chapter Two
She awoke in increments of consciousness, first aware of the sharp smell of antiseptic and then the feel of the stiff mattress beneath her. A hospital. Full consciousness came to her like a slap in the face, bringing with it a spill of memories that were too strange for her to want to claim as her own.
Sand...and sun...and a terror so huge she couldn’t now embrace what she knew she’d felt before. Safe. She was safe now. Her head filled with a vision of a handsome, dark-haired man with soft gray eyes. He’d told her she was safe and she’d believed his low, calm voice, the steady assurance of his gaze.
She heard the approach of a rattling cart in the hallway, smelled the scent of coffee and bacon and realized she was ravenous.
A hand control allowed her to raise the head of her bed at the same time a nurse came in. “Ah, good. You’re awake,” she said cheerfully. “And just in time to enjoy Amber Lake Memorial Hospital’s finest cuisine.” With an efficiency of movement, the nurse pulled out a table and swung it across the center of the bed and then placed a tray on top.
She looked at the nurse with her short, curly dark hair and eyes that were a blue-gray and remembered her from the night before. She’d been kind.
“My name is Linda,” she said as she pulled the cover from the tray, exposing a plate of bacon and eggs and toast. There was a cup of coffee, a carton of orange juice and a small fruit cup, as well.
Linda smiled at her once again. “It was my brother, Seth, who found you yesterday.”
So, Gray Eyes had a name. Seth. Even just hearing his name took away some of the knot of anxiety that pressed tight against her chest.
“I don’t know if you remember or not, but we got you off the IV in the middle of the night. Your vitals are all good and the doctor should be in later this morning to see you. I know Seth and the sheriff are going to be here anytime, so you’d better enjoy your meal in peace and quiet before they get here and start bothering you with questions.” Linda’s smile faded into a look of concern. “Is there anything else I can do for you now?”
Tell me this is all a dream, she thought. Tell me I’m going to wake up soon and all of this has just been a crazy nightmare. She shook her head to indicate that she was fine and then picked up her fork.
As she began to eat, Linda hesitated a moment at the door. “Can you tell me your name this morning?”
Her hand trembled slightly as she shook her head.
Linda offered her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay...maybe later.” She left the room. The scrambled eggs were cooked perfectly and the bacon was crisp. The coffee was a bit strong, but it warmed her a little bit as she drank it. And she needed the warmth, for there seemed to be a cold hand clenched around her heart that refused to release its hold.
She focused solely on the meal, not wanting to think about anything else, afraid to delve too deeply into her own mind until she figured out some things.
She ate everything on the plate and then swung the table away so that she could get out of bed. She needed to use the restroom. She moved her legs to hang off the side of the bed and sat up, wanting to make sure there was no dizziness that would create a potential fall.
As she got to her feet, she was grateful that the IV was gone and pleased to discover that she felt strong. She quickly made her way into the bathroom, the green-flowered hospital gown swimming around her small frame.
The reflection that greeted her in the mirror was that of a stranger. The knot of anxiety that had momentarily subsided grew bigger, tighter in her chest.
She didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror with her blue, widened eyes and her dark hair hanging limp and dirty to her shoulders. She reached up to scratch her itchy scalp and her fingers came away with tiny granules of pale sand beneath the nails.
Sand...everywhere, pressing in on her, suffocating her. She couldn’t move as she heard the scrape of a shovel, felt the weight of the sand covering her. As the strange memories shot through her she slapped a hand over her chest to keep her rapidly banging heart from beating right out of her skin.
She whirled away from the mirror, took care of her needs and then quickly exited the bathroom and got back into the bed. Safe, you’re safe now. The words reverberated through her head, finally slowing her heartbeat to a more normal pace, and the trembling that had taken hold of her eased.
She wasn’t in bed long before an aide came in. She looked like a teenager and chirped a cheerful greeting as she removed the breakfast tray and then disappeared out of the room.
