Silent Run

that.
    But other men would. She knew that, too.
    How did she know?
    It came from a dark place in her heart, a place where she didn’t want to go.
    Moving across the room, she picked up the photograph from the floor. “This is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco."
    â€œHow can you remember that and not remember...” Jake shook his head, not even bothering to finish the question.
    â€œDid I take this when I was with you?"
    â€œYes,” he said shortly. “You shot all these pictures when you were with me. We went out every weekend. I grew up in San Francisco, but with you I discovered places I never knew existed. You dragged me down every back alley in Chinatown, every park, every narrow downtown street.” He waved his hand toward the wall. “I’m surprised you brought these pictures with you. I certainly don’t recognize anything else in the room. In this place you were Samantha Blake. And Caitlyn was Katie. I wonder how many people you’ve been in your life, how many places you’ve lived, how many times you’ve run."
    His gaze burned into hers. In the past day he’d begun to look at her like he knew her. Now his suspicions had returned. And she had no way to fight them.
    Turning her attention back to the photographs, she prayed for some clue to jump out at her, something that would trigger a memory. She moved down the wall, pausing in front of a two-story house. “Is this the house you were building?"
    â€œNo, that one belongs to a friend of mine. I designed the remodel. You shot the photos just before he moved in."
    Sarah studied the picture, feeling a sense of warmth in the lines of the house, the lovely garden in the front yard. It was a home just waiting for a family, she thought. “Was your friend married?"
    â€œA newlywed, and his wife was pregnant when they moved in."
    â€œDo they love the house?"
    â€œWhy are you asking me these questions?"
    She tilted her head to one side as images floated through her head. She was walking down the street. It was twilight. The lights in the houses were on. Families were sitting down to dinner. In one window she could see a mother helping her child with homework. In another a man and a woman were holding hands over a candlelit supper. Inside, she felt a deep sense of longing.
    â€œSarah?"
    Jake’s questioning voice brought her back to the present.
    â€œI saw houses,” she said. “At dinnertime. I don’t know who the people were."
    â€œNo, you don’t,” Jake said, surprising her with the response.
    â€œWhat do you mean?"
    â€œWe used to take walks at night when I got home from work. You loved looking in the windows. I teased you about it. You said it was a habit from childhood. You liked to see the way other people lived."
    She thought about his words, wondering why they sounded right and yet a little wrong, too. She gazed back at the house he’d designed. “This is beautiful."
    â€œYou captured it well. You were a good photographer, Sarah. You loved to pick out the one detail that made the landscape different, like the empty beer can in this shot.” He pointed to another picture on the wall -- a bird nibbling at a fast-food wrapper. “You liked the contrast of nature with civilization. You would get into crazy positions just to catch the right angle, the perfect beam of light. You were passionate about it. Like Amanda, I suggested a couple of times that you turn it into a business, but you always blew me off, saying it was the digital age of camera phones, and everyone was a photographer."
    â€œThat is true, isn’t it?"
    â€œI think you had another reason. You didn’t want to draw attention to yourself. You didn’t want photos with your name attached. That would have been too public for someone intent on staying out of the light."
    She looked into his face and asked the question she needed to ask. “Do you think I used you to hide?"
    A pulse throbbed in his throat. “I think you used me, but I don’t know why."
    â€œHow did I get pregnant? Did we plan it? Was it an accident?"
    â€œAn accident. The condom broke.” His gaze darkened. “When you got pregnant you were shocked, agitated. I thought for a while you’d run out and get an abortion. You kept saying you couldn’t have a baby. I tried to calm you down. It wasn’t in my plan either, but it had happened, and we had to deal with it. And the last