Texas Twin Abduction

by Virginia Vaughan

  He rushed back to Ashlee’s room where a team of nurses was already helping her.

  “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to stay outside,” one of the nurses said, trying to push him from the room.

  But Lawson refused to be budged. “I walked in and found a man smothering her with the pillow. I chased after the guy, but he got away. Is she okay?”

  The nurse nodded. “Looks like you found her in time.”

  He couldn’t believe it. An attack on her right here in the hospital. He shook his head as the full realization of what was happening sank in. Ashlee was in serious trouble. Someone wanted her dead.

  At a nurse’s insistence, and only after she’d promised someone would stay with Ashlee at all times, he went downstairs to the emergency room for an examination, since his head had slammed into the glass window. He texted Josh about the attack, and his brother was at the hospital in a flash, yanking open the curtain to the exam room and demanding to know what was happening.

  “I’m fine,” Lawson insisted once he told his brother about confronting the attacker.

  The doctor who’d examined him concurred. “I don’t see any evidence of a concussion and nothing that needs stitches. You’re free to go, Deputy.”

  Lawson thanked him, then stood up. His head was aching from the bump, but he was more concerned about Ashlee and discovering who was after her than he was about the pain.

  “Can you give a description?” Josh asked him.

  Lawson felt his neck redden as he shook his head. “Not really, no. It happened so fast and the room was dark. He was a big guy.”

  “What about the victim? Could she identify him?”

  “I haven’t had the opportunity to ask. The nurses and doctor are still with her.”

  “Okay, let’s head down to the security office and have them pull the video. Maybe they captured an image of him. Then we’ll go back upstairs to get her statement.”

  He went with his brother and waited while the security guard located and pulled up the footage.

  “There he is,” Lawson stated confidently when he spotted a figure in dark clothes heading toward the exit after the attack. The man kept his face hidden as he walked and had his hat pulled low over his face. He pushed through the front entrance doors and disappeared into the parking lot.

  The security guard pulled up another image of the parking lot and they watched the guy get into a car and drive off.

  “Can we get another image of that car?” Josh asked.

  The security officer shook his head. “Our equipment isn’t that sophisticated. That’s the best image we have. That’s visitor parking, too, so it’s not assigned to anyone in particular.”

  “We can’t get a license plate, but I’ll issue a BOLO for the make and model,” Josh stated, referring to the be-on-the-lookout bulletin.

  “Can you pull up the video of the hallway from before the attack? Maybe we can catch an image of him entering the room.”

  The security guard nodded and pulled up the requested video.

  Lawson spotted the man, wearing the same dark clothes, but without the hat and, this time, wearing the white doctor’s jacket. “That’s him.”

  The figure on the screen kept his head down and his face hidden as he approached the door to Ashlee’s room. They wouldn’t capture an image of his face from this angle, either, but Lawson did notice the man didn’t hesitate as he entered Ashlee’s room to kill her.

  Josh turned to Lawson. “This image isn’t much, but we’ll send it out, anyway. Maybe someone will recognize him. Let’s go talk to the victim.”

  They got on the elevator and Lawson knew he had to tell his brother the full story of what was happening before they reached Ashlee’s room.

  “There’s something you should know about her, Josh.”

  “This is the same lady you found on the side of the road, right?” It was obvious he had no idea who he was about to encounter.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Well, this just confirms that someone is after her. Has she said anything else about what’s happening to her?”

  “Not as far as I know—last I heard, she still doesn’t remember anything.”

  “Well, this attack may have shaken something loose. Maybe she recognized the guy.”

  The elevator doors opened and they both stepped out. Josh headed down the hall, but Lawson didn’t follow him. His brother turned back to him. “Are you coming?”

  “Josh, the woman who was attacked... The victim...”

  “What about her?”

  “It’s Ashlee Taylor.”

  He saw his brother’s demeanor change as recognition sunk in. Josh gave a long sigh, then stepped back toward Lawson and leaned against the wall. “Ashlee. Are you sure?”

  Of course, he was sure. “I think I’d know her when I see her.”

  “Sure, but... She has a twin, doesn’t she? And from what you’ve told me, it’s not like she remembers her name.”

  “She was carrying Ashlee’s identification and driving a car registered to Ashlee Taylor. It’s Ashlee. I’m sure of it.”

  Josh gripped his shoulder. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m okay. I’m dealing with it. I just wanted you to know before you walked into that room.”

  Josh slapped him on the back, then morphed into cop mode and headed down the hall. By the time Lawson caught up to him, he’d walked inside and greeted Ashlee.

  She still looked pale, but her color seemed to be returning with the assistance of an oxygen mask.

  “You probably don’t remember me,” Josh said, pulling up a stool, “but I’m Lawson’s brother, Josh. I’m also the sheriff now.”

  She stared at him a moment, then slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t recognize you.”

  A part of Lawson was relieved. If she had known his brother and not him, that would have awoken jealousy inside him. It made no sense, but he was glad regardless. Yes, it was petty, but he couldn’t help it.

