by Rose Pressey
Since the wooded area was such a mess, I worried that I would trip over a branch. How long would I lie there before someone came to look for me?
“Deedee, where are you? It’s dangerous in here. We should go back,” I called out.
I paused to see if I heard anything. Deedee didn’t answer and no sounds came from the woods other than the echoing calls of the birds. That was when movement came from somewhere behind me.
I spun around and released a little scream. A woman stood there. “You scared me,” I said.
The woman stared at me for a moment and then said, “Sorry.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
She stepped out from behind the tree. “My name is Elizabeth.”
I looked her up and down. She wore white shorts and a navy blue top with little birds on it. Her long dark hair was tousled, as if she’d just woken up. Based on the leaves in her locks, I’d say she’d slept in the woods.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She blew the brown bangs out from her eyes. “Yeah, I fell earlier, but luckily nothing is broken.”
“It can be dangerous in here. I’m glad you’re okay,” I said.
That still didn’t explain why she was here. This wasn’t an area where I ever ran into strangers. Was she a guest of the retreat and I’d forgotten about her? I didn’t remember her. No, I remembered everyone.
She continued to stare at me, but didn’t tell me who she was other than a name.
“Are you lost?” I pressed for more details.
“Actually, yes, I am lost.”
“Where did you come from?” I asked. “What I mean to ask is if you live around here?”
A pained expression crossed her face. “I… I don’t remember.”
“Oh, this is strange. You don’t remember?” I frowned.
She fidgeted her hands. “I can’t remember much. All I remember is my first name—at least I think it’s my name.”
Oh, this was bad. How had she ended up here?
“What’s the last thing you remember?” I asked.
She glanced around, and then finally said, “I woke up and I was surrounded by trees. I just started walking and that was when I saw you.”
“How long have you been walking?”
“Not long,” she said.
“I think we’d better get you back to my place.” I gently touched her arm, guiding her back toward the path.
“You live around here?” she asked.
“I have a spa retreat. It’s just outside this wooded area.” I gestured. “We take hikes here in the woods.”
She looked around as if somehow she would remember how she’d gotten here. I needed to get her out of here and get help, but I also wanted to find Deedee. It made me nervous for her to be running around here with something this strange happening.
“Did you happen to see another woman?” I asked.
Elizabeth shook her head. “You’re the only person I’ve seen. Though I saw a few animals.”
“Did you happen to see a deer?”
“No deer.”
I looked around again. That was when I spotted the deer running in the distance. This woman would think I was crazy for calling out to the deer, but I had to do it.
“Deedee, it’s time to go back,” I called out.
“Is that your pet deer?” Elizabeth asked.
“Um, no, not exactly. She’s with me though.”
“Interesting,” she said.
Apparently Deedee was ignoring me. I didn’t appreciate that. If she’d come to the retreat for help then she was doing it all wrong. I would have to come back for Deedee. And when I found her we’d have to have a discussion about what was proper etiquette while she was staying at the spa. I couldn’t run around the woods chasing her all the time.
“Okay, follow me and we’ll get you back to my place,” I said.
Chapter 4
We stepped inside the old house and Elizabeth looked around, peering up at the tall ceilings. “Oh, this is lovely. You own this place?”
I smiled. “Yes, it’s mine.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Very nice.” She picked up a brochure from the table by the front door. “So is the place full now? How many guests do you have?”
“We have twenty-five right now.”
“I’d really enjoy a stay here. I bet it costs a lot of money, which of course I don’t have right now considering I don’t know who I am.” She batted her eyelashes at me. “It’s stressful not knowing your identity.”
I was pretty sure she was hinting that she wanted to stay here for a while. It would work too because I couldn’t turn someone away in such dire circumstances. “Don’t you think we should call the police though?”
She sighed. “Oh, sure, but what are they going to do? Will they take me to jail?”
“Well, no, I would think not. You haven’t committed a crime, have you?” I frowned.
What if she was some kind of serial killer? How often did serial killers just show up though? Not often. I was pretty sure I was safe. Plus, she seemed so nice.
“No, of course not. Well, I suppose I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think I am a bad person. Do I seem like a bad person?” She smiled.
As if I could say yes if I had thought so.
“Not at all. Maybe we could call the police and then after talking to them you could stay here for a while.”
Her face brightened and she stood a little taller. “That would be great. In the meantime, I’m extremely hungry. Would it be okay if I had something to eat?”
Well she was making herself right at home. I should have asked her already if she was hungry or thirsty. After all there was no telling how long she’d been outside.
“Of course. Follow me to the dining room and I’ll get you something.” I gestured over my shoulder.
When we stepped into the dining room, she said, “Wow, this is gorgeous.” She pulled out a chair and sat down. Taking the napkin, she tucked it under her chin. She clutched the fork and knife in her fists as if I was getting ready to place an entire turkey down in front of her.