Linda came back in the room, carrying a pair of lightweight blue jogging pants and a matching T-shirt and underclothes. “Do you feel up to a shower?”
She nodded eagerly. There was nothing she’d love more than to wash the sand out of her hair, to feel clean again. Maybe a shower would better prepare her for whatever happened next.
Even though she needed no help, Linda offered her an arm to lean on as they walked to the bathroom. This time she consciously avoided looking in the mirror and leaned against the wall as Linda started the water in the small shower enclosure.
“I brought you some clothes,” Linda said. “Actually, they belong to my daughter, Samantha. She’s sixteen and you look to be about the same size. Shampoo...soap, it’s all in the shower. Take as long as you need and I’ll be back to check on you in just a few minutes.”
Moments later she stood beneath a warm spray of water and scrubbed the shampoo into her hair. It took three shampoo-and-rinses before she felt as if all the sand and grit were finally gone.
She’d wanted to thank Linda for the clothes, for her kindness, but she was afraid to speak, afraid that somehow the sound of her own voice would make this all frighteningly real. And she didn’t want it to be real.
There was toothpaste and a toothbrush, a hairbrush and a comb on the sink and she used them all before finally leaving the bathroom. She almost felt human again...almost.
As she returned to the bed and sat on the edge, the knot of anxiety returned, make her feel half-breathless. Amber Lake Memorial Hospital. The name was everywhere. But where exactly was Amber Lake, and how had she gotten here?
At that moment the sheriff and Seth walked into the room. Linda entered as well, leaning against the wall and out of the way.
She immediately looked into Seth’s eyes, seeking the same kind of calmness she’d found there the night before. She wasn’t disappointed.
“Well, you look much better this morning than when we left you last night,” the sheriff said with obviously forced cheerfulness. “How are you feeling?”
She knew an answer was required from her, but her mouth would form no words, and her diaphragm refused to work to allow her any speech.
The sheriff frowned. “Are you up to a few questions?”
She hesitated a moment and then nodded.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
Tears began to press hot at her eyes. Sand...it was everywhere, stifling her ability to draw a deep breath, filling her mouth and making it impossible for her to speak, to move.
“Ma’am? Can you tell us who you are?” the sheriff asked.
She was aware of the tears beginning to trek down her cheeks as she remembered the weight of the sand on her body, the sound of the shovel scooping up more...more sand to throw on top of her.
She couldn’t seem to get past those moments of sheer terror. She couldn’t access any other information. She was trapped in that moment, her mouth, her brain filled with sand, unable to move forward from the experience.
Seth stepped closer, his chiseled features softened. “You know you’re safe now.” She hesitated a moment and then nodded. “Can you talk to us?” She paused again and then slowly shook her head negatively as the tears fell faster down her cheeks.
“Maybe we should try this again later in the day,” Linda suggested, her concern for her patient obvious.
Seth’s gaze never left hers as he reached out for her hand. Again she hesitated and then slipped her cold hand into his warm one. He squeezed slightly. “Will you talk to us later?”
She wanted to please him, this man who’d saved her life. She wanted to be able to give him whatever it was he and the sheriff needed to know, but she couldn’t. Slowly, she once again shook her head.
“She needs more time,” Linda said. “She’s obviously still traumatized.”
Seth released her hand and stood, a frown tracking across his handsome forehead. “We met Dr. Kane on the way in. He gave me the name of a counselor for her to see if necessary and told told me she’s free to go, that he intends to release her.”
“Release her to where?” the sheriff asked.
Once again her heart began to bang a sickening rhythm. Where would she go? What would happen to her now? At least here in the hospital she knew where she was, she knew she was safe. But safe from what? Safe from who? Who would try to kill her by burying her? Why would anyone want to do that to her? She shoved the horrifying questions to the back of her mind and instead focused her attention on the conversation between the sheriff and Seth.
“We’re a small town. We don’t have the resources to put her up someplace until we can get some information from her,” the sheriff said.
