful of the accompanying panic. Daybreak had brought a reckoning. She’d have to re-create her past brushstroke by brushstroke, no matter what lay hidden in the shadows.

  Lightning temporarily illuminated the room, a harbinger of the windowpane-rattling clap of thunder.

  She thought of Deputy McCourt, and despair jolted through her. She trusted him more than the other deputy, the one who’d left her in the watery nightmare, but Liam had been emphatic about his limited involvement in the case.

  She’d have to rely on herself, and that meant finding out who wanted her dead.

  Trembling with anticipation, she tossed off the blankets. She was wide awake and desperate for coffee. Maybe she’d take the opportunity to walk the corridors and stretch her legs. A stack of folded clothing rested on the chair beside her bed.

  Her shoulder was stiff and sore, but she didn’t need the sling. One of the hospital staff had washed her sleeveless blue shell top, thin navy cardigan and jeans. Her tennis shoes were stiff from the dried rain, but she managed to untangle the laces and slide them on.

  She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and started. Approaching the glass, she touched her cheek with quaking fingers. Her heartbeat picked up rhythm and her breathing grew shallow. She’d seen her face in the mirror before, but she was still growing accustomed to the sight. As though she was looking at som
eone else through the reflection.

  Wrenching her gaze away, she sucked in a deep, calming breath.

  She had to get out of this room—out of her head—if only for a moment.

  Tim, the security guard, was sprawled on a chair outside her room with his arms crossed and his chin tucked against his chest as he snored softly. Emma grimaced. Not exactly the protection she was offered, but given the state of her memory, she understood the skepticism about her claims.

  Deputy Bishop had spoken to her only briefly. He’d dropped off the personal possessions from her car and asked a few perfunctory questions about her recollection of events.

  She hadn’t been sorry to see him go.

  An empty cup of coffee rested near Tim’s foot, and her annoyance dissipated. He’d kept watch over her two nights in a row. No wonder he was tired. She’d make some noise on her return to wake him.

  A fresh-faced nurse in navy scrubs decorated with cartoon kittens directed her to an employee break room at the far end of the building—the only source of coffee that didn’t involve anxious grandparents waiting on an expectant mother in labor and delivery. The hospital was too small for a cafeteria.

  Following the nurse’s directions, she maneuvered through the overlapping plastic sheeting separating the renovations from the occupied areas of the hospital. There were four additional patient rooms, two on either side of the corridor. The first door was propped open, and she caught sight of the gutted space with bare Sheetrock walls and colorful wires dangling from the ceiling.

  The combined scents of paint and sawdust triggered a sense of familiarity, sparking a memory that was just out of reach.

  She pressed her fists against her temples, willing the image to take shape.

  Nothing.

  Her head pounded from the futile effort, and she dropped her hands to her sides. Her brain might as well be this deserted wing of this hospital—empty, under construction and full of obstacles.

  She took a step, and her toe caught on a stack of ceiling tiles. Yelping, she stumbled to the side, then stifled her amplified reaction with a hand to her mouth. Her ordeal on Friday had left her nervous about being alone in a deserted corridor, and for good reason.

  Except she was being ridiculous. There were plenty of other people in the building. The security guard, Tim, was within shouting distance.

  A thump sounded, and she froze. Cocking her head, she strained to hear over the raindrops pummeling the roof. Her imagination was getting the better of her.

  She forced herself to put one foot in front of the other, careful to avoid the stacks of tools and construction equipment piled near the floorboards. No wonder this area was supposed to be off-limits to patients. Still, she was thankful the nurse had made an exception. She wasn’t ready to face the possibility of running into someone she knew but didn’t recognize just yet.

  The break room was compact with a row of vending machines on one side, and a sink, refrigerator and single-cup coffee maker on the other. The glare from the freshly waxed floor was almost painful.

  “See Emma?” she said aloud to bolster herself. “Nothing bad could happen in a room this clean.”

  Two tables, each set with four bright orange molded chairs, were scattered throughout the space.

  Determined to get ahold of herself, she turned toward the coffee maker. A variety of single-serve cups overflowed the basket, and she chose one labeled Breakfast Blend. Fisting her hand around the plastic, she squeezed her eyes shut, welcoming the pain as the sharp edges dug into her palm.

  This wasn’t fair. Why did she instinctively reach for the coffee she liked, but she couldn’t remember her own name?

  Emma. Emma Lyons.

  She snorted softly. Her name could have been Jane Doe for all the sense “Emma” made to her.

  As she reached for the coffee maker, the room plunged into darkness. Blood rushed in her ears. She took a cautious step toward the exit, her hands outstretched like a blind, lurching mummy. Gooseflesh pebbled her skin.

  Someone was in the room with her. She didn’t know how she knew; she just did.

  “Hello?” she called, her heart hammering against her ribs. “Tim?”

  Fabric dropped over her head and strong arms crushed her middle, robbing the air from her lungs.

  She expanded her chest to scream, catching a mouthful of cloth and the unmistakable odor of bleach.

