Holiday Amnesia

by Lynette Eason

  “Did you tell her?”

  “I couldn’t. At that point, I didn’t know where he was either, but I told her I was meeting him later that afternoon and would tell him to get in touch with her.”

  Robin frowned. “She didn’t know what he did for a living?”

  “Of course. Well, not until after they were married, but yes.”

  “Wait a minute. He didn’t tell her until after they were married that he did undercover gigs?”

  “Yeah.”

  She let out a low breath. “Wow. That’s really wrong.”

  He raked a hand through his hair. “I agree. But there’s more to it than that.”

  “What?”

  He had to tell her. To take a chance and pray she didn’t remember the email just yet. “Ben, Oliver and I used to work with the CIA.”

  Robin gaped. He let her process, searching her gaze for any sign that the CIA reference triggered memories of the email. Finally, she said, “You?”

  “Yes.”

  “Were you working for the CIA while at the university?”

  “No.” She didn’t remember the email. He blew out a low breath of relief. “I quit about two years ago after Debra died. While teaching, I was just that. A teacher. Trying to live a normal life and leave all the espionage behind.”

  “Oh.”

  “After an...incident... Oliver went over to the FBI about the time I quit and convinced Ben to go with him. He tried to recruit me, too, but I was still dealing with something and decided I wasn’t ready to return to any form of law enforcement. That’s when I started teaching full-time.”

  Her frown deepened. “What was the incident?”

  Toby stared at his clasped hands. What could it hurt to tell her? Other than the fact that it might jog her memory about the email. But if mentioning he’d been with the CIA hadn’t done it, maybe this wouldn’t either. Studying her narrowed eyes, he decided he was going to have to chance it. She was already perturbed that he wouldn’t tell her about the argument.

  “Oliver and I had learned about a potential foreign threat and were looking into it. We were set to meet a man we’d been after for a while. This guy had a lot of suspicious overseas banking activity going on, and we finally managed to get a meeting with him. Under the guise of being buyers.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  “I was at Debra’s house trying to calm her down, but time was running out and I had to leave to make the meeting. Only I didn’t want to leave Debra alone in that emotional state. I called her best friend and had her come over to stay with her. But...” Reliving that day had his head pounding. “Apparently, Debra didn’t believe me when I told her Oliver wasn’t cheating on her,” he said, “and she ditched her friend and followed me.”

  He shook his head and steeled his heart against the horror of that day. “She...ah...drove up just as one of our assets was talking to Oliver. He laughed at something she said and she reached out to touch his hand. A completely innocent gesture, but Debra launched out of her car and started yelling at Oliver—screeching at him that she was sick and tired of him and his lies and she was done with him and his covert life. One of the men opened fire. We scattered, but it was too late. Deb was dead. The first bullet went right through her heart and killed her instantly.”

  Tears shimmered on Robin’s lashes and she blew out a low breath. “Oh, Toby. How awful.”

  “It was. We managed to get what we needed to neutralize the threat and put a lot of people behind bars, but it didn’t matter. Debra was dead, and Oliver was...shattered.”

  “And you blamed yourself.”

  He swallowed and looked away. “I never considered she would follow me. I kept only half an eye out for a tail but wasn’t really concerned about someone following me. I was more concerned—more focused—about what we were going to be walking in to.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  “No. Not really. I knew she was upset. Very upset, but she seemed to have calmed down before I had to leave, and her friend was there. I never expected Debra to do that.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  He sighed. “I feel like it was. Regardless, Oliver later told me they’d been having problems for a while and were seeing a counselor.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “So...yeah. After that, I just lost my focus and needed something different.”

  “And that’s when you decided to teach?”

  He nodded. “Part of my cover as an operative was being a university professor so the credentials were legit. When I quit the CIA, I put them to good use—for real that time. And that’s how I met you.”

  She palmed her eyes. “I want to remember,” she whispered.

  “You will, Robin,” he said. Sadness gripped him. “You will.”

  TWELVE

  Robin kicked the covers off and rolled to look at the clock. Two o’clock in the morning. She squinted in the darkness, wondering what woke her. Her head ached, of course, but it was probably a three on a scale of one to ten.

  She slipped out of bed and padded to the door to look out into the hall. On any other night, the night-light would have made the area feel soft and homey, cozy. Tonight, the shadows dancing on the ceiling and walls sent chills down her spine and goose bumps pebbling over her skin.

  The silence slid over her. She wanted to call out to Toby or one of the others, but something held her quiet. Where were the two officers from Nashville Clay had recruited to help out?

  After Toby had told her his past history with Oliver and Debra, she’d been wiped out, emotionally and physically. She’d fallen into bed, waking just a few minutes ago because she heard something—or thought she did.

  A sound came from the kitchen. A footstep? It had to be one of the deputies or Toby. Didn’t it? Instead of returning to his sister’s cottage, Toby had decided to stay in the room off the kitchen that held two sets of bunk beds. The men had agreed to take shifts monitoring the house and the surrounding area and sleeping.

