Forgotten Past by Mary Alford

Chapter Ten

No matter how hard JT tried, sleep proved to be elusive. Although his body screamed for rest, his mind wouldn’t shut down. He stared at the ceiling and replayed everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

By eight, he finally gave up, got out of bed, pulled out his laptop and set up shop in Mason’s study. After going over the police report from the Jennings’ murders for a while without coming across anything useful, JT went to the kitchen and made more coffee. It was just a little past nine in the morning and he needed to do something to clear his head. Making coffee filled that need. He’d poured his first cup when Faith walked in.

“Want some?” he asked.

“Mmm...yes.”

He chuckled at her enraptured expression and pointed to the table. “Sit.”

She took a sip from the mug of coffee he handed her. “Weren’t you able to sleep?”

JT set down his cup. “Not really. I was tossing and turning mostly, so I finally gave up and started reviewing the police report. My team is going to call pretty soon to go over it with me.”

“Did you find out anything?”

He wanted to ease her mind but he didn’t have anything solid yet, other than what Will had discussed with the detective from Austin and he wasn’t quite ready to share that with her just yet.

“Not yet. But I promise once we have a better handle on things, you and I will go over everything.” She let out a sigh and accepted his answer with a nod.

“It’s been a crazy few days and this is an amazing house. Mason is an excellent architect and he went all-out on the place. He also has a tremendous library with tons of books about the history of the area. Go have fun, explore the place, just don’t leave the house without letting me know. Above all else, try not to be too concerned. Later today, I’d like to take you over to the local gun range and show you the proper way to shoot a weapon. Just to be safe,” he added when worry crept back into her expression.

“I want you to be able to protect yourself if needed.”

He took his cup over to the sink. He’d just started rinsing it when his phone rang. “That’ll be them now. I’ll be in the study if you need anything.” He waited for her to confirm before leaving.

JT shut the door to the study and answered the call. “Hey, guys.”

“Everything okay there? You sound a bit frazzled,” Janine said without bothering with pleasantries.

JT wondered when he’d gotten so bad at hiding his feelings. “We’re fine. I just didn’t get much sleep. Is there any news from Hope Island yet?”

“I spoke to Will a little earlier,” Declan said. “The winds have really picked up and the pressure’s falling rapidly. At last count, he said they were registering ten-foot waves near the shoreline. At least the streets are empty. Everyone has gotten safely off the island. That’s some good news anyway.”

“Yes it is. Well, I know you both are busy, so why don’t we get started. I’m hoping three sets of fresh eyes on this will help us find something the Austin police didn’t...” The beep of the call waiting interrupted him. Will’s ID popped up on the screen. “Hang on a second. Will’s calling. I’ll be right back.” JT clicked over. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you with everything you’ve got on your plate. How are things there?”

“I’m afraid the storm’s just starting, but I wanted to call because I have some news. I located the doctor who treated Faith,” Will said in a low voice. “He’s practicing in Georgia now. He remembered the details of the case quite well. He was very clear. He never prescribed anything other than some mild pain meds. He has no idea how his name got on the prescription.”

“Clearly, someone kept the prescription current.”

“Obviously. I’m working on getting a list of hospital personnel who might have worked that night. It’s a long shot, but right now, I’ll take a long shot. Let’s hope the fingerprints from the SUV will solve our problem and give us a name. I’ve had my people go over every name on the trustee list. Everyone checked out. I think it’s a dead end.”

Despite his disappointment, an idea occurred to JT. “Do you mind emailing me the list of names?”

“No. What do you have in mind?”

“I want to show the list to Faith. Maybe one of the names will be familiar to her.”

“It’s worth a try and we don’t really have much more to go on. I’ll send it right away. I’ve left a message for Ben Jennings, but we keep missing each other. I suspect it has a lot to do with the hurricane.” He sighed. “Cell service is terrible right now. I was surprised I got through to you. Anyway, the minute I hear from him, I’ll let you know. How’s Faith holding up?”

“Okay for now, but I’m not sure how much more she can take.”

“Watch over her—and yourself. You’re still a long way from being a hundred percent recovered.”

