The Summoning by Mark Lukens Page B

that’s what I was going to say.” She studied him for a moment as he drove. “If you’ve never been here before, then how do you know about Winter Road?”
    Ryan wouldn’t look at Amber as he drove. “I don’t know. I’ve done a lot of driving around since I got here.” But Ryan knew this wasn’t true. Winter Road was from his memory, he was sure of that. It had something to do with his past. Maybe the secrets from his past were beginning to break through his foggy memory whether he wanted them to or not.

CHAPTER TEN
1.
    The black Lincoln pulled up into the dusty parking area of the Starlight Motel where Ryan had stayed only two nights ago, where Ryan had woken up with no memory of his past. But his past was pulling up now and parking right next to the motel office.
    Jake put the car in park and glanced at Lita. She checked her gun, making sure a bullet was chambered, and then she tucked it away into her jacket pocket. Jake glanced at Mr. Murdock in the backseat. Mr. Murdock didn’t say a word. He held a photograph in his gloved hands. He always wore gloves, day or night. He leaned forward and handed the photo to Jake.
    Jake looked at Lita and they got out of the car. They walked through the dust to the office door. Lita wore dark clothes that fit her athletic body nicely but didn’t reveal the small gun tucked away inside her jacket. She wore knee-high, black leather boots. Jake wore a dark suit coat and pants with a crisp new white shirt underneath his coat. They both wore dark sunglasses.
    The same clerk who had checked Ryan out of his room two days ago sat behind the counter when Jake and Lita entered the office; the bell dinged as they opened the door. The clerk didn’t look up when the bell dinged; he was in the same chair, his feet up, his interest in his phone still as intense as before, his focus on a new game he had downloaded. The small TV on top of the filing cabinet was on, but the sound was turned all the way down.
    “Help you?” the clerk asked without looking up from his game.
    Lita waited by the door as Jake approached the scarred counter that could use a wipe-down and maybe some disinfectant; he didn’t even want to touch it. He pulled out the photograph from inside his suit coat pocket.
    “I need your help with something,” Jake told the clerk.
    The clerk looked up and saw Jake; he saw the photograph in his hand. “Help with what?”
    “I need to know if you’ve seen this man before.”
    The clerk seemed upset at this distraction. He got to his feet and the chair creaked as he stood up. He walked to the counter and sighed. “I don’t have time for this. You guys want a room or not?”
    Jake hadn’t moved a muscle, his face was set in stone, his eyes behind his sunglasses were on the clerk’s every move. He held out the photograph for the clerk, waiting for him to take it. “Have you seen this man before?” he asked again; there was more of an edge to his voice now.
    The clerk tried to keep up his tough act, but there was something about the tone of this man’s voice, something about the way these two were dressed, the way the woman waited by the door, the way they both watched him from behind their sunglasses.
    He gently took the photograph out of Jake’s hand. He looked at the photograph of Ryan for a moment, and then he shrugged his shoulders and handed the photo back. “Not really sure,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve seen him before,” he added even though he remembered Ryan – he just didn’t want to get involved in whatever these two were doing.
    Jake didn’t take the photo back. He stared at the clerk. “Take another look.”
    Normally the clerk would be kicking these two out of here and threatening to call the police, but instead he did as he was ordered. He looked at the picture again, and then looked up at Jake. “What are you guys, cops or something?”
    The clerk handed the picture back to Jake who tucked it back inside his suit coat pocket.
    “No,