  If an intruder had gotten in, surely Toby would have warned her. Unless he was hurt. But what about the others? Asleep? Rattled, she couldn’t remember the rotation schedule. On silent feet, she headed for the kitchen.

  A shadow moved to her right, and she squelched the scream that rose. Barely. “Toby,” she whispered. He placed a finger on his lips, and she pressed a hand to her racing heart. “What is it?” she whispered.

  “Not sure,” he said, his voice so low she had to strain to hear it. “Stay behind me.”

  She did as he said and placed her hands on his waist. He moved down the hallway, so quiet she wouldn’t have known he was there if she hadn’t been touching him.

  At the end, he stopped and peered around the doorjamb into the kitchen, then pulled back. Without speaking, he motioned for her to stay put. With his weapon held ready, he hooked around the doorjamb and into the room. “Hands in the air!”

  A curse rang out. The back door slammed open, and running footsteps pounded down the steps.

  “I’m going after him! Stay here and lock the door!” Toby didn’t slow as he yelled the words over his left shoulder.

  Another figure burst from the cruiser across the street and joined Toby in pursuit. Yet another officer approached from the other direction and hurried up the stairs to join her in the kitchen. Officer Paul Sanchez. She’d met him last night when Clay had been here to introduce them as friends he used to work with in Nashville.

  “You need to go with them,” she said.

  “They’ll be all right. If that was a diversion to get you alone in the house, we don’t want it to work, right?”

  “Oh. Right.” She shivered, the chill in her bones due to more than the temperature outside. Officer Sanchez turned the coffee machine on and popped a coffee pod into the top.

  Robin clasped her hands and strode into the d
en to flip the switch next to the fireplace. The gas logs sprang to life and soon, heat blew out of the vent, warming her. She was attempting to thaw the cold knot of fear that had formed in her belly. But she didn’t think that would happen until she knew Toby and the others were safe.

  Officer Sanchez walked over and pressed a warm mug of liquid into her hands and she took a sip. “Thank you.”

  “Sometimes it’s easier to warm up from the inside out.”

  “Yeah.” She took another sip. “Will they call if they catch him?”

  “I’m sure they’ll let us know as soon as possible.”

  “Good.” She paced to the window, stood to the side and looked out. The darkness covered the town—and just like earlier, what should have been a comforting, soothing sight now seemed eerie. Even sinister. The chill returned, popping goose bumps along her spine. She sent up prayers for Toby and the other officer’s safety and that finally, the killer would be caught.

  * * *

  Toby pulled to a stop outside the door of the empty building with the For Lease sign in the window. The intruder from the B&B had ducked inside and slammed the door shut. Yelling at him to stop had proved useless. Officer George Baxter from Nashville pulled up the rear. “Cover the back,” Toby said.

  “I’ve got Clay on the radio,” George said. “He’s on his way with more backup.” George sprinted to the end of the building and disappeared around the side.

  Toby wasn’t waiting on backup. He wanted this guy now. He twisted the knob and stepped inside, weapon drawn, adrenaline pumping. The building had once been a convenience store with metal shelves set up in rows from front to back. He’d have to clear it by himself. Toby eased to the first row and darted a peek around the edge.

  Clear.

  The second, third and fourth rows were also clear.

  Heart still thumping triple time, he bolted toward the restrooms. Quickly, he cleared each one, then the storage room and office.

  In the office, he found a set of stairs that led up. “Great,” he whispered. Into the radio, he said, “Going up to the roof.”

  Step by step, he climbed, wincing with each creak of the old wood, expecting someone to appear at the top and shoot him. He’d be an easy target, trapped on the stairs between the wooden walls. Sweat rolled down his temples and dripped from his chin. Finally, at the top, with his weapon in front of him, he stepped into another storage area. An attic.

  A gust of cold wind blasted his face, and he hurried to the open window straight ahead. Carefully, he stuck his head out. Looked up. Down. And there the man went, skittering down the fire escape.

  “Stop!” Toby called.

  The guy never paused. Why did he bother to yell?

  Toby swung out of the window and began the descent. “He’s on the fire escape,” he said into the radio. “Stop him!”

  But instead of heading for the street, the figure bolted toward the back alley, scampered up the chain-link fence and vaulted to the ground. Toby followed, but by the time he was on the other side of the fence, the guy was gone.

  He gave his location into the radio and hurried after the intruder without much hope of finding him. A multitude of streets led to alleys and business. All of which would provide excellent hiding places. The screech of rubber on asphalt reached him and the wink of taillights disappeared around the next corner.

  Toby called it in. “He’s on Round Rock Way traveling north. Make and model of the vehicle unknown.”

  The fence rattled behind him and Toby spun to see George drop over and land feetfirst. He jogged over to Toby. “Got away?”

  “Yeah. He had a car waiting.”

  “He knows this place.”

  Toby shook his head. “He had his escape route planned before he even showed up in the house.”

  “So, what was the purpose in that?”

  “I don’t know. Unless he planned to grab Robin and force her to go with him.”

