Scene of the Crime Deadman's Bluff - By Carla Cassidy Page 0,12
fool. He was an FBI agent seeking a killer and she just happened to be his best chance at finding that person. Besides, without knowing who she was, she didn’t even know if she already had a man in her life, somebody who was frantically seeking her at this very moment.
She dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a T-shirt that Samantha had provided her. Samantha had won the battle of the dog. Today was Linda’s day off and the plan was for all four of them to head to the pound and pick out a puppy.
Jane was looking forward to the outing, hoping that something she saw in the small town would release a flood of memories that would not only answer her questions about herself, but also give Seth what he needed to arrest a madman.
He’d told her briefly the night before about the two murders that had occurred before she’d been discovered, and she’d gone to bed with the thought of those two women’s deaths weighing heavy on her soul.
Remember. She had to remember, and yet the harder she tried the more fleeting any memories became. She felt as if they were a word on the tip of her tongue and the more she tried to bring that word into focus the deeper it hid inside her mind.
She quickly ran a brush through her long hair and then pronounced herself ready to face whatever the day might bring. As she left the bathroom she met Samantha in the hallway. The teenager grabbed Jane by the hands and twirled her around.
“Today’s the day,” she said with excitement. “After months of driving my mom insane, today I get my puppy.”
Jane grinned, unable to help the positive flood of energy that filled her at Samantha’s happiness. Together they went down the hallway to find Seth and Linda in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in hand.
“Help yourself,” Seth said and pointed to the coffeemaker on the cabinet.
Jane nodded and tried to ignore how hot he looked with the early-morning sun shining on his thick dark hair and clad in jeans and a navy T-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders.
“I hope you slept well,” Linda said as Jane joined them at the table. Jane nodded. “I guess the plan is to go to the Amber Lake Animal Pound today and get a puppy.” Linda’s enthusiasm was definitely less apparent than that of her daughter.
Amber Lake. Although the town sounded vaguely familiar, Jane couldn’t imagine why she’d been here...Amber Lake, Oklahoma. The place evoked no emotional response inside her. It was obvious she didn’t live in the small town because nobody had recognized her. And how on earth had she been buried in the Deadman’s Dunes?
Breakfast was a dog affair, with Samantha and her mother discussing all the things they’d need to buy for the new member of the family. Seth sat silently, his gaze lingering for long periods of time on Jane, making her feel both half-breathless and self-conscious.
She was grateful when the time came for them to go to the pound. Maybe getting out for some fresh air and sunshine would make her feel less like a science specimen and ease some of the tension Seth’s gaze coiled inside her.
Besides, Samantha’s excitement was contagious and drove away the edge of anxiety that threatened to take hold of her whenever she tried to think too hard about everything she didn’t know.
It was just after nine when they left the house, the sun already hot overhead. Seth and Jane got into his pickup while Linda and Samantha got into Linda’s car. They planned to stop by a pet store on the way home and get some supplies. Seth’s plan was for him and Jane to leave the pound and then take a tour of the town in an effort to stir something of Jane’s missing memories.
It felt more than a little surreal to have been buried in a sand dune two days before and now be on the way to the pound to pick out a puppy.
To her surprise Seth kept up a steady stream of conversation as they drove through the small town of Amber Lake to reach the pound on the other side.
“Linda and I were always close as kids but since my parents are both gone and since her divorce we’ve gotten really close,” he said. “Do you have brothers or sisters?
She shrugged, wishing she knew the answer, wishing she could voice something, anything to him.