  “That’s okay,” Josh told her. “Let’s talk about the man who attacked you here. Did you know him?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t really get a good look at him, but he didn’t seem familiar.”

  Josh pulled out the photo he’d gotten from the video surveillance and showed it to her. “Take a look at this. Are you sure you haven’t seen him before?”

  She shrank back at the image, but shook her head. “I don’t know who that is.”

  “But you believe he’s dangerous, don’t you? You flinched when you saw him.”

  “Well, he did just try to kill me.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “I was trying to sleep. He came in and grabbed the pillow and put it over my head. I thought I was going to die until Lawson grabbed him and fought him off. Once the pillow was gone, I was too busy trying to get my breath back to notice much of anything. I heard a struggle, but I didn’t look up. I didn’t even see him run off.”

  “And you’re certain you haven’t seen him before?”

  “I haven’t—not as far as I can remember, anyway.” She glared at him. “You think I’m faking? I’m not. I honestly don’t know why this is happening.”

  Josh stood. “Okay. Well, I’m sure you’ll be released soon. Do you have somewhere to stay? Where can we contact you if we have more questions?”

  Fear rustled through her eyes as she seemed to realize that she had no plans.

  “Don’t your parents still own property in town?” Josh suggested.

  “That house isn’t livable,” Lawson said. “It’s been abandoned for nearly ten years.” Nature, he knew, had taken it back after her parents and sister had moved away. Though Ashlee had remained in town, she hadn’t liked staying in the house alone and had found an apartment closer to town. The plan had been for her to live there until they’d
married and she moved to the ranch. That, of course, had never happened.

  “It’s fine,” she told them both. “I’ll just go to a hotel.”

  A hotel was a sensible solution. His instinct had been to take her to the ranch, but that wasn’t a good idea. Josh and his other brothers would surely have had something to say about that.

  And they were all home now, having taken time off while their father recovered from a heart attack. Lawson’s sister had already left to return to her job. Miles would leave next to return to the Marshals Service and Colby would be heading out in a few days to return to his job with the FBI. But no matter where they were located, they would have opinions on his letting Ashlee back into his life—and they would be right. Ashlee may be a blast from the past, but she was a painful one and he wasn’t so sure he was ready to deal with that 24/7.

  Josh stood. “It’s good to see you again, Ashlee. Don’t worry. We’ll figure out what’s going on here.”

  She thanked him and he walked out.

  Lawson followed him out and Josh stopped to ask him a question once they were outside the closed door. “Do you believe her about the amnesia?”

  “I do.” He’d seen no hint of recognition in her face about anything. She’d blocked it all out. “The doctor concluded it wasn’t a head injury. He thinks it’s caused by an emotional traumatic event. She saw or experienced something that was so terrible she had to block it out to survive.”

  Josh put away his notebook. “We’ll figure it out. I’m going to start digging into her financials and GPS on her car. Maybe we can sort out where she’s been.”

  He nodded. “I’m sure Cecile is already on top of that.”

  “Okay, I’ll check with her.”

  The elevator dinged as they were heading toward it and Cecile stepped off.

  “We were just talking about you,” Josh stated. Cecile had been with the sheriff’s office for three years and had worked her way up to the position of his brother’s chief deputy.

  Lawson noticed she was holding the duffel bag from Ashlee’s car. “Is that Ashlee’s bag?”

  “It sure is. I thought you both should see it.” She knelt down, unzipped the bag and opened it. Inside was a boatload of cash—all in small bills.

  Lawson was stunned by the sight, his mind rushing through all the reasons Ashlee might be carrying that much cash around. None of them was good. He knelt, glanced at the bag and then back at Ashlee’s room.

  What had she gotten herself into?

  * * *

  Josh plopped the unzipped bag onto her hospital bed. Ashlee was surprised to find the bag full of cash.

  “Wh-what is this?” She had no idea why they were showing her this.

  “This bag was in your car,” Lawson told her. “Any idea why you were carrying all this money with you?”

  She reached out and touched it, but shook her head. It didn’t look familiar, either. “I don’t know.” She couldn’t even imagine why she would need so much cash—or where she would have gotten it. She glanced at their faces. This made them even more suspicious about what she was involved in. Why couldn’t she remember? Why didn’t she know what this was for?

  “I don’t know,” she said, pushing the bag away, an irritated edge in her voice at their pressing stares.

  Cecile zipped the bag. “We counted it. It’s twenty-five thousand dollars in small bills.”

  They were staring at her, waiting for her to explain, but she had no explanation. She didn’t know what the money was for or where it had come from. “I told you. I don’t know.”

  She pulled the blankets up near her neck, recalling the feeling of not being able to get air. She’d nearly died, and this money was probably connected to the reason why she was in danger—maybe someone was after her for the money, or maybe she’d gathered a lot of cash to run from whoever was chasing her—but she had no idea what the truth was. “I’m tired now. I’d like to rest.”

