Silent Run

He didn’t even see the view before him. He was too busy fighting the desire to put his hands on Sarah and shake the truth out of her. So intense was his concentration, it took him a moment to realize that his cell phone was ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw the number for the sheriff’s department.
    It was about time. “Hello?"
    â€œThis is Deputy Manning, Mr. Sanders. We’ve concluded our search of the canyon, and your daughter is not there."
    Jake let out a breath. Finally an answer to something. He was relieved on one hand, but on the other hand he still didn’t have his daughter.
    â€œI met with your brother earlier,” Manning continued. “He told me about the private investigation you ran on Ms. Tucker. I also did some checking myself, and Ms. Tucker has no fingerprints on record, no social security number, no credit cards, no paper trail. While it’s concerning, it’s not criminal -- not yet, anyway. I’ll stop by the hospital as soon as I’m done here. Security already filled me in on the alleged attack. Obviously Ms. Tucker is mixed up in something. Hopefully she’ll get her memory back soon and will be able to answer our questions."
    â€œWhat about my daughter? What else are you going to do to find her?"
    â€œWe’ll discuss that when I get there. The good news is that your daughter wasn’t in the car. She’s probably tucked away somewhere safe."
    â€œI hope so."
    â€œWhat did the deputy say?” Sarah asked as he hung up the phone.
    He turned back to face her. “They’ve finished the search. Caitlyn wasn’t there. Manning will be down here shortly. He said he hasn’t been able to verify your existence, that you’ve probably been living under another name."
    She sat up straight, her brows drawing into a confused frown. “You mean I’m not Sarah Tucker?"
    â€œThat’s the name you gave me. But like Manning, I never could find any evidence of your existence."
    â€œHow is that possible? I thought with the Internet, it was easy to find anyone."
    â€œNot someone intent on hiding, someone very good at covering her tracks. When you disappeared, I discovered that the woman I knew didn’t exist. You had given phony references to the café where you worked. You had no credit cards in your name, no bank accounts, not even a driver’s license. I never thought to ask if you had a license when you told me you didn’t have a car. I never thought to question where you kept your money. After you moved in with me, I paid all the bills."
    He walked toward the bed, holding her gaze. “Every investigator I worked with suggested that you had help in disappearing, and that it probably wasn’t the first time you’d pulled a vanishing act. You had to have had connections to construct an identity for yourself that allowed you to live freely and yet disappear completely when you were ready to go.” He paused. “But someone somewhere knows who you really are."
    â€œMaybe that’s the person who’s trying to kill me,” she said.
    â€œMaybe it is."
    â€œAnd I won’t see him coming, because I don’t know who he is."
    â€œThen you’d better get your memory back fast. I’m going to get some air."
    Sarah stretched out on the bed and sank back against the pillows as Jake left the room. She was both relieved and terrified to be alone. She didn’t know where the danger would come from next, but she was certain that whoever was after her was not through trying. She had to remember. She simply had to.
    Squeezing her eyes shut, she searched desperately for a memory. But there was nothing. She knew there was only one way to get into her brain; she had to try to sleep. Her nightmares might be the only way to find her daughter.

Chapter Six

    The questions were so simple. He wanted to know her name, where she came from, what she did, who she was. He was so handsome, so sophisticated, so clearly out of her league that she couldn’t help but hesitate. Deep in her heart she wanted to speak the truth, the whole ugly truth, but she was afraid of the results. Things would change. He wouldn’t smile at her the way he was smiling now -- not if he knew who she really was. If she didn’t give him the right answers, he’d walk away. It had happened before.
    What did it matter in the end? She would be who he wanted her to be. She’d learned that