Silent Run

he’d left. He had a damp newspaper in his hand, which he tossed down on the table along with a brown paper bag.
    â€œWhat’s that?” she asked.
    â€œStuff,” he said vaguely.
    â€œAre you okay?"
    â€œHow the hell do you think I am, Sarah?"
    Since she had no good answer for him, she said nothing. She wasn’t sure if she should tell him what she’d remembered about their last day together. His mood seemed dangerously volatile. Would he be happy that she’d remembered him at all? Or would it just annoy him more? Her memory had given her little new information, so perhaps she’d keep it to herself for now.
    Jake sat down by his new laptop computer and began hitting the buttons. Apparently he wasn’t planning to talk to her. Well, maybe it was better that way. She didn’t know what to say to him either. Glancing at the clock radio by the bed, she saw that it was ten o’clock. They still had a long night ahead of them. Would Jake sleep with her or take the other bed? Would it be as awkward and uncomfortable as it was right now?
    Putting a hand to her abdomen, she thought again about the fact that she could have just gotten herself pregnant. What an idiot. She might not remember her life, but she knew better than to have unprotected sex. She just hadn’t been thinking -- she’d been feeling. She’d let her emotions run free for what felt like the first time in forever, and it had felt great. She suspected she’d been keeping a tight rein for the last seven months, and she’d needed the release.
    But it had been more than just a release of tension and simple sex. Simple could never describe the relationship she and Jake shared. It was complicated in every possible way. She didn’t know how she felt about him or how he felt about her. They were both afraid to care too much -- even though they had different reasons for that fear. She couldn’t remember enough, and he remembered too much.
    She flipped on the television set, desperate to bring some neutral noise into the room. She was far too aware of Jake’s presence just a few feet away.
    Changing the channels, she finally settled on one of the local news shows. She wasn’t paying much attention until the camera panned an area that looked very familiar to her. It was Venice Beach, a location not far from her apartment building.
    She sat up abruptly. “Jake,” she said urgently. “Look."
    He frowned, not lifting his gaze from the screen. “What? I’m concentrating here."
    â€œThe TV.” She turned up the sound as the news reporter began to speak. “A body was found behind a dumpster at Venice Beach early this evening. He was shot in the head, execution style,” the woman said. “The man has been identified as thirty-six-year-old Shane Hollis of Chicago. The police have no suspects and no motive, and would like the public’s help in solving this crime.” A phone number ran across the bottom of the screen just as a photo came up next to the reporter. It was a head shot of a man with dark hair and dark eyes.
    Sarah felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. “Oh, my God!”
    Jake jerked to his feet. “That’s --"
    â€œThe man who tried to kill us earlier,” she finished. “Someone murdered him. Why?"
    Jake’s gaze met hers. “Because he didn’t get the job done,” he said slowly. “You’re still alive."
    â€œThis is... insane,” she whispered.
    â€œI agree. In fact, I think we’re dealing with someone who is insane."
    â€œIt’s possible that the man’s death doesn’t have anything to do with me,” she said halfheartedly. “He was a thug. He could have had lots of enemies. He could have tried to hurt someone else."
    â€œNo, Sarah. He’s been up and down the state the past three days trying to kill you. This has everything to do with you. At least we have one name, Shane Hollis. And he was from Chicago, which is where Catherine placed her friend Jessica when she disappeared eight years ago.” Jake turned back toward his computer. “I’ve just about got the Internet up. We can look up Shane Hollis and start with him."
    She rose from the bed and joined him at the table, taking the seat next to him. “If Shane was murdered in Venice Beach, just a few miles from here, that means whoever did it is also close by."
    â€œYeah,” Jake agreed