“She’ll come to my house,” Linda replied smoothly. “Seth is there, she’ll be safe there and I’ll be able to look after her whenever I’m home.”
“Are you sure about this?” Seth asked.
“Positive. You can bunk on the sofa and I’ll give her the guest room.” Linda smiled at her. “Would you be okay with that? Staying at my place and giving yourself a little more time?”
She nodded. She had no reason not to trust the kind nurse and the man who had rescued her. And she was terrified by any other alternative.
“If you could just tell us your name then we could find out where you live, maybe call some relatives to let them know you’re here.” The sheriff took another step closer, his frustration wafting off him. “Just your name. Can you just tell me your name?”
She’d love to do that, but the problem was she didn’t know her name. She didn’t know who she was or where she lived. It was as if the sand where Seth had found her had given birth to her. She had absolutely no memories before that time and it was that particular horror that kept her from speaking.
She had nothing to say that could help them and she’d rather they thought her mute from trauma than admit that she had no idea who she was or where she belonged.
* * *
IT WAS JUST AFTER TWO in the afternoon when Seth went back to the hospital to pick up Jane Doe and take her home to Linda’s place. Since their early-morning visit with her, Sheriff Atkins had taken her fingerprints to see if anything would pop up in the system to identify her.
His deputies had searched the area for a car, scoured the dunes in hopes of finding a purse or a wallet that might let them know her name. But at the moment she remained Jane Doe.
Seth only hoped that with a little more time she’d trust them all enough to tell them who she was and exactly what had happened to her.
He’d spent most of the night before poring over the files of the two crimes that had occurred in the past two months. Deputy Raymond Michaels had dropped them off about seven the night before.
Seth could understand how the sheriff might have convinced himself that the first young woman, nineteen-year-old Rebecca Cook, had been the victim of some kind of a freak accident.
There had been a party on the dunes, and according to eyewitness reports, things had gotten pretty wild. Rebecca had attended the party but it had been the next day when a couple of riders had come out to enjoy the dunes that they’d discovered her body buried in the sand with only the tips of her toes showing.
The second victim, Vicki Smith, had been a relative newcomer to town. She was thirty years old at the time of her death and had been found almost exactly a month later, buried in a different area of the dunes. There was no way to write off her death as anything but what it had been...murder.
And here they were almost a month to the day after the last murder with a victim who had lived through sheer luck alone. Three months...three women, and Seth was aware that if the killer stayed on the same pattern that meant the clock had already begun ticking down for the next victim.
Time. It could be the biggest hindrance in solving a crime. The more time that passed the more opportunity a killer gained to cover his tracks or to manufacture an alibi. And the more time that passed, the closer they would get to the time when the killer would feel the need for a new victim.
Hopefully Sheriff Atkins would get a hit from the fingerprints they’d taken from the woman in the hospital and they would soon know her name. With that information they could attempt to retrace her footsteps just before she wound up buried in the sand and hopefully find some information that would lead to an arrest.
He hoped by now the Sheriff had interrogated the three young men who had been on the dunes when Jane Doe had been found. As far as Seth was concerned they were all persons of interest in the crime.
As Seth parked his truck in the hospital lot, he found it ridiculous how eager he was to see Jane again. There was no question that something about her drew him. Maybe it was the helplessness and slight hint of need he saw in her eyes when she looked at him, but he’d never been attracted to any such women in his past.
He was usually attracted to strong, independent women who invited him into their lives, into their beds, because they wanted him, not because they needed him. Of course, it had been over a year since he’d been in a relationship with any woman. Too much work and no play, was it any wonder a sexy little slip of a woman with bright blue eyes would fire off some testosterone?
When he’d first walked into her hospital room that morning he’d been stunned by her cleanup. Her hair had been a shiny dark curtain hanging below her shoulders and her eyes had held not just fear, not just need, but also an intelligence and awareness that had entranced him.