JT knew this only too well. Even doing the simplest of things constantly reminded him of his injuries.

“The minute the storm clears Hope Island, providing the causeway is passable, I’m going to the island to check for damage. I’ll call you when I have news.”

“Great. Thanks, Will.”

“Anything new?” Eli asked when JT clicked back over.

“Not yet, but the hurricane’s just getting started. I’m afraid it’s going to be a long twenty-four hours for Will’s team and they could use our prayers.”

“That’s for sure.”

Switching gears, JT got down to business. “Let’s get back to the police report. Anything jump out at you?”

“Well, Declan, Eli, and I were just saying, from everything we’ve seen so far, the cops weren’t exactly sympathetic to what Faith went through,” Janine began. “It’s almost as if they believed she had something to do with the murders. And from what I’ve read of the report, it’s shoddy at best and it’s left me with a whole lot more questions than answers.”

JT remembered Will had told him about the innuendos he’d gotten from the police in Austin. “Like what? What do you mean specifically?”

“For starters, the part about the home invasions on the second page.” Janine waited for everyone to get to the page she indicated. “According to the cops, at the time of the murders there had been a rash of home invasions targeting several wealthy neighborhoods around the city. The perps took jewelry. Electronics. Anything they could fence quickly for easy money. Then there’s the matter of the location. The Jennings home wasn’t located in town like the others. They lived out in the country, quite some distance from town, in fact.”

“Faith mentioned a fire had been started to cover up the murders.” JT remembered thinking that was odd.

“Yes. With the exception of the one set at Faith’s house recently, none of the other incidents included fire. They certainly never murdered anyone before. All the previous houses targeted were empty at the time,” Janine told them.

“Well, according to what Faith told me, the Jennings weren’t supposed to be home, but their plans changed at the last minute. Clearly, they surprised the intruders—assuming there was more than one— by returning early and they panicked. Things got out of hand.”

“Maybe.” Declan injected and didn’t sound convinced. “But both victims’ bodies seem to indicate they’d been dead for at least an hour before the fire started, which was limited to the living room alone. They’d have had plenty of time to ransack the place and take whatever they wanted. And there were some very valuable items in plain sight, according to the detectives, and yet they didn’t take anything.”

JT had to agree the home invasion theory didn’t make sense, especially with everything else that had taken place in Faith’s life since then. “Did the investigating detectives have any other theories? Any suspects?”

“From what I can see, the only person they ever really liked for the murders was Faith,” Eli said reluctantly. “I know you don’t want to hear this, JT, but we have to check out all aspects of the case. From what I could gather, something about her story didn’t add up from the beginning. The fact she was the only one left alive sent up all sorts of red flags. But they didn’t have enough evidence to move forward and they couldn’t get her off her story.”

JT shook his head. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “She’s not involved.”

“For the record, I don’t believe she is, either. I’m just telling you what I know. I’m going to do some more checking. I know Will is trying to reach the two detectives who worked the case originally, but he has his hands full. I’m going to call my friend from Austin and see if he can put me in touch with them.”

“That’s a good idea. Do whatever you have to do. Hey, Declan, can you dig deeper into what was going on in Faith’s life back then? Since she can’t tell us anything about her past, you’ll have to rely on whatever information you can find.”

“Sure thing,” Declan said. “I’ll let you know as soon as I discover anything.”

JT glanced at his watch and was surprised to find it was late afternoon. They’d been at it for most of the day. “I had no idea we’d been working so long. I really appreciate your help. I owe you all big-time.”

◆◆◆

JT pulled into the empty parking lot of the Whaler’s Point gun range and he and Faith went inside. The place was all but empty. No doubt, most would-be customers were preparing for a possible hurricane strike.

The lone attendant, a man who appeared to be in his late fifties, barely spared them a look when he told them to use whichever lane they wanted.

JT handed her headphones and goggles for protection then he took out his Glock, released the safety and handed it to her.

“Stand up straight, feet apart, and remember, whatever you do, you may only get one shot, so aim for the heart. Keep your arm steady and when you squeeze the trigger keep the movement smooth and easy. Don’t jerk the gun. The only thing moving should be your trigger finger. Here, let me show you.”

