for Shaye to get angry with him and cut him out of her life. She needed people around her she trusted. People who would have her back no matter where the chips fell, and he was one of those people. But he wouldn’t be for long if she felt she could no longer trust him.
Still, now wasn’t the right time. She needed to calm down. To clear her head of the thing she’d just done. To get back into private investigator mode, thinking logically and impartially about information. As impartially as a victim could be, anyway.
“Promise me,” he said, “that you won’t do this again unless I’m here.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said, but he could tell she wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea.
“I just want to see you in your nightgown,” he said, “although skimpier and blue is more to my taste.”
She smiled. “The only blue I sleep in is a blue T-shirt. It is shorter, though.” She rose from the couch. “And now that you’ve mentioned clothes, I think I’ll go put on something normal. This makes me feel…I can’t even describe it.”
“I recommend a hot shower and a change of clothes.”
She nodded and started to say something, then hesitated. Finally, she said, “Will you stay for a while? I mean, unless you’re working or already had plans. I don’t want to hold you up, but we haven’t talked in some time, so I thought we could catch up.”
“Unless I get a phone call, I’m officially off the clock, and my only plans were dinner. Are you hungry? Because I’m starving.”
“Always. There’s a great Chinese place that delivers. The menu is in the drawer next to the sink. Get me crab Rangoon and chicken fried rice. You like Chinese food, right?”
“You had me at crab Rangoon.”
She headed for the hall, then stopped and turned around. “Thanks, Jackson.”
He nodded and she slipped through the doorway and disappeared down the hall. A couple seconds later, he heard a shower turn on and he rose from the couch and headed into the kitchen to find the menu. He placed the food order and opened the refrigerator, figuring Shaye wouldn’t mind if he helped himself to something to drink. He pulled out a cold beer and then noticed a Tupperware container on the cabinet that held round items that looked suspiciously like cookies. He pulled the lid back and sighed when he saw the same cookies he’d had earlier at Corrine’s. Unable to help himself, he grabbed a couple out of the container and headed back to the couch with the beer and cookies. He located the remote and turned on the television, determined to find something to watch that didn’t have any news coverage. The day had been grim enough already. He didn’t need to be depressed even further with all the evil in the world.
As he flipped through the channels, he thought about what Shaye had done. It was definitely outside the box, but he had a keen appreciation for creative solutions. Most importantly, it had worked. Not only had she determined that her dreams were most likely glimpses of her past, she’d forced her memory to give up one of its closely guarded secrets—the mask.
It might just be the tip of the iceberg.
He only hoped she was ready for the meltdown.
10
R eagan stiffened when she heard the door creak open. It was at the top of a set of narrow stone steps and was solid wood. She’d tried pounding on it but it barely moved, and no matter how much she shouted, no one ever heard her. Wherever this hole was, it wasn’t near people, or it was so well insulated that sound didn’t carry far enough for others to hear. The bottom line was, the door offered no way out, and it was the only way into the room.
The man’s footsteps sounded on the steps and she backed into the corner. It was a reflexive action that did no good. The man locked the door after entering. Even if she could run past him, she didn’t have the key to get out. And despite the fact that she was in good shape and fairly strong for a girl, there was
Still, now wasn’t the right time. She needed to calm down. To clear her head of the thing she’d just done. To get back into private investigator mode, thinking logically and impartially about information. As impartially as a victim could be, anyway.
“Promise me,” he said, “that you won’t do this again unless I’m here.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said, but he could tell she wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea.
“I just want to see you in your nightgown,” he said, “although skimpier and blue is more to my taste.”
She smiled. “The only blue I sleep in is a blue T-shirt. It is shorter, though.” She rose from the couch. “And now that you’ve mentioned clothes, I think I’ll go put on something normal. This makes me feel…I can’t even describe it.”
“I recommend a hot shower and a change of clothes.”
She nodded and started to say something, then hesitated. Finally, she said, “Will you stay for a while? I mean, unless you’re working or already had plans. I don’t want to hold you up, but we haven’t talked in some time, so I thought we could catch up.”
“Unless I get a phone call, I’m officially off the clock, and my only plans were dinner. Are you hungry? Because I’m starving.”
“Always. There’s a great Chinese place that delivers. The menu is in the drawer next to the sink. Get me crab Rangoon and chicken fried rice. You like Chinese food, right?”
“You had me at crab Rangoon.”
She headed for the hall, then stopped and turned around. “Thanks, Jackson.”
He nodded and she slipped through the doorway and disappeared down the hall. A couple seconds later, he heard a shower turn on and he rose from the couch and headed into the kitchen to find the menu. He placed the food order and opened the refrigerator, figuring Shaye wouldn’t mind if he helped himself to something to drink. He pulled out a cold beer and then noticed a Tupperware container on the cabinet that held round items that looked suspiciously like cookies. He pulled the lid back and sighed when he saw the same cookies he’d had earlier at Corrine’s. Unable to help himself, he grabbed a couple out of the container and headed back to the couch with the beer and cookies. He located the remote and turned on the television, determined to find something to watch that didn’t have any news coverage. The day had been grim enough already. He didn’t need to be depressed even further with all the evil in the world.
As he flipped through the channels, he thought about what Shaye had done. It was definitely outside the box, but he had a keen appreciation for creative solutions. Most importantly, it had worked. Not only had she determined that her dreams were most likely glimpses of her past, she’d forced her memory to give up one of its closely guarded secrets—the mask.
It might just be the tip of the iceberg.
He only hoped she was ready for the meltdown.
10
R eagan stiffened when she heard the door creak open. It was at the top of a set of narrow stone steps and was solid wood. She’d tried pounding on it but it barely moved, and no matter how much she shouted, no one ever heard her. Wherever this hole was, it wasn’t near people, or it was so well insulated that sound didn’t carry far enough for others to hear. The bottom line was, the door offered no way out, and it was the only way into the room.
The man’s footsteps sounded on the steps and she backed into the corner. It was a reflexive action that did no good. The man locked the door after entering. Even if she could run past him, she didn’t have the key to get out. And despite the fact that she was in good shape and fairly strong for a girl, there was
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