Cut & Run (A Rachel Scott Adventure) - By Traci Hohenstein Page 0,25

Let’s grab something to go and then swing by my house. I’d like to pick up a few things, if you don’t mind.”

“Give me a minute to check on Melinda. Then we’ll go get your po’boy and you can tell me more about this homeless guy you remember.”

CHAPTER 18

Matt stared out the window as his brother pulled onto St. Charles Avenue, which ran through the heart of the Garden District. The smell of the shrimp po’boys and dirty rice tucked snugly in a white paper sack in the back seat was intoxicating and made his mouth water. It was the first time since being out of the hospital that he really felt hungry.

The scenery was picturesque as they traversed St. Charles, famous for its streetcar line and leafy canopy of ancient live oaks. The grand mansions that lined the street were like an architectural student’s wet dream. Tourists traveled from far away just to admire the largest collection of architectural styles in the country, including Greek Revival, Colonial Revival, Victorian, Italianate, and center hall cottages. A majority of the mansions had grand embellishments, such as ornate wrought iron fences lushly overgrown with Southern flora. As his brother turned off St. Charles Avenue onto Valmont Street and Matt saw his house, he couldn’t help thinking that it kept up appearances. Nobody driving by would guess that anything with his family was amiss. His large Victorian mansion looked as stunning and grand as the other houses on his street. Chris pulled around the side driveway, unlocked the gate, and then parked next to Erin’s car.

“Did the police say when I could pick up my truck?” Matt grabbed their bag of takeout food from the backseat and hopped out.

“That detective said they were almost done processing the truck. I’ll check on it tomorrow morning.” Chris followed Matt inside, where they sat at the kitchen table and dug into their sandwiches.

“I want to go in to the office with you tomorrow,” Matt mumbled, his mouth full of food.

Chris put down his half-eaten sandwich. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

“I’m tired of hanging around the house and doing nothing. Besides, the FBI wants to come by and take a look at our operation. They seem to think that one of our clients pulled this stunt.”

“What do you think?” Chris asked.

“I dunno. I can’t think of anyone who would do this to us.”

“Me either. They’ve already been through all this with me. But maybe they’ll see something we haven’t thought of.”

Matt tried to gather his disorganized thoughts. “Chris, do you think I had something to do with this?”

Chris stared at him. “Hell, no! Why would you even ask that?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been wondering what happened in these last two months that I can’t remember. Maybe the homeless guy plays a part in all this. Why would his image be the first I remember? Maybe something was going on with Erin that I didn’t know about. I’m going out of my mind trying to remember something. Anything!” Matt took his napkin and wiped his face before crumpling the paper into a ball with his fist.

“I know you’re frustrated, but you just need to calm down. Relax. Your memory will come back in time.”

“But we don’t have a lot of time,” Matt said. “Erin’s dead, I feel sure of it. I don’t even want to think about what may have happened to the kids.”

Chris patted his brother on the shoulder. “We’ll find them, buddy. One step at a time. We’ll go into the office tomorrow, cooperate with the feebs, and then see what we can find out about this homeless guy.”

“Do me a favor,” Matt said. “Don’t mention the homeless guy to Agent Krapek. She already has it out for me. I don’t know for sure what that memory means yet, and I’m not ready to share that information with her.”

“You got it, buddy.” Chris finished his sandwich in two bites. “Should we jet?”

“I’m going to stay here tonight. Maybe I’ll remember more being in my own house.”

“Is this about Melinda? I know staying at our place isn’t exactly relaxing. She’s been a little stressed over the whole situation.”

Matt looked around the kitchen for the trash can. “No. I appreciate all your help, but I need to start finding my way back. I need to find out what happened to me and my family. The sooner I get my memory back, the better. The only way to do that is to get back home and back into my