“Sure.” The detectives didn’t do much more than Jake had. They took notes and photos and within minutes gave Jake permission to take what he wanted. He found a duffel bag and filled it with jeans, T-shirts, and hoodies. Then, he went to the dresser in search of underwear and socks. Feeling like a creeper, he grabbed a handful each of panties, bras, and socks and threw them into the bag. She’d be able to find something in all this stuff for the short term, and they could come back for more whenever she felt up to it.
“I asked the super to find a way to lock the place after you leave, so if you’re going to dust it, you might want to let him know soon. I’ll text you a picture of his card so you can contact him.”
“Sounds good. We’ll need a statement from him anyway, plus I want to ask him about security cameras. If he doesn’t show up soon, we’ll track him down before we go.”
“If everything goes as scheduled, they’re talking about releasing Hannah tomorrow. And unless we can figure something else out, she might be staying with me, so you can reach her by calling me. You still have my number?”
“Staying with you? Do you know her?” The detective’s eyebrows rose.
“Yeah. We’re friends. And as far as anyone knows, she has nowhere else to go.”
“That’s mighty nice of you.”
“You guys take care,” Jake said on his way out.
Nice of him or not, he was just beginning to realize the repercussions of what he’d offered. Room and board and round-the-clock care for a woman who didn’t even know her name. He might be getting in over his head. What would happen if he couldn’t handle it? It wasn’t like he could kick her out once she’d come to stay! Even he wasn’t that big a bastard.
He made the short drive to his “town” home a few miles away. It wasn’t actually a townhome, just what he called his place in town. Upon entering the dimly lit, two-bedroom home, he realized right away that he couldn’t bring Hannah here. The house was clean and big enough for two, but it was no place for relaxing and recuperating.
This place was for convenience only. He used it during his workweek when he worked nights because it was close, and he usually wanted to crash fast once he was off duty. It was also the place he brought women to hook up. Furniture was sparse. A couch, a TV, a bed, and a coffeemaker were pretty much it. The amenities were purposely skimpy to prevent anyone from getting too comfortable and wanting to stay. It was a place to sleep and have no-strings-attached, don’t-come-back-again sex. Ben and Spence called it the Love Shack.
What he considered home was his small, two-acre farm out in Carnation, a city about twenty miles east of Bellevue. Perhaps he was using the term farm a little loosely, but it had the potential to be one. That would be a much more comfortable place for Hannah to recover.
He didn’t have to be back at the hospital for another two hours, and he’d slept so horribly the night before that the bed calling to him proved too tempting. He set an alarm for an hour later and crashed hard.
After jumping in the shower, he headed back to the hospital, arriving just in time to meet the doctor.
Nurse Kate filled him in on what he’d missed. He’d already known the detectives had come by, but the man claiming to be Hannah’s husband had also returned. And left just thirty minutes ago. Right when Jake had been sleeping!
“Damn it. I should have been here,” he mumbled, mentally kicking himself. “I can’t believe he came back.”
“Yeah. That was pretty ballsy. I told Hannah that even though she didn’t appear to be married, there was someone here claiming to be her husband. When I asked her if it was okay to let him in, she said yes, so I escorted him in. He asked me to leave, but I said no.”
“Good for you,” said Jake. He wished she would have called him or the police immediately, but didn’t say anything. She must have read his mind.
“I don’t know. Should I have called the police? Is he a suspect for anything?”
“Whether he’s the person who pushed Hannah or not, his behavior is suspicious, and I’m sure the police would like to talk to him. If he shows up again, call me or the police. Better to err on the side of caution.”
“I’m sorry. It all happened so fast, and I didn’t want to leave Hannah alone with him. I didn’t even think about calling the police until after he’d left.”
“Don’t worry about it. What did he say?”
“Well, he appeared almost relieved when he found out about the amnesia.”
“I’ll bet.”
“After finding out she didn’t remember anything, he stumbled through some story about a secret wedding, saying no one knew they were married, but they were. It was clear he was making it up as he went along. He tried to convince her to let him take her home, but she refused. Oh, and I don’t know if it means anything, but he had the laptop again. He had a weird, untrustworthy vibe about him and didn’t have any good answers to Hannah’s questions about her life. Full of crap is what he was.” The nurse looked like she’d sucked on a lemon.
“Did you get his name?” Jake asked.
“Well, he told Hannah his name was Bob, but I seriously doubt that. After he left the room, in a huff, I asked for his ID. He said he’d left it in the car and would bring it right back.” She rolled her eyes. “Of course, I knew he wouldn’t, and sure enough, he didn’t. I did get a better description this time. I even wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget anything.”
“Good work,” Jake said. “Can I see it?”
She pulled a small piece of paper out of her pocket, and Jake snapped a photo with his phone. It wasn’t anything he didn’t already know, but he appreciated the effort. “Thanks, Kate. This is great info. How’s Hannah?”
“The visit upset her, that’s for sure, but physically she’s doing as well as can be expected…that is, except for the whole memory loss thing. She still doesn’t remember anything. The doctor’s in with her now.”