JT moved behind her, his arms circling her waist, and her heart beat a crazy rhythm against her chest. He was inches away. Close enough for her to feel the heat from his body. His hands covered hers on the weapon.

His breath tickled her cheek when he spoke. “Aim for the heart and try not to jerk the gun when you fire it.” Was it just her imagination or was there a huskiness to his voice that hadn’t been there before?

Faith turned slightly so that she could look into his eyes to be sure. She caught her breath as their eyes locked, their arms still suspended in midair. The gun in her hand was all but forgotten.

His blue eyes darkened with emotion. He moved slightly and then brushed his lips across hers. A deluge of emotions threatened to sweep her away and she closed her eyes.

The overhead intercom system squawked to life with an announcement that the range would be closing shortly in preparation for the upcoming storm.

Faith’s eyes flew open and JT started to chuckle. Soon she couldn’t help but join in. Before long, she was laughing so hard tears streamed down her face. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so carefree.

“Talk about bad timing,” JT murmured. “I think maybe that was a sign from above...literally. Let’s try this again.”

This time he stepped back and let her do it on her own. Faith aimed the weapon while trying to remember all the things JT had just told her. She held her breath and pulled the Glock’s trigger.

“Good. In fact, very good,” JT said, close behind her. She slowly lowered the gun. She’d never fired a weapon before. The thought of having to use it to defend her life scared the daylights out of her.

JT punched the button and brought the target to them. She’d hit the target dead-on.

“Nice shot. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve done this before. Why don’t you fire off a few more rounds and then we’ll call it a day.”

“I can’t believe there’s a gun range so close to Mason’s house,” Faith told him as they left the building.

“This one’s been here forever. When Mason and I were kids, our dads used to take us here.” JT tucked the Glock inside his jacket and hit the remote-entry button to unlock the truck. Once they were both seated inside, he made no move to leave the parking lot.

Faith could tell something was on his mind. “What is it?”

JT took something from his bag. “This is my spare weapon. I want you to keep it close to you at all times, even when we’re in the house. Remember what I said. You may only get one shot. Make it count.”

Those words drove home the seriousness of the situation. “Okay.”

Satisfied by her answer, JT turned on the ignition. Before they could leave the parking lot, his phone chirped and he answered it. Faith heard only his half of the conversation, but it was enough to understand it wasn’t good news.

“What about the hospital? Can you get permission to check their database? Good. Let me know the minute you have anything.”

“What happened?” she asked after the call ended.

JT put the truck in gear and they left the parking lot, merging into the light evening traffic. “That was Will. The results from the fingerprints came in. We couldn’t find a match in IAFIS, the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System.”

Frustrated, she turned in her seat so she could better see him. “So what does that mean exactly?”

“It means whoever attacked me doesn’t have a criminal record. His fingerprints aren’t in the system.”

The small amount of happiness she’d felt earlier at spending time with JT evaporated. “In other words, we’re back to square one.” She couldn’t believe it.

“Not necessarily. Will is getting authorization to check other databases like the one for all government and state employees. I suggested he try to get access to the hospital where you were treated. Most institutions such as hospitals require their employees to be fingerprinted.”

She hesitated for a moment then asked the question she’d wanted to ask all day. “What aren’t you telling me?”

He didn’t answer right away and his reluctance spoke volumes. “Is it bad?”

“Faith—”

“Please, just tell me. Whatever it is, I want to know.”

“It’s not bad,” he said at last. “It’s just...confusing. We’ve gone over your medical records. There’s no prescription listed anywhere. Will spoke to the doctor who treated you. He never authorized the Zullin.”

Faith tried to make out his expression in the dark. “I don’t understand. Then how...”

JT shrugged. “We don’t know.”

She continued to watch him. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

He chose his words carefully. “Yes. Will spoke with the detective who’s handling your case now. He said you used to work for Carl Jennings. Why didn’t you mention that before?”

JT was voicing the same old reservations that the Austin detectives had when she’d first told them about the calls. They didn’t matter. He did. She looked away. “Because I don’t remember anything about working for Carl. Because I didn’t think it was important. Because I didn’t want you to look at me like you are right now.”

