Carol Ericson - Circumstantial Memories

“Which we think she was about to give to my big brother here. But without the info as to where she got that card, it’s useless.” He cocked an eyebrow at Ryder. “You’re sure she didn’t give you any names over the phone?”

“You think I wouldn’t tell you?” Ryder finished the last of his burger, wiped his mouth with a napkin and tossed it onto his ketchup-smeared plate. “No name. She wanted the cash first, but you’re not going to pass that tidbit along to Ballard, are you?”

Rafe shook his head and then bestowed his boyish grin on the waitress. “Could you please bring me an order of fries and a glass of lemonade?”

Folding his arms across the back of the chair, Rafe said, “Sheriff Ballard has checked out. He turned most of this investigation over to me and Duke Lambert, and I’m sure we’ll have the rest of the San Juan County Sheriff’s Department descending on us soon. They’ve already taken over Zack’s murder.”

“Yeah, I know. They questioned me about the attack the night of Zack’s murder.” Julia rubbed the goose bumps that popped up on her arms. Every time she thought about that night, a tide of dark fear swept through her body. The ether-soaked cloth made it clear her assailant had something other than murder in store for her.

“Are you all right?” Ryder clasped her shoulder with warm, strong fingers, banishing the terror that engulfed her.

She felt safe in his presence, in his family’s home. But what if the Sheriff’s Department couldn’t catch this maniac before Ryder left for parts unknown? She and Shelby couldn’t stay with his family, not without the cocoon of security Ryder offered. She couldn’t face this threat alone, didn’t want to.

“I’m fine.” She shoved back from the table. “I have to get back to the shop to help Maddie. We were in the middle of inventory.”

“After I help Rod with some projects around the ranch, I’m going out to your house to check the tapes from the cameras. Do you need anything?”

“I’ll meet you there when we close up the shop at six o’clock. Shelby ’s been asking for a few toys she left behind.”

Julia left the two brothers at the table and stood on the sidewalk, blinking in the bright sunlight. Summer tourists back from morning hikes or fishing or the train ride to Durango thronged Silverhill’s main street, ducking in and out of restaurants and souvenir shops. They laughed and licked ice-cream cones and sipped wine, unaware of Rosie’s murder, and only slightly uneasy about the murder of a sheriff’s deputy.

Once the news about the murder got out, the Silverhill Chamber of Commerce would whir into action. Silverhill prided itself on its quaint, hometown reputation far from the glittery crowds at Aspen. Two murders in the space of a week just torpedoed hometown quaintness.

And the city fathers could thank her for that.

RYDER POPPED the disc out of the camera and slid a new one into the slot. Then he rearranged the dried leaves of the plant to hide the camera. A few of the leaves broke apart in his hand and he brushed off the debris against the seat of his jeans. Julia had really taken his advice to heart when he told her not to water the plants.

Her car pulled up to the house and she jumped out, tugging at her short, flirty skirt. The light sweater that topped her skirt hugged her body and revealed a sliver of skin on her flat stomach. Her dark hair danced loosely about her shoulders.

Since recovering her memories, Julia had been dressing more stylishly, more like the old Julia. But a fundamental difference remained. This Julia had a daughter. His daughter. Motherhood had softened her sharp edges.

She waved, her eyes widening. “Everything okay? Have you looked at the tapes yet?”

He snapped his mouth shut. He’d been gawking. “I just switched them. Haven’t had a chance to view them yet.”

Not that the cameras had been any use. After they installed them, the direct attacks on Julia’s home had stopped. No more flowers. No more break-ins. No more dead animals.

Just dead people.

She skipped up the steps, swinging a tote bag from her hand. She held it up. “For Shelby ’s toys.”

He followed her into the house on a cloud of her floral perfume or maybe it wasn’t perfume at all. She always smelled like fresh flowers.

As she disappeared into Shelby ’s room, he swept the disc reader from the top of the TV. “Mind if I watch in here? I’d rather do it here than at the ranch.”

She poked her head around the corner, quirking her eyebrows. “Me, too.”

He laughed. “Don’t give me any ideas, woman.”

Her muffled response came from the bedroom as he crouched to slip the disc reader into the DVD player. Perching on the edge of her coffee table, Ryder hunched forward and watched Julia’s front porch…which was as exciting as watching a rock erode.

She strolled to his side, clutching two transformer-type figures in her hands. He jerked his thumb at the toys. “Doesn’t our daughter play with dolls?”

“Not often. Her new must-haves are horses, thank you very much.”

“She’s doing great with her riding lessons. She has so much confidence.”

“Not too much, I hope. I don’t want her taking any foolish chances.”

“Not with me watching her.” He pointed to the TV screen showing a woman on the porch crouched at the front window. “Who’s that?”

They both leaned in closer and Julia snorted. “That’s Gracie Malone peering through my window. What did she hope to see since I’ve been at your parents’ ranch?”

He pushed a button on the remote control to freeze the frame and check the time stamp. Yesterday at five o’clock. Had Charlie gone missing already? He pointed to the window that attracted Gracie. “You need to replace that hardware.”

Julia walked to the front window where she had laid her curtain rod across a loose bracket. She reached up, trying to wedge the curtain rod tighter against the broken bracket and jumped back as the entire bracket fell out of the wall and the rod almost hit her on the head.

“Not much for home repairs, are you? You just made it worse. Now the whole window on the right is uncovered.”

“It’s not like I’ve been around to get anything fixed.” She rested the curtain rod on the floor. “I’ll tack a sheet up before I leave.”

She dropped onto the couch to his left and propped her feet up on the coffee table, tapping his hip with her toe. “What’s she doing now?”

“Nothing. She peeked in the window and then turned around and left.” He fast-forwarded through the frames of empty activity. “Maybe she was looking for Charlie.”

“The buzz has hit the town. The news of Rosie’s death and Charlie’s disappearance spread faster than an avalanche. Some of the tourists are convinced there’s a crazed killer on the loose.”

“There is, but…” Ryder stopped and clenched his jaw.

Julia’s foot froze and her brown eyes grew big and glassy. She knotted her hands in front of her and seemed to shrink two sizes. She finished his sentence. “But the crazed killer isn’t after tourists. He’s after me and those who dare to get in the way of his objective.”

“I’m sorry.” Ryder launched off the coffee table and landed next to her on the couch. He grabbed her hands and tried to knead out the cold. “That was a dumb thing to say.”

“Insensitive maybe, but not dumb. Unfortunately, it’s the truth.”

He ran his hands up her arms and squeezed her shoulders. “Maybe you should just get away from here for a while. You don’t have any classes until September, and Millie can get someone to fill in for you at the shop.”

“I am getting away.”

Even though he’d just suggested it himself, Julia’s words hit him like a cold splash of water. “You’re leaving Silverhill?”