  A hand clamped over her face, and she clawed at the arm circling her waist. The man was taller than her and stronger. Her fingers sank into the soft flesh of his arm. He jerked her against his chest, and her injured shoulder throbbed in agony. Her vision blurred.

  Her attacker squeezed tighter, and her knees grew weak.

  “Don’t faint on me,” a low voice growled near her ear. “I’m not done with you yet.”

  Stars exploded at the edges of her vision, and she frantically stomped on the man’s instep while simultaneously jabbing her elbow into his solar plexus. He grunted, his grip loosening. She struggled away but he yanked her backward, trapping both arms against her sides.

  “You’re a fighter,” her attacker growled. “I like that.”

  Nausea threatened, and her rib cage ached. Her lungs felt as though they were going to explode. She lifted her foot to stomp again, but her attacker easily moved out of reach. The lack of oxygen was draining her. She had to breathe. Her muscles were weak and sluggish, refusing to cooperate.

  An odd sense of calm invaded her chaotic thoughts. She was suffocating mere feet from safety. She couldn’t give up. Not yet. Not now.

  Her pulse thrummed, and with a burst of fury, she wrested one arm free. Instinct took over. His eyes were vulnerable. She reached behind and above her, searching for his face, but the angle was too awkward. Tearing at the cloth instead, she managed to free her mouth.

  As she let loose an earsplitting scream, a savage blow knocked her to the ground, and her attacker’s low whisper vibrated near her ear. “We aren’t finished yet.”

  THREE

  Liam stuffed his phone into his pocket and glared at the slumbering security guard. No wonder his calls had gone unanswered. A paper cup with the last dredges of coffee rested on the floor beside the chair leg. The caffeine wasn’t working.

  He nudged the guard’s toe with his foot. “Wake up, sunshine.”

  Tim slumped to one side. Liam’s pulse spiked, and he lunged. He lowered the bulky guard to the patterned tile floor. Pressing two fingers to the base of Tim’s throat, he noted a strong, steady pulse thumping beneath his fingertips.

  The guard mumbled something, his eyes fluttering.

  Liam glanced at the coffee cup. Had the guard been drugged? He showed all the classic signs of an overdose. Thankfully, the man’s pulse was normal and his breathing steady.

  Confident Tim was in no imminent danger, Liam straightened and shouldered his way into the patient’s room. “Emma?”

  The space was empty. The bed was neatly made. Forcing his emotions aside, he ran through the possible scenarios. There were no signs of a struggle. Though the hospital wasn’t exactly teeming with activity, it also wasn’t so deserted that someone could drug and kidnap Emma without being noticed. She must have been forced out with a threat. But how long ago?

  A sound brought him around so quickly his shoes squeaked.

  “What’s wrong with Tim?” A redheaded nurse in navy scrubs decorated with pink, frolicking kittens appeared. “What happened?”

  She knelt before the prone man and began taking his vitals.

  “I think he’s been drugged,” Liam said. “And don’t touch that cup.”

  She gave a clipped nod. “I’ll inform the doctor.”

  “Have you seen Emma? The patient in this room?”

  “Went for coffee.” The nurse jerked a thumb over her shoulder without taking her attention from the prone security guard. “Down t
he hall. Last door on the left.”

  A thump sounded. Liam glanced at the cordoned-off section of the hospital wing. Too early for construction workers.

  Someone screamed, the sound cutting off abruptly.

  A familiar rush of adrenaline surged through his blood. Retrieving his service weapon, he extended his arm. He crossed the distance and maneuvered through the plastic sheeting toward the sound.

  “Emma!”

  The corridor was plunged in darkness, and he reached for his flashlight before recalling he hadn’t yet replaced the one he’d lost two days ago.

  “Emma!” he called again.

  His shin cracked against a stack of construction supplies. Righting himself, he fumbled for the wall, using his left hand to guide him through the pitch-black corridor.

  His fingers bumped against a switch. The sudden shock of light temporarily blinded him.

  A flash of orange sailed through the air, and a molded plastic chair bounced painfully off his forearm before clattering to the floor.

  She came at him like a wildcat.

  “Emma!” He stumbled backward, deflecting her blows, but not before she clocked him in the jaw. Stinging pain fired through his cheek. “It’s me, Liam.”

  Recognition seemed to wash over Emma, and she sagged.

  He quickly stowed his weapon with one hand and caught her against his chest with the other. “It’s all right, it’s over. You’re safe.”

  “A man. There was a man.” She turned her face into his shirt, muffling her voice. “He tried to suffocate me. He said...he said, we aren’t finished yet.”

  Liam’s training urged him to follow the perpetrator, but his arms tightened around Emma. Catching himself, he pulled away. There were only two ways to exit the building from this location, and Liam had come from one of them.

  “It’s going to be all right.” He threaded his fingers through her dark silken hair and urged her to meet his gaze. “Wait here.”

  The tips of her eyelashes sparkled with unshed tears, and his heartbeat tripped. Eyes like that were the reason cops quit hanging out with the guys after work and went straight home instead. They were the reason the pictures on their phones changed from deer camps to hospital nurseries. Eyes like that were dangerous.