Unfortunately, something was keeping her from communicating. He had to trust Linda and hope that it was just a matter of time. He reminded himself it had only been twenty-four hours since he’d dug her out of the sand dune.
Her inability to speak might be some sort of self-preservation instinct until she fully processed what had happened to her. He knew she was capable of at least making sounds...he’d heard the inhuman cries issuing from her when she’d come out of the ground and had tried to scramble away. He knew he needed patience, but it was difficult to be patient under the circumstances.
Linda greeted him in the hall just outside her room. “She’s all set. She seems to be okay with the plan to stay at my house for the time being. I don’t want you browbeating her with a bunch of questions, Seth. She’s fragile. We don’t know what happened to her before she was found in the sand. The fact that she isn’t speaking attests to the depth of trauma she’s undergone.”
Seth smiled at his sister with affection. “Hey, sis, this isn’t my first rodeo. This is what I do for a living.”
“You catch killers for a living,” Linda countered. “And I just don’t want you focused so solely on the endgame that you forget you have a real, living victim here.”
“I promise I’ll be gentle with her,” he replied.
“Pinky swear,” Linda demanded and held up her hand.
Seth laughed and linked his little finger with hers. “Pinky swear,” he agreed.
“Samantha knows what’s going on and has promised to help however she can.”
“Then there’s nothing left for me to do but get Jane to your house and hope we can build some trust that will get her talking as quickly as possible.” Even though Seth had promised to be gentle with her, he couldn’t lose sight of what they needed from her.
She was an integral part of a puzzle that involved two previous deaths, an important clue to what appeared to be a serial killer working in the small town.
As he entered her hospital room she stood with her back to him, looking out the window into the sun-filled June afternoon. Despite the fact that she was short and slender, she had a good figure with a nice shapely butt.
He shook his head to dispel this totally male thought. “Jane.” She turned to look at him. “Since we don’t know your real name, we’re going to call you Jane. Is that okay?”
She nodded and offered him a small smile. The simple gesture shot a wave of unexpected heat through his belly. A job, he reminded himself. She was a tool he needed to use to complete a job and nothing more. For all he knew, despite the fact that she wore no wedding ring, she could have a husband or a family somewhere awaiting her return.
There was no way he could get caught up with her on a personal level, despite the beauty of her smile, in spite of the simmering emotions that radiated from her eyes.
“So, you know the plan? You’re coming with me to hang out at my sister’s place until we have a better idea of what’s going on?”
Once again she nodded and stepped closer to him, close enough that he could smell the scent of clean shampoo and soap. “You’re in Amber Lake, Oklahoma. Does that sound familiar?”
She frowned and shook her head. “Then let’s get you out of here,” he said. Together they left the hospital and he led her to his pickup. He opened the passenger door and she stepped up into the cab.
As Seth slid behind the steering wheel he wondered how on earth this was going to work. He’d never spent any time with a woman who couldn’t...or wouldn’t talk. Usually he complained about having the opposite problem...hooking up with women who wouldn’t let him get a word in edgewise.
Seth was accustomed to being the strong, silent type but that obviously wasn’t going to work in this particular situation.
The good news was that Samantha would probably be home and she was a typical sixteen-year-old chatterbox. Linda would be home around five to help with what suddenly felt like a babysitting job for a traumatized victim who intrigued him like no other woman had done in a very long time.
Just a job, he reminded himself as he pulled into the driveway of Linda’s neat three-bedroom ranch-style house. Atkins had told him earlier in the day that he’d posted signs that Deadman’s Dunes were off-limits to everyone for the time being.
But Seth knew there was no way Sheriff Atkins and his team could monitor all of the dunes day and night in an attempt to prevent another burial. He glanced at the woman seated next to him staring out the passenger window. She held the keys to catching the killer. Hopefully she would be able to give them the information they needed before another woman died.
“Here we are,” he said. He realized he hadn’t said a word on the short ride home from the hospital.