  George shook his head. “He had to know about the security.”

  “Yeah. And because he knew, he was able to get past it. That worries me.”

  “Had to be an inside job. He got his information from someone.”

  “Exactly, but who?” Toby asked. “I can’t imagine anyone I know or work with being involved.”

  “No idea, but I recommend making a list and checking it twice this season. Because someone’s not being very nice these days.”

  “No kidding.” Toby slapped a hand against his thigh and looked at the fence. “It’s going to be harder to get back over now that the adrenaline rush has faded.”

  George laughed. “Come on, old man, I’ll give you a boost.”

  Toby shot the guy a tight smile, walked to the gate and unlatched it. “I think I’ll use this, but feel free to do it your way.”

  George followed him through the gate while checking in with Clay on the status of the intruder. He hung up. “They lost him,” George said. “Actually, they never saw him.”

  Lips tight, Toby nodded. “I’m not surprised. Not with as well as he had this all planned out.”

  The bed-and-breakfast was lit up brighter than the Christmas tree on the front porch. Toby rapped on the door and was glad to see Robin hanging back while Paul opened it. When she saw it was him, she rushed to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said.

  Her concern gripped his heart in a way that had him pulling her into a hug. “I’m fine, Robin. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  “Me? I wasn’t the one chasing a possible killer.” She stepped back and ran her fingers through her hair, mussing it in a way that he found endearing. His fingers itched to replace hers. Instead, he cleared his throat and ordered himself to focus.

  “Why would he break in like that when it’s obvious this place has security inside and out?” she asked. “Why take a chance on getting caught?”

  “Because getting to you is apparently worth the risk,” George said.

  Toby frowned at the man, but Robin didn’t seem fazed. “This is crazy,” she muttered.

  “Or,” Toby said, “maybe he was just trying to see how hard it would be to breach the security around here.”

  “Didn’t seem to be that difficult,” Paul said. “Sorry about that, Robin.”

  “It’s not your fault,” she said.

  “Of course it is. It’s a collective fault. He never should have made it into the house.”

  “He’s right,” Toby said. “Of course, it would help if this place had an alarm system we could arm, but people are coming and going at all hours. There’s no way Sabrina could turn it on if she had one.”

  “I thought about that,” Paul said, “but figured with all of us here, it wouldn’t matter that much.”

  “Please, everyone stop beating yourselves up. I’m still here, he’s gone, and everything is fine. For now.”

  A knock on the door stilled them for a brief second. Toby turned to peer out the window. “It’s Oliver.” He opened the door to find his friend with his hand on his weapon.

  “Everything okay over here?”

  “It is right now. How’d you know something was going on?”

  “I was out walking.” Oliver frowned. “You know my sleep habits.”

  Toby did. They were practically nonexistent since his wife’s murder. “Come on in.”

  “Hold up,” Clay said from behind Oliver, “I’m here, too.”

  Oliver stepped into the foyer and shed his coat. He hung it on the antique rack to his right and rubbed his hands together. “Forgot my gloves. I saw all the commotion and thought I’d check in with you.”

  Clay didn’t bother to remove his coat.

  “We had an intruder,” Toby told Oliver and led him and Clay into the den to join the others.

  “He got in the house?” Oliver asked.

 
“Yes.” Toby clipped off the word and sank onto the sofa next to Robin.

  “How? Where was everyone?”

  “Not sure. I was sleeping when I heard someone in the kitchen. Paul was walking the perimeter, and George was watching the front door from the cruiser. Clay, Lance and Trent had gone home to get some sleep.”

  “What about the alarm system?” Oliver asked.

  “There’s not one,” Toby said, then looked at Robin. “I think we’re going to have to move again.”

  Robin’s shoulders dipped. “Where? The jail?”

  Toby raised a brow. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”

  * * *

  Robin gaped. “I was just kidding.”

  Oliver rubbed his chin. “I have a better idea. What if we ask the two special agents who’re in town to join forces and add their protection expertise to this place?”

  “I don’t know if I want them anywhere near Robin right now,” Toby said with a deep scowl. “Agent Young overstepped in pushing her to remember. I don’t trust him not to do it again.”

  “Toby...” Robin said, brows dipped. “He didn’t overstep. He’s just trying to help.”

  “I’ll rein them in,” Oliver said, “but come on, Toby, you know as well as I do that this is a good setup even without the alarm system. You’re right down the street from the police station. The diner across the street is open, and people are walking the sidewalks at all hours.”

  “I get that, but it didn’t make much of a difference tonight, did it? Someone still got in the house.”

  “How?”

  The room fell silent. Then Toby gave a disgusted sigh. “I don’t know. We were so focused on catching the guy and making sure Robin was safe, we haven’t stopped to figure it out yet.”

  “Then figure it out and plug the hole.”

  “Yeah.” Paul stood. “I’ve got the windows down here.”

  “I’ll check upstairs,” George said.

  Toby reached for Robin’s hand. “I’ll stay with Robin.”