scene of her abduction unlock the last of her memories? And would she be able to handle those memories if they came rushing back?
He realized he was scared for her...afraid for her mental health...afraid for her very sanity.
“An ostrich. Why would he call me an ostrich? Did I see something I shouldn’t have? Or not see something I should have?”
He felt her gaze on him, intense yet bewildered. “I can’t imagine,” he replied. “I wish I had all the answers for you, Tamara. I wish I could shoulder the pain of what you’ve gone through.”
She leaned back against the seat and sighed. “I’m afraid to remember,” she admitted in a small voice.
“What you must keep in mind is that you’ve already endured whatever happened to you and you survived. Your memories can’t hurt you. You’re a survivor, Tamara, and you’ve already lived through whatever your memories bring to you.” He flashed her a forced grin. “You’re tough and I know you can handle this.”
She cast him a wry glance and released a tremulous sigh. “I hope you’re good at reading character.”
“It’s one of my strengths,” he assured her. However, this case had made him doubt that sentiment. In all the people he’d interviewed he’d read both strengths and weaknesses but he wasn’t sure he’d sensed a psychopathic killer.
Of course, psychopaths were difficult to read because they were so adept at appearing normal. The mask they wore in their everyday life was firmly in place and only slipped when they finally lost control of their impulses and compulsions.
“I think it’s almost over,” she said, pulling him from his thoughts.
“What do you mean?” he asked. Ahead he could see the rest area and the congregation of official vehicles and officers awaiting their arrival.
“I just have this thrum inside me that makes me feel like something is about to happen...something is about to blow.”
So she felt it, too. The ticking time bomb that he’d felt for the past couple of days.
He pulled to the curb beside the sheriff’s car and shut off the engine. He was about to unbuckle his seat belt when she stopped him by placing a hand on his arm.
Her eyes shimmered as she tightened her grip on his arm. “I just want you to know that whatever happened to me was worth it since it brought you to me. I’ll never forget you, Seth Hawkins, and I have no regrets about anything that happened between us.”
An uncomfortable laugh escaped him. “You act like you’re never going to see me again. We’re just going to get out and look around and then we’ll be back at Linda’s to eat that dinner you made.”
She nodded absently, her gaze captured on the brick building that had the men’s restroom on one side and the ladies’ on the other. The whole area was a parklike setting with big shade trees and short walking trails.
“I remember being here,” she said. “I decided to make a quick pit stop here before heading on to Aunt Rose’s house.”
Seth opened his door and she followed suit. As she joined him on the sidewalk in front of where they’d parked he reached for her hand, wanting to support her through this ordeal.
Sheriff Atkins nodded at them both. “We haven’t done anything yet. We were waiting for the two of you to see if Tamara’s memory might be jogged by being here.”
She let go of Seth’s hand and took several steps toward the ladies’ side of the building. “I was here. It was just starting to get dark.” Her voice was faint, as if coming from a dream. “I went inside. There was nobody else around.”
“No cars parked in the area?” Tom asked.
She shook her head. “Not when I went inside. I was the only one here.” She stepped up to the building and placed a hand on one of the tan bricks. She raised her head as if to smell the fresh scent of the nearby pine trees.
Seth wasn’t sure if she was steadying herself by holding on to the building or exploring the surroundings with all her senses. Touch...smell...she was in the moment of memory and he glanced at Tom, indicating that everyone stay quiet while Tamara experienced being here once again.
She closed her eyes and drew in another deep breath. Seconds stretched to minutes and still she didn’t move. Finally she opened her eyes and pulled her hand away from the side of the building, a deep frown cutting into the center of her forehead.
“When I