“I’ll be right back,” I said.
“Thanks.” She smiled, still holding the knife and fork in position.
The chef had been peeking out the door when I came in. I knew he wouldn’t be happy with me.
“Who is that?” he asked.
“It’s a new guest. Her name is Elizabeth.”
“I had enough when the last new one came in. What was her name, Deedee?”
“It’s good for business. If I get enough business I will be able to hire an assistant for you.”
He released a deep sigh. “This is unscheduled.”
“Not everything in life can be scheduled,” I said.
“Why didn’t she make it for breakfast? Lunch isn’t for another three hours.” He glared at me.
I waved my hands. “I know, I know.”
Warren hated when I asked him to make special meals. He asked for an assistant every day. Every day I told him I couldn’t afford it.
Warren peeked out the swinging kitchen door at Elizabeth. “She looks homeless.”
“We have to call the police. I found her in the woods.”
His eyes widened. “What do you mean you found her?”
“She doesn’t know who she is,” I said.
He quirked an eyebrow. “I’m not sure if I believe that.”
He peeked out at her again. She was still holding the knife and fork in her hands.
“She seems sincere and nice, so I have no reason not to believe her. Besides, why would she make up something like that?”
“To get a free breakfast,” he said.
I placed my hands on my hips. “Your food is good, but it’s not that good.”
He narrowed his eyes. “My food has won awards.”
I waved my arms. “Your food is perfect, but now is not the time to discuss this. Just make her something and I will call the police.” I picked up the phone. “Should I d
ial 911? It’s not exactly an emergency, is it?”
He opened the refrigerator door. “It’s an emergency if we want her out of here before I have to make lunch for her too.”
I rolled my eyes and pushed the numbers.
Chapter 5
Elizabeth was still eating when the police arrived. Warren stared at her in amazement.
“She must have been really hungry,” he whispered.
“For all we know she hasn’t eaten in days.”
The police stepped into the room and asked her questions. I tried to inch closer so that I could eavesdrop without being totally obvious.
“I hope they figure out who she is soon,” Warren said.
“I hope she gets her memory back soon,” I said.
The police officers glanced in my direction a few times.
“I wonder what she’s telling them,” I whispered.
“I guess we’re about to find out, because here they come.”
The officers walked over to us. I didn’t like the expressions on their faces. This couldn’t be good news.
“She’s refusing treatment at the hospital. Of course we can’t make her go,” the tall blond officer said.
“Do you think she’ll remember who she is?” I asked.
“That’s something only a doctor could tell us. We’ll search for any missing person’s reports. With any luck someone has reported her missing.”
The other brown-haired officer gave me a halfhearted smile. “We’ll be in touch soon. In the meantime give us a call if anything changes.”
“Thank you,” I said.
After handing me a card with their info on it, the officers headed for the door. Elizabeth hurried back over to us.
“I’m glad that’s over with,” she said, blowing the hair out of her eyes.
“I still think you should go to the hospital to get checked out. You may have hit your head,” I said.
She shrugged. “Well, if I did there’s nothing they can do to fix it. So what’s the point of being poked and prodded at the hospital?”
“I hate hospitals,” Warren said with a shiver.
I glared at him. “You’re not helping.”
“I am kind of tired. Do you think you could show me where I’ll be sleeping?” Elizabeth asked.
“Oh, yeah, sure. Follow me.” I motioned.
As we turned to walk away, Warren mouthed, “Good luck.”
I took Elizabeth up the winding staircase and down the hall. When we were in front of the door to the room where she was staying, she paused. It was almost as if she smelled something. She sniffed the air.
“Smell something?” I asked, pulling the key out of my pocket.
“No, nothing.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Am I the only one staying in this area?”
“Oh, no. All the other rooms are full. I think you’ll enjoy meeting the other guests.”
Elizabeth gave a halfhearted smile as I opened the door. She stepped into the room and looked around. She walked over to the bed and pushed on the mattress.
“It’s lovely. Thank you so much for helping me.”
“You’re welcome. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I certainly will,” she said, walking over to the window.
I left her alone in the room. Now it was time to find Deedee. If she was going to run around the woods all day then there was no point in her even staying here. Apparently she didn’t need the retreat after all. I went back down the staircase, holding tight onto the banister this time. Visions of me falling to the floor flashed in my mind. Thanks a lot, Deedee. Luckily I made it to the bottom without killing myself. I hurried through the foyer.
When I opened the front door, Deedee was coming up the steps.
“Well, you finally decided to return,” I said, placing my hands on my hips.
“Don’t be mad at me,” she said.
“Who should I be mad at then? You’re the one who took off.”
Our friendship wasn’t headed in the right direction.
She tossed her hand up. “I sensed something bad, so I took off. It was only for my protection.”