JT pulled the car over on the shoulder of the road and turned to her. “You’re wrong. I’m not doubting you, and I don’t think you had anything to do with your friends’ deaths. I just don’t want there to be any secrets between us. I need to know everything.”

She shook her head. “I remember every single detail of that horrific interview with the detectives. They asked me questions like why did I suppose the killers let me live? Did Carl and I fight over the missing money? They even went as far as to suggest perhaps the reason I couldn’t remember anything about that night was because I might have been involved. They said that maybe I only pretended to be the Jennings’ friend.” She released a shuddering breath. “JT, I thought they were going to arrest me for the murders.”

Deep in some secret place in her heart, she wondered if they’d been right all along. She didn’t think she could live with the guilt if that were true.

JT clasped her hand, compassion shining in his eyes. “That must have been difficult. After everything you’d been through, witnessing the murder of two people you cared about and not being able to remember it or your own attack, to be accused of causing their deaths had to be devastating.” She was close to tears. “It was horrible. They wouldn’t tell me any of the details about my attack. They led me to believe they were trying to build a case against me. I was terrified. I couldn’t eat. Couldn’t sleep. When I first went to them to report the calls, I thought, surely they’d believe me now, but they didn’t.” She shook her head in dismay.

“They pretty much accused me of making the calls up to appear innocent. After he broke into my apartment and left the photo, I told the police I had to leave. I figured if they were going to arrest me, they’d do it then, but nothing happened. A couple of days before I left Austin, someone from Carl’s business called to tell me they’d found the missing money. It had all been a mistake. The police never bothered to let me know.”

“So the money was located?” JT was clearly surprised.

“Yes. Not too long after the murders, I believe. I was told it showed up in another bank account. The person who called me said he thinks it was all just a clerical error.”

JT ran a hand through his hair. “There have been so many false leads in this case. Just when we think we’re getting somewhere, it blows up in our face.” He watched the rearview mirror as the headlights of traffic continued to pass by them. “Since you stopped taking the Zullin, have you remembered anything new? Even if it seems insignificant, it could mean something.”

She didn’t know where to start. With the drugs finally out of her system, her head practically swam with confusing memories. At first, she just assumed her mind was playing tricks on her until the memories became clearer. More detailed. Even as crazy as they appeared, there was no way she could have come up with them on her own.

“Have there been more than just the ones about the roses and the locket?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because they don’t make any sense,” she said, frustrated. “Since I stopped taking the Zullin, I’m remembering lots of things, but none of them can be true.”

“What do you mean?” When she didn’t answer, he said, “Why don’t you tell me what they are? Don’t try to analyze them. Maybe we can sort them out together. What have you remembered besides the locket?”

She stared out the windshield as a light rain began to fall. “You remember I told you Carl was a real estate developer at the time of his death, but his family made a fortune in oil before he sold the business after his son was killed in an explosion on one of his rigs?” When JT nodded, she went on. “Well, the part about Carl’s son dying that way was never mentioned in the news reports, because I checked right after I started remembering things.”

JT thought about that for a second. “The police might have mentioned it to you or you could have looked up the family’s history online.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think so. The police weren’t very forthcoming about Carl and Rachel. And after what happened, I couldn’t even bring myself to read the news reports.”

“Did the cousin mention it?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m sure he didn’t. Like I mentioned before, Ben and I talked only a handful of times on the phone. Mostly we’d try to make sense out of what happened, but I don’t remember us talking about Carl’s past and I haven’t spoken to him since I left Austin.”

JT shrugged. “It’s something. I’m not sure what, but at least it appears your memory’s returning.

Perhaps it was something Rachel mentioned. Is there anything else?”

There was. Something far more disturbing. Fear crawled up her spine at the thought of it, and she clasped her hands together in her lap to keep them from shaking. “I think someone was harassing me even before the night of the murders. I don’t remember much about it—I’m not even sure if it is real or just a figment of my imagination. Maybe I’m just so desperate for this to end that my mind is making up things.” Her voice had grown tight.

