Jessica R. Patch - Recovered Secrets

“I just hung up with Sheriff Freeman.” Grace stood, hope and dread vied for first place in her gaze. “What did you find?”

Hollis hated being the bearer of bad news. “Nothing. Let’s go through his room before Sheriff Freeman arrives. We don’t have much time.” Once Cord Freeman showed up, which could be any minute, Hollis feared he’d be out of the loop. Even if they worked closely on occasional rescue missions, Cord was a stickler for rules. Hollis might have to bend some in order to protect Grace and he didn’t want anyone—not even Cord—standing in the way. He turned to Tish. “Can we have a pair of those latex gloves you clean with?”

Tish made haste and gave him a pair, worry in her eyes. Hollis laid a hand on her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.” He kept saying that, but the truth was he had no idea if it was or not. “Come on.” He gave the gloves to Grace. She followed him through the dining area, into the foyer and to the front entrance where the stairs were located. They climbed up and around to the second floor. Found Peter Rainey’s room and entered. Tish said he’d arrived late last night.

“Did you find a driver’s license?” Grace asked as she opened and closed drawers. Hollis spotted a rolling suitcase in the corner of the room. Carry-on size.

“No. He had a wallet but only cash inside. Odd, don’t you think?” He carefully unzipped the black Samsonite carry-on bag. A pair of jeans. Button-down shirt. Socks...toiletry bag.

“It is odd.” Grace finished with the dresser and headed for the chest of drawers. “He told me that he calls me ‘Mad Max’ as a nickname. What does that mean?”

Hollis paused perusing the suitcase and glanced at Grace. Mad Max was a cop who’d lost his son and sought revenge. He was a wild card, but excellent at his job. “It’s from a movie. A series of movies. Mad Max was a good guy.” He left it at that and filed away what the nickname might mean in context to Grace. “What else did he say?”

“Our doctor is female and her name is Dr. Sayer. He didn’t know I had amnesia until he noticed I was scared. That signaled something was wrong. I guess I shouldn’t have been afraid of him. He also said he was sorry for betraying me.”

Hollis’s stomach knotted. Could they have been romantically involved? Had he betrayed her with infidelity? “Tell me everything.”

As they combed the room, finding nothing, she laid out the details. This guy carried light and had zero identification. How did he fly? Or drive? “We need to find his car.” Peter’s keys had been on the nightstand.

Outside, they spotted Cord’s sheriff’s unit. He’d bypassed finding them for the crime scene. Typical. “We need to hurry.”

Grace nodded and they rushed to the white sedan Peter had been driving. Nothing of value or telling inside. Just maps of Mississippi and stacks of brochures in the glove box for surrounding towns. Doubtful he was a sightseer. No, when he’d seen Grace was alive, he’d come straight for her.

When little Lilly’s disappearance in the state park had gone national, Hollis feared whoever hurt Grace would see her and come to finish what they started. It’s why he’d flown home early from his sister Greer’s house in Alabama. Now that Greer and Locke were together and engaged... “Remember me telling you about my sister’s fiancé?”

“The one who chases tornadoes for a living? What about him?” Grace asked.

“His sister is former Secret Service and now works with their cousin and a specialized team at a private security company in Atlanta. I also know the head of the company—he’s a former SEAL too. He looked into your case when you were in a coma, but obviously nothing turned up.” With these new developments, it was time to try again. “But they have skills that can get us information far faster than the local sheriff’s department. How about I call them again. Maybe we can dig up some information on Dr. Sayer, Peter Rainey and those Latino men.”

Grace gnawed the tip of her thumb. “I’m up for anything that gets me answers. He said others might know I’m alive. Why does that feel ominous?”

The sheriff rounded the corner on foot. Cord Freeman was a hulk of a man and as rough as a corn cob. A few years older than Hollis’s thirty-two years and serious about everything. He nodded at Grace, lingering a bit longer than necessary—like most men in town. She was striking and exotic. “Grace, Hollister.”

“Hey, Cord,” Hollis said.

Cord eyed his gloves, then Grace’s. “I see you’ve been playing CSI. I’m going to assume you weren’t dumb enough to disturb the evidence.”

Hollis’s jaw twitched but he reined in his temper. Cord had a point. “I’m not a complete idiot.”

Cord raised a dark eyebrow. Amusement gleamed in his eyes. He was mad, but not livid. “Well...at least you admit you’re half an idiot.” He smirked. “What’d you find?” Cord asked a million questions and scratched his head. The coroner arrived and Cord followed him to Grace’s. Hollis held Grace back with him. “I know things feel like they’re crazier than ever, but let’s look at it like the glass is half full. We now have a few pieces of information. Names. We can make this dog hunt.”

She reached up and lightly touched his cheek, no longer wearing the gloves. He hadn’t shaved this morning, but his stubble didn’t seem to bother her. “Hollis, I don’t know what I would have done—what I would do—without you. I will never be able to repay you.”

He caressed the hand resting on his cheek, his heart swelling and aching in unison. “I don’t want to be repaid, Grace. I just want you to know who you are.” And who she might belong to. He wanted her unlocked from this prison of her mind. Free to... He wouldn’t go there. “I’m going to call Locke and have him see if his sister can help us. If I can’t reach him, I’ll call Wilder directly.”

More deputies showed up and filed into Grace’s house. Her brow turned worried. “I hope this doesn’t mess up business for Tish. She’s worked hard to build this inn after Ed died, and having a shooting on the property isn’t exactly the picture of cozy and safe. What if they see the cadaver?”

Cadaver. A word that flowed off her tongue like it belonged there. She might be in the medical field...but he held reservations. A man with no identification found Grace...and wanted the doctor. Said he could be trusted. Two obvious bad guys wanted said doctor as well. Why would Grace know about this person’s whereabouts? Could Dr. Sayer be in the Witness Protection Program? He liked the idea of Grace being a marshal a whole lot more than a woman with a seedy past—possibly criminal. Hollis couldn’t imagine Grace would desire to return to that environment if her memories surfaced. He was there the Sunday she walked to the front and gave her heart and life to God. She was a new person now. But the needling inside him intensified. Reminded him of his own past.

Mary Beth had been a bright and shining star when he’d moved to Cottonwood to take over the SAR several years ago. He’d fallen fast and thought she returned those feelings, but after a year she claimed she didn’t know who she was and needed to find herself. Whatever that meant. She’d asked for three months, and Hollis had agreed with hopes she’d return from New York ready to move forward in their relationship.

But instead, she’d decided small-town life wasn’t for her. It was mundane. Too small. Not enough excitement. She ought to be here now. Mary Beth would have more excitement than she could handle.

She’d broken Hollis’s heart, and all but told him he wasn’t enough. He’d managed to get over the fact that his dad had walked out on his family, but Mary Beth stomping on his heart seemed different. Didn’t matter now. It was water under the bridge. Which reminded him. “I’d like to take a boat out and check river levels.” He peered into the sky. “I don’t see this letting up.” They had levees in place, but if this didn’t level off soon, he wasn’t sure what would happen. Being a water town had its perks, but also its fears.