She turned and looked at him. As he saw the gratitude in her beautiful eyes, a surge of unexpected protectiveness rose up inside him. “It’s going to be okay,” he said softly. “You’re going to be just fine.”
Her eyes darkened and at that moment Samantha exploded out of the house, her short dark curls bouncing and a bright smile of welcome on her beautiful face. She halted at the edge of the driveway as Seth and Jane got out of the truck.
“Hi, Uncle Seth,” she said as she beelined to Jane. “Hi, I’m Samantha, and I’m so glad you’re here. Mom explained to me that you’re not talking right now, but it’s okay, I talk enough for two people. If you need to borrow any of my clothes, you’re welcome to them. Clothes, makeup, whatever you need I’ve got.”
Seth could almost feel the tension leaving Jane as Samantha’s friendly chatter filled the air. He guessed that Jane was probably in her mid to late twenties, probably ten years older than Samantha, but Samantha could charm the birds out of the trees when she wasn’t having a typical teenage hormonal moment.
He watched as Samantha took Jane’s hand. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room and then if you want you can help me with supper. I’m hoping if I have it all ready to eat when Mom gets home I can talk her into getting a puppy.”
“Good luck with that,” Seth said dryly as he followed the two into the house.
“I’ve been working on her for the past month. I think I’ve almost got her convinced. You should help me, Uncle Seth. You know having a puppy would teach me responsibility and keep me from doing drugs and partying.”
“You don’t need a puppy to keep you from doing drugs,” Seth replied. “If I even think that’s an issue you’ll have to contend with me.”
Samantha smiled at Jane. “Don’t worry, he sounds like a big tough guy but he’s got a really mushy center.”
Seth watched as Samantha led Jane down the hallway and the two disappeared into the spare room. Knowing at least for the moment that Jane was in good hands, he walked into the kitchen and pulled a cold soda from the fridge.
If this had been a usual case, Seth would have been holed up in the sheriff’s office, leading a new investigation not only into this latest crime, but also reinvestigating the two that had occurred previously.
He’d have all the players reinterviewed, check and double-check alibis, and set up a task force to specifically work on it. But this wasn’t a usual case, and he forced a smile as the biggest clue of the case came into the kitchen with Samantha.
“We’re having meat loaf and mashed potatoes for supper. The meat loaf is already cooking, but I’ve got to peel the potatoes and get them boiling,” Samantha said.
Jane pointed to herself, indicating that she’d peel the potatoes. Within minutes she was at the sink working as Samantha got out salad makings from the fridge and talked about the events of her day.
Jane appeared perfectly at ease, responding to Samantha with smiles and head nods. Maybe Samantha with both her teenage angst and cheerful natural exuberance was just what they needed to open up Jane.
Seth remained in the kitchen, seated at the table and out of the way as the two worked side by side to finish preparing the evening meal.
Dr. Kane had done a quick exam of Jane’s throat and had found no physical reason why she wasn’t speaking. Seth had already known that she was capable of talking. He would never, for the rest of his life, forget the sounds that had come from her throat in those moments when she’d tried to scrabble away from him...from the sand that surrounded her.
It was simply a choice that she refused to say a word. Her words were probably trapped inside the trauma and somehow they needed to break through.
By six o’clock Linda arrived home, pleased that her daughter had the evening meal ready and that Jane seemed to be settled in just fine.
“Mom, even Uncle Seth agrees that a puppy is a good idea,” Samantha said once they were all seated at the table.
“Whoa.” Seth held up both hands. “Don’t get me in the middle of this argument.” Samantha glared at him and Jane laughed.
Time seemed to freeze at the low, pleasant sound. Jane’s eyes widened and then she quickly focused on the food on her plate as Linda and Samantha began their discussion about a puppy.
Seth scarcely heard the conversation going back and forth. He was focused on Jane and the beautiful sound of laughter that had escaped her.
It wasn’t much, but it was a start, and hopefully by the end of the evening she’d be able to give him more...she’d be able to at least tell him her name.