A fragmented memory of those terrifying moments after she came home alone and walked into her bedroom...and he was there. She didn’t have time to take more than a step away before he grabbed her. She’d tried to scream, but his hand clamped over her mouth. His hot breath fanned against her face. She’d clawed at him. He’d laughed at her attempts to escape. His hand tightened around her throat, squeezing the life from her. She grew faint. She’d been certain he was going to kill her and then he spoke. She remembered what he’d told her. “You belong to me.” He’d played that terrible song over and over again.

“Why do you think someone was harassing you?”

“Because I remember it.” Her heart pounded in her ears, her breathing grew shallow. She struggled to control the panic.

“Okay. Take a deep breath and try to relax.”

She did as he asked. After several cleansing breaths, her heart rate slowed.

“Good, now tell me exactly what you’ve remembered.”

She thought about it for a second. “I’m almost certain I was at the Jennings’ ranch. For some reason I was the only one home.” She glanced over at him. He looked shocked. “I told you it didn’t make sense.”

“You’re right, it doesn’t. Do you remember why you were there? Did you stay there often?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe it had something to do with the man who threatened me. I just remember I came home from...somewhere. I’m not sure what I’d been doing, but I was exhausted. I just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep forever but he was there waiting for me.”

“What happened next?”

She swallowed hard. “He kept me hostage for hours, ranting that I belonged to him. The song—‘I’ll Be Seeing You’—it was his favorite song. He kept playing it over and over. He tried to strangle me, JT. I thought he was going to kill me. Then, as if flipping a switch, he kissed me good-night and left like nothing happened.” She’d waited until she was sure he was gone and then she’d left town and went... She couldn’t remember where she’d gone. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t remember anything more.

“Did you report the incident to the police?”

She closed her eyes. “I’m almost positive I did.”

“Do you recall anything about him?” JT pressed on. “What did he look like?”

“He wasn’t very tall—definitely not as tall as you—and he wasn’t muscular or stocky. I’d say he was kind of slim.”

“That fits with the description you gave Will in the beginning. The problem is, it doesn’t resemble the man who attacked me.”

She stopped for a second, trying to get a good image of him in her head. “I remember he had blond hair, touching his collar and...” She touched her collar absently. His eyes had been the most disturbing. Filled with rage, they’d revealed the truth. He was mentally unstable.

“What is it?” JT asked.

“He had really dark eyes, almost black.”

“Do you have any idea who this person is?”

She had to know him, she just couldn’t remember how. “I’m not sure, but we obviously had some type of relationship. Or at least he believed we did.”

JT took out his phone. “I need to show you something. It’s a list of members of the board of trustees handling the Jennings estate. Carl left everything to a group of charities. Will checked the members out and none of them have records. I’m hoping perhaps one of those names might be familiar to you.”

She didn’t hesitate. “Okay.”

He handed her the phone. “Take your time.”

She silently read each name on the list and then stopped. Her hand flew over her mouth. Number four. He was the one who had terrorized her.

“Do you recognize one of them?” JT prompted.

“Yes.” She pointed to the fourth name on the list. “Phillip Masters.”

“Is he the one who held you hostage? The one you reported to the police?”

“Yes.” Her voice was little more than a whisper. She remembered how petrified she’d been, certain he would kill her.

JT took the phone from her. “I’m just going to text Will and let him know what you remembered.” Faith watched as he typed a quick message, then set the phone down. He was smiling when he looked at her. “Let’s hope we have something useful soon.” JT reached over and stroked her cheek gently. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

“This is almost over, Faith. You’re almost free of him.” He leaned his head against hers and she was happy just being close to him. She wished that they could stay like this forever, just the two of them.

It felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She believed him. For the first time since the nightmare began, she could almost see the end in sight.

Letting go of her uncertainties seemed as natural as trusting in JT. For this moment alone, nothing else mattered but being close to him. The troubled world melted away and it was just the two of them.

And she was merely one breath away from loving him.

JT pulled back onto the road and headed back toward Mason’s house.

She shifted in her seat so she could see his face. “Thank you.”

He tossed her a quizzical look. “For what?”

“For believing me. For not letting me give up. For being so sweet to me.”

He grinned. “You’re very welcome. But, for the record, you’re the only person to call me sweet in quite some time, so thank you.”