Silent Run

her. Something played at the back of her mind.
    The details were off. Was it in the arrangement of the furniture? Was there a crooked photograph? Was there something about the way the curtain hung over the window? She walked slowly across the room, turned, and came back again. The floorboard creaked beneath her feet. She stopped and took another long look around the apartment.
    What had Jake told her before?
    That when she was taking pictures, her mind always went to the odd detail that made the photograph more interesting.
    There were three small throw rugs on the floor that gave some color and life to the worn brown carpet. One was in front of the apartment door, the other in front of the kitchen door, and the third by the window.
    Why wasn’t it in front of the bathroom door? It would have made more sense to put it there.
    She walked over to the window and knelt down, then in one fluid motion picked up the rug. She’d done this before, she thought. There was a heater vent hidden under the rug. Why would she put a rug over a heater?
    She reached into the slats of the vent and pulled the metal piece up, once again feeling that odd sense of déjà vu.
    Putting the metal grate aside, she peered into a small, dark hole. Reaching in, she took out a pile of cards and rocked back on her heels to see what she had. She laid the cards out on the floor, shocked to see that they were driver’s licenses, each one with a different name, a different address, but all with the same face -- hers.

Chapter Thirteen

    â€œWhat’s all this?” Jake asked from behind her.
    Startled, she had to resist the urge to scoop up the identification cards and hide them away, but it was too late anyway.
    Jake knelt down next to her, wearing only his jeans. Water still glistened on his shoulders, and his hair was spiked and damp. He picked up one of the licenses.
    She licked her lips. In the picture her hair was blond, her name was Kelly Grimes, and the address placed her in Las Vegas. The next one he studied appeared to be a younger version of her with red hair. Her name was Stephanie Hamilton, and her address was in Palm Springs. There were a half dozen more identities.
    â€œHow did you know these were here?” Jake demanded, lifting his gaze to meet hers. “Were you just waiting for me to leave the room?"
    â€œNo, of course not."
    Skepticism filled his eyes. “Sure. You just happened to find these while I was in the shower."
    â€œJake, if I had known they were here, I would have found a way to get rid of you for longer than a shower, and I wouldn’t have been kneeling here like an idiot waiting for you to discover yet another bad secret about me."
    â€œSo what did happen?"
    â€œI thought about what you told me, that I was always aware of odd details. As I looked around the apartment, I kept thinking there was something out of place, and it was this rug. Who puts a rug in front of a window?"
    Jake peered back into the hole, reached in, and pulled out a pile of papers and a bunch of Social Security cards. “Dammit."
    â€œWhat are those?” she asked, not getting a clear view, as his broad shoulders were in the way.
    â€œBirth certificates for a half dozen little girls. Someone went to a lot of trouble to get you and Caitlyn identities that you could switch around and around.” He paused and shook his head in disbelief. “You had help disappearing, Sarah. A lot of help."
    â€œBecause I’m in a lot of trouble,” she whispered.
    â€œI think so. And you’ve been doing this for a while,” Jake added, going back through the licenses. “You look at least five to six years younger in this picture."
    â€œIt started before you, then.” She’d suspected that, but here was confirmation.
    â€œYes.” Jake gazed into her eyes. “But for two years you stayed put; you had a baby, a life with me. Was it always a temporary thing or did something happen to make you run again?"
    â€œI wish I could answer that."
    â€œMaybe you would have run sooner if you hadn’t gotten pregnant,” Jake mused. “Perhaps that’s why you stayed as long as you did. You had to make it through the pregnancy, deliver Caitlyn, and get back on your feet. The pregnancy changed your plans for a few months, that’s all -- which was probably why you were so agitated when you found out you were having a baby."
    â€œBut why would I need to keep