“So you just left me?” I asked. “What if this something bad had gotten to me?”
She batted her eyelashes. “I couldn’t help it. Besides, I’m sure you would have been okay. And see, you were fine.”
“Only because I knew my way out of there,” I said. “Never mind that now. If you want to be a part of the retreat you will have to take some classes. How about starting off with yoga?”
She waved her hand. “Yoga? That sounds easy. No problem. When does it start?”
I looked at my watch. “In ten minutes, so you’d better hurry.”
“Wait. I don’t have anything to wear.” She pointed at her jeans.
“I have something for you. Follow me.” I motioned over my shoulder as I stepped back into the house.
When she followed me into the house, she stopped.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Whatever was in the woods is now in the house.”
I furrowed my brows. “Maybe I tracked in leaves or something.”
She sniffed the air. “This is something more than that. I smell fear.”
I moved back a couple steps. “Okay, that’s a scary statement and I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that.”
“I didn’t mean to scare you. Let’s just continue with the yoga,” she said, trying to sound calm.
I knew she was still sniffing the room though. What did she mean fear? She followed me through the house and up the stairs toward the rooms.
“Maybe you should install an elevator?” Deedee asked.
“Yeah, I’ll make sure to consider doing that.”
Deedee and I stepped inside my room. She waited by the door as I gathered a pair of yoga pants and a top for her.
“Here you are. There are plenty of towels in the yoga studio. I have bath products in your room for you already.”
She smiled. “That is very nice of you. Thank you.”
“No problem. I’m just happy that I can help. Now go back to your room and change because we are going to have a fantastic time at yoga.”
Okay, maybe I sounded a little too chipper. But I got excited about this stuff sometimes.
Deedee stepped out of my room. I watched as she walked down the hallway. When she reached the midway point she stopped. She was in front of the new guest’s door. She turned to look at me.
“Who’s in there?” she asked with a frown.
That was a strange question.
“Another guest,” I said as I moved down the hall.
“This is where the scent is coming from.” She leaned closer to the door and inhaled deeply. “This is not good.”
I pulled her to the side. “You said you sensed fear? Well, the woman who is in there has amnesia. You probably smell the fear from her.”
Deedee frowned. “Where did she come from? When did she get here?”
“I found her in the woods when I was looking for you.” I whispered.
Deedee looked confused. “You found her in the woods? I don’t like the sound of this. Something is wrong.”
“This is getting too weird for me too,” I said under my breath.
Just then, Elizabeth opened the door. She looked irritated as she looked Deedee up and down. After a couple of seconds, she finally smiled. Deedee backed up.
Elizabeth looked over at me. “Is everything okay?”
“Sure, everything is fine. We’re just getting ready for a yoga class.”
“Do I know you?” Deedee asked Elizabeth.
That was a bad question. Elizabeth wouldn’t remember if she knew Deedee. Had Deedee forgotten that Elizabeth had amnesia?
Chapter 6
Elizabeth looked down at her shoes, avoiding eye contact. “I don’t remember if I know you.”
I motioned with a tilt of my head for Deedee to follow me. “Yes, well, we have to go to yoga class, Elizabeth. Do let me know if
you need anything.”
She looked at me with sad eyes and said, “Yes, I will be sure to let you know. Thanks again for taking me in.”
Elizabeth stared at Deedee again for a moment and then stepped back into her room, closing the door.
“I told you she doesn’t remember anything,” I whispered.
Deedee quirked an eyebrow. “That is just plain weird.”
“Yes, it is odd, but nonetheless that’s what happened to her. It happens, you know.”
“Yes, in the movies. Have you ever known anyone who has amnesia?” Deedee asked.
“Other than Elizabeth?”
“Yes, other than her.”
“As a matter of fact, yes. My sister’s father-in-law fell off a horse once and couldn’t remember anyone for twenty-four hours.”
Deedee eyed me suspiciously.
“It’s true. My sister told me all about it,” I said. “Now let’s go to class.”
I tugged on her arm until she finally followed me down the hallway. We paused at Deedee’s room long enough for her to change into the clothing. I waited outside in the hallway. As I stood there, Elizabeth’s door opened just a bit. She poked her head out, looking down the hallway at me.
“Did you need anything?” I asked.
“No, no, I’m fine,” she said and then hurried back into the room.
I really needed to try to find out who she was and where she came from. Deedee emerged from her room dressed in the yoga gear.
“Ready?” I asked in my chipper voice again.
“You’re the real bubbly type, aren’t you?” Deedee walked beside me as I bounced down the hallway.
“Me? I don’t know. I just like to stay positive to motivate others.” I flashed her a big smile.
“Uh-huh,” she said.
As we made our way down the winding staircase, loud talking came from the main section of the house.
“What’s that?” Deedee asked.