“Did you say you remembered something?”
“I r-remember being in the back of an SUV, with a gray interior, a-and a man’s voice.” Her voice shook as she repeated the words. “He said, ‘Boss said to find out what she knows, then take care of her. We need to destroy the evidence.’”
“You didn’t recognize the voice as someone you know?”
She shook her head, causing the dull ache in her head to pound.
“Do you have any idea who the ‘boss’ could be or what evidence they were talking about?”
Again, Emily shook her head then regretted it.
“Try to focus on what you saw in the back of the SUV. Is there anything that might help with a make or model of the vehicle?”
She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the memory. “No, nothing.”
Robert burst through the front door. “What’s going on?”
Robert’s quick arrival surprised Emily. He must have been driving fast. He’d made, in a matter of minutes, the drive that had taken fifteen minutes yesterday.
“Emily was sitting on the front porch when she saw a black SUV stop out by the gate. It sparked a memory.”
Robert pulled the pen and notebook from his pocket and sat on the edge of the ottoman, facing her. “What was it?”
Emily repeated what she’d told Jake, trying to remember every detail.
“You’re sure this was an actual memory? Not something your mind made up, like you feared might happened?”
“She was scared,” Jake said. “I doubt a false memory could trigger that kind of fear.”
“Can you recall what the man, whose voice you heard, might look like?”
Emily shook her head, again regretting the action. “I don’t recall seeing his face.”
Jake leaned forward. “My binoculars are in my truck, so I used the scope on my rifle to get a better look. I got a quick glimpse of him. As soon as he saw me, he drove away toward the lake.”
“Can you give me a description?”
“Not a good one. He was tall, roughly six two, large build, dark hair.”
“What about the SUV?”
“Judging by the shape and size, I’d say it was an Expedition or Excursion.”
“Well, that gives us a little something to go on.” Then, reading through his notes, he quietly repeated the words Emily had heard.
Emily gasped as something else pricked at her memory. “Say those words again, louder and a little deeper.” She closed her eyes and listened as Robert repeated the words.
An additional memory flooded her mind, bringing hope, followed by fear. “I remember the back of the SUV opening and seeing two men standing there. One was tall, the other considerably shorter. I didn’t see their faces because the sun was behind them. They tied my wrists.” She rubbed her forehead with a trembling hand, concentrating, willing more of the memory to come. “The tall one said, ‘Take her out to the boss’s property by the lake. I’ll meet you there after I take care of things here.’ Then they both picked me up and moved me from the SUV to another vehicle. That’s when I saw it was black. Then... everything went black.”
Emily continued to rub her forehead, trying to remember more. But there wasn’t anymore. Everything went black and stayed black until she opened her eyes in the hospital and saw a handsome cowboy sitting by her bed.
Tears of frustration pricked at her eyes. She blinked, hoping to force them away but ended up pushing them onto her cheeks. With a trembling hand, she swiped them away.
Jake clasped her hand in both of his. “It’ll be okay. We’ll keep you safe.”
His hands, though calloused, were warm and strong, giving her a sense of peace and security. Her trembling gradually subsided, and she relaxed.
“Would you mind taking another look at the picture of the driver?” Robert pulled the same photo he’d shown her at the hospital from the file folder he’d carried in with him.