  Cecile glanced at Josh who was still staring Ashlee down. There was no understanding on his face—just suspicion. He had a grudge against her for sure. It had to be because of the broken engagement with his brother, not that she remembered anything about that, either. She had no explanations and it frustrated her as much as it did them.

  Finally, Josh nodded and Cecile lifted the bag off the bed. “I’ll keep looking.” She and Josh walked out of the room, but Lawson remained behind.

  Tears pushed at her eyes, threatening to let loose, but she held them back. Regardless of what he’d said, he was a stranger to her and she wasn’t comfortable enough to cry in front of him. “They don’t believe me.”

  “They’re used to pushing people to get answers. Sometimes it helps.”

  “Well, it doesn’t help me to be pushed.” A tear slipped through and down her cheek and she angrily wiped it away. She didn’t want to be in this position. “I don’t know anything. I can’t remember what happened to me. I don’t know who was shooting at me or why or what that money was for. I don’t remember.”

  He reached for her and pulled her to him as the tears began to break through. “It’s okay, Ashlee. I believe you.”

  She sucked in the musky scent of his aftershave and it sent familiar tingles through her. She knew this man. She was certain of it, even if she didn’t remember him. It was merely a fleeting feeling, like the one she’d gotten from the man who had attacked her. Only, instead of registering Lawson as dangerous as she had her attacker, her instincts told her Lawson was safe.

  She jerked away from him and gasped at her own realization. “I knew him. The man who attacked me. I knew him.”

  “You recognized him? Can you give me his name?”

  “No, I don’t know who he is. But I remember that when I saw him, I instinctively knew he was dangerous even before he grabbed the pillow and tried to smother me.”

  He sat on the bed and held her hand and Ashlee was thankful for his gentle touch—and his patience. She didn’t need to be pushed.

  “Do you think he did something to you, Ashlee? I mean before. Was he involved in whatever happened to you?”

  She had no memory of what had led her to this situation, but her gut was telling her he was definitely involved. “I knew he was dangerous, so I must know him.”

  “Okay. You get some rest. We’ll do everything we can to figure out who this guy is.”

  She wished she had more to give him—information that might actually help him solve this case tonight. She was being released tomorrow and while she’d be glad to be out of the hospital, the idea of a cold, empty hotel room frightened her. Surrounded by strangers with no idea who she could trust.

  Why couldn’t she remember?

  “Thank you, Lawson.”

  He squeezed her hand, then stood.

  “What happened between us?” she asked him before he could leave. He stopped, his shoulders slumped, then turned back to her.

  “We can talk about that another time.”

  “No, please. I want to know. I get the feeling your brother doesn’t care for me. Is it because of the engagement?” When he still hesitated, she barreled on. “Well, we obviously didn’t get married, did we, or else you would have said I was your wife or your ex-wife. Instead, you said we were engaged. I assume we never made it to the altar.”

  He shook his head and walked back to the bed, pulling up the same stool his brother had sat on earlier. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”

  So that meant she didn’t turn out well in the story. Did she want to hear about what a horrible person she was? Not especially, no—but she still felt the need to learn everything she could about her past. Anything might be the puzzle piece that would help her understand who she was...and how she’d ended up here. “I do.” She braced herself for the worst.

  “We were engaged six years ago. We met in high school and dated exclusively after we graduat
ed. I knew you had your doubts, not about me exactly, but about staying here in town, living on my family’s ranch. It wasn’t exactly your idea of a dream life.”

  That’s funny because she thought living on a ranch sounded nice.

  “Your grandparents had a ranch over on Cedar Ridge Road. That’s where you lived with your parents and your sister, Bree, until about a year after your grandparents died. Your folks couldn’t keep up with the ranch work and the bank foreclosed. When the rest of your family decided to move away from town, I thought for sure you would follow them. You always did have your sights set on the big city. But your parents settled in a retirement community, your sister moved to the city...and you stayed here with me. I thought it was a good sign. Truthfully, I realize now I ignored all the signs that you were unhappy.”

  She closed her eyes, knowing a painful thing was coming.

  “The night before our wedding, you sent me a text message telling me you couldn’t go through with it. By the time I reached your apartment, you were gone. I guess you probably sent that message once you were already miles away. You left me a letter taped to your door telling me all the reasons why we couldn’t be together.”

  She closed her eyes, hating the pain that was evident in his face even now; the tightness of his mouth and jaw and the crease in his forehead as he recounted the events.

  “I tried calling you and texting you, but you never replied. You were just gone. I even tried to find you. I was determined to be with you, Ashlee, no matter the cost. I wanted you and I resigned myself to living in the city if that was what it took.” He looked away and hesitated. “But you never even gave me a chance. You shut me out. That was it. You were just gone.”

  Tears streamed from her eyes. That sense of familiarity that she’d gotten around him felt wrong now. She had no right to feel so safe around him when he had to be hurting just from being near her. She’d broken his heart. “I’m so sorry, Lawson. I’m sorry I did that to you.”