Forget to Remember

to Palos Verdes Boulevard. She knew from riding with Rigo that this street led to Malaga Cove. From there she could take Palos Verdes Drive North to Silver Spur to Hawthorne and then home. She was glad she’d paid attention to where they went.
    However, it was easier said than done. By the time Carol was on the final stretch on Hawthorne, she was moving slowly. Each step required an effort. She was thirsty and tired and sore. Her feet burned. When she finally entered the driveway of the Ramirez residence she felt proud of her accomplishment. The outside light was on. She unlocked the front door and went into the house, trying not to make any noise.
    She heard a soft snore. There was Rigo, asleep in a chair. She hated to wake him, but she had to. He was worried about her. She had to let him know she was okay. She touched his arm and spoke softly. “Rigo.”
    Rigo woke with a start. He looked at her and then at his watch. It was after three. Carol said, “Thanks for waiting up. I’m sorry I’m so late.”
    “You should have called me.”
    “I lost my cell phone.” It was a lame excuse and also gave the wrong idea. “I’m fine.”
    Rigo saw the scrape on her arm. He didn’t seem to be buying her story. She had to do better. “I’ll tell you all about it in the morning. I had an adventure. I’m going to get a glass of water and go to bed.” She gave him a kiss on the forehead and went into the kitchen.

    CHAPTER 19
    Carol had told Rigo the whole story. At least he hoped she had told him the whole story. He knew by now she kept secrets from him. She had been vague about how she’d acquired a driver’s license. Paul Vigiano, the North Carolina attorney, was involved in this, somehow, but their relationship wasn’t clear.
    She claimed Jake Beard was gay. A gay football player? He supposed it was possible. Hadn’t some guy written a book about being a gay football player? She’d shown she had a conscience by not taking the billionaire’s money. She had most of the attributes he was looking for in a wife—except an identity. She couldn’t even get married.
    Rigo and Carol hadn’t come up with any new information on Carol’s identity. Neither had Frances who was waiting for the results of an expanded DNA test for the woman, Victoria Brody. The swimsuit video appeared to be a dead end. Rigo knew this was frustrating to Carol. He wished he could be of more help so she would stop doing dangerous things. She had to avoid Beard. She told Rigo he and Adam shouldn’t go to the sports bar when Beard was likely to be there.
    Tina called from work and told Carol a man named Kyle had phoned and said he had Carol’s cell phone and jacket and where should he send them? Tina told him to send them to her office. Carol said Kyle, who was the billionaire’s assistant, must have taken Tina’s business card out of her purse. That was as bad as going through security at an airport. Maybe worse. Had this Kyle strip-searched her as well? Rigo decided he didn’t like Kyle.
    ***
    Carol had left a brief note for Tina and Ernie in the kitchen before going to bed. Then she slept until late in the morning. She told Rigo everything that happened, figuring he deserved to know. Feeling sorry that she was such a pain to him, she spent the rest of the day with him until he went to work.
    He took her to a private tennis club he had access to because of his accomplishments and gave her a lesson. She had apparently played before, but she wasn’t in his class. He was a good teacher, and she learned a lot. They had fun.
    When Ernie and Tina arrived home, Tina talked about the phone call from Kyle. “Kyle asked if you were all right. He sounded concerned. Of course, I couldn’t tell him because I hadn’t seen you yet. I did tell him you returned home safely.”
    Carol told them an abbreviated version of her adventures last night, downplaying the difficulties and making light of the betting. She tried to make it amusing. They might not have completely bought what she said, but they were too polite to grill her.
    Ernie started talking about a problem they had at their office. “A new division of our company is working on heating systems that don’t generate much or any carbon dioxide. They utilize hydrogen and oxygen, which can be extracted from water. When we’re talking to a prospect, we have to go through some fairly intricate mathematical calculations to justify the cost and determine what the monetary savings and reduction in