Silent Run

only lead they had in this part of town. And he had to hope that Caitlyn was somewhere close by. It was certainly possible that Sarah could have found herself a babysitter without giving away her secrets, and that babysitter could have come from her workplace.
    He looked up as Sarah emerged from the bathroom in a pink floral robe that had been hanging on the back of the bathroom door. She grabbed some clothes out of her dresser and closet and disappeared again.
    It was a good thing, too. Seeing her bare legs peeking out of that robe and the shadow of cleavage between her breasts had made him hard in an instant. He had to get over this insane physical attraction to her. She’d practically killed him with her actions. He should not want her in any way whatsoever.
    Only he did. And that was the damnable truth. For the past seven months he’d done nothing but concoct beautiful plans of revenge and torture for her. But now he was confused. Nothing was adding up as he’d expected. In some ways Sarah was as lost as Caitlyn was. And when Sarah looked at him with a plea in her beautiful blue eyes to somehow find a way out of this mess, he wanted to swoop in and rescue her. But who would he be rescuing? Who was the real Sarah? He sure as hell shouldn’t sleep with her until he knew the answer to that question.
    The bathroom door opened again. Sarah had put on clean jeans and a cream-colored sweater over a camisole top. Her hair was still damp and curling wildly, despite her efforts to brush and straighten it. Her eyes were clearer now, and her bruises didn’t seem so intense. She’d removed the bandage from her forehead, revealing a long deep cut just below her hairline.
    â€œI feel better,” she said. “That was a good idea. What have you been doing?"
    â€œI spoke to Dylan. Does the name Catherine Hilliard ring a bell?"
    Sarah thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Why? Who is she?"
    â€œThe woman who called in to the news broadcast last night. She says you look like a girl she lived with in foster care -- a girl named Jessica.” He watched her closely to see if she flinched or responded in any way, but she simply gave him her usual blank expression.
    â€œAre you saying I grew up in foster care?"
    â€œIf you’re this girl Jessica, you did."
    â€œThen I don’t have a family?” Shadows of disappointment filled her eyes.
    â€œYou told me your parents died when you were young. Maybe that’s why you were in foster care, although you also said you lived with your grandparents in Boston, which wasn’t true."
    â€œWhy would I lie about that?"
    He shrugged. “Catherine told Dylan that her friend Jessica disappeared from Chicago eight years ago, in much the same manner you disappeared from me."
    â€œChicago?” Sarah rubbed her temple again. “My headache is coming back."
    â€œI’ll bet. Maybe your head hurts because you can’t keep track of all the lies. At any rate, Dylan is going to bring Catherine here to meet you. Hopefully if you’re face-to-face, your memory will return."
    â€œHopefully,” she echoed. Sarah glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s almost four. I wonder why Amanda never came back."
    It was a good question. Amanda had acted concerned for Sarah, even wanted to call the police, but she hadn’t rushed back after her lunchtime class to check on her friend. Why was that? “Where did Amanda say she worked?” he asked.
    â€œSomething about a gym."
    Jake got up and walked over to the kitchen wall. There were several numbers listed, including Amanda’s cell and work. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the first number, then handed the phone to Sarah. “She’ll be more likely to talk to you."
    A moment later Sarah shook her head. “No answer."
    â€œTry the other number,” he suggested, reading it off the paper to her.
    â€œYes, hello,” Sarah said. “I’m looking for Amanda. Is she there?” She paused. “Okay, thank you.” She hung up the phone. “I’ll call back later. The gym said she isn’t working today, but I thought she told us she had a lunchtime aerobics class. That’s odd."
    â€œShe’s the only close friend of yours that we’ve identified,” Jake mused. “And she used to watch Caitlyn."
    Sarah’s gaze met his. “She also didn’t let us into her apartment. She shut the door when she