Stealing Shadows - Hiding In The Shadows Part 6

All I know for sure is that Faith never appeared in any of Dinah'sstories, at least not by name." G.o.d knew he was familiar with Dinah'sbacklog of work; he had spent long hours reading and rereadingeverything she'd written, looking for clues to her disappearance.

"I don't like coincidences," Bishop said grimly. "A friend of Dinah's,possibly someone related to her work, rams her car into an embankmentand ends up in a coma, an accident about which Dinah feels excessivelyguilty-to the tune of half a million dollars. A few weeks later, Dinahherself disappears. Now, there may be absolutely no connection betweenthe two things, as the police believe. But I think we'd better makesure."

"How? If Faith Parker is in a coma, who do we ask?"

"We'll have to look more closely at the police reports of the accident,maybe take a look at the car, too. Talk to her doctors again, the nursing staff again."

"And ask them what?" Kane was baffled.

"According to the staff, Dinah spent her visits in that room talking toher, not to anyone else. And they don't seem to know anything aboutFaith's back- ground or history."

"Maybe with a different set of questions to ask, we'll get differentanswers," Bishop a.s.sured him' Kane valued Bishop's intuition as much ashe did his investigative training-maybe more so. And he was eager to tryanything that might help to point them in a new direction.

"It's worth a try," he agreed. "And maybe Dinah's other lawyer can tellus something as well."

"Maybe. At the very least, we can verify that Dinah really was givingmoney to worthy causes."

Kane frowned. "You think it could be something else?"

"No, but it never hurts to be sure." He smiled slightly as his friendshot him a look.

"Dinah was- is-too smart to pay blackmail money even if she had donesomething to be blackmailed for, which I very much doubt. But it'spossible that someone took advantage of her and -she found out about itlater, after the money was handed over."

Kane nodded slowly. "Dinah would have been furious, would have wanted toget her money back and punish whoever had deceived her. She wouldn'thave been afraid to face up to whoever it was and threaten retaliation,even prosecution. But then-"

He broke off, and Bishop didn't have to hear the words to know how hisfriend had silently finished that sentence.

In that case, getting Dinah out of the way for some amount of timewouldn't help. Unless she disappeared permanently.

Bishop knew that Kane had been clinging to what was very likely anunrealistic hope. That if she had an unknown enemy, that person hadwanted Dinah out of the way only for a while. That she was being heldhostage somewhere, undoubtedly furious and bored but safe. That somehowthe crisis would be resolved and Dinah would be released unharmed.

Bishop knew better. He didn't want to know it, but he did. Within hoursof his arrival in Atlanta, his training and experience told him that itwas only a matter of time before Dinah's body was found.

But he wasn't about to offer that cold knowledge to Kane. Strangerthings had happened, and there was always a chance, however slim, thatKane was right.

Bishop wouldn't take that away from him.

There was time enough for brutal reality if and when it had to be faced.

In the meantime, investigating possibilities was one way of keeping Kanebusy. He needed to feel he was doing something to help the woman he loved. And they had to find out what had happened, whether or not theinformation could help Dinah now; if she was already dead, somebody hadkilled her, and that somebody was going to pay for it.

Before the silence could grow too large and become filled withparalyzing thoughts and fears, Bishop said, "I still think blackmail isunlikely, but it's something we need to look into.

And the connection between Dinah and this friend of hers. Since the police didn't see a connection and moved on, I doubt they'll look again,especially now."

"Why especially now?"

Bishop shrugged. "I have a feeling they're going to have their handsfull now that your reward has been announced."

"You still don't think that was a good idea, do you?"

"I think a million dollars is a h.e.l.l of a lot of money.

And I think there are quite a few people willing to make something up ifthey think there's a hope in h.e.l.l of getting that money. It could 'justmuddy the water, Kane."

"Or it could inspire whoever might be holding Dinah to tip the police asto where she can be found."

"Yes, it could. Especially since you worded the statement to make itplain the money would be paid only if Dinah is found alive and well."

Kane changed the subject. "Getting back to the second lawyer, do youthink he'll be willing to talk to ?"

US.

"I don't know. He'll be bound by attorney-client privilege, but givenDinah's disappearance, he might be willing to set that aside in her bestinterests. We won't know until we talk to him. a.s.suming we can find outwho he is."

-Well, until the banks open on Monday, we can't pursue that lead anyway.

Which leaves us with Faith Parker. The hospital is on our way. Do youthink-?" Bishop did.

But at the hospital, they encountered an unexpected obstacle.

"She was released two days ago." Dr. Burnett, hunted down for them by asomewhat startled nurse, had an air of weariness about him. But hebrightened when he talked about Faith, clearly feeling a proprietarypride in his former patient.

"Released?" Kane stared at him. "When I was here a month or so ago, shewas in a coma."

"Yes, she was. But she woke up a little more than three weeks ago."

"Isn't that ... unusual?" Bishop asked.

"Very. I'm writing a paper for the medical journals.

It's also unusual that she awakened with minimal aftereffects. No brain damage, good response to physical therapy, she was on her feet andwalking within days, and in better emotional shape than most.

Even if she did lose her memory."

"Her memory?" Kane felt a crus.h.i.+ng disappointment. "She can't rememberanything?"

"No, poor thing. Her life before the accident might as well have beenwiped clean. All her language skills are intact, she reads and writes,recalls historical events and even current events right up to the timeof the accident-but she has no personal memories. She didn't know hername, didn't even know what she looked like."

"Will her memory come back?" Bishop asked.

"Probably. Though it could take years. She suffered a blow to the head,but we're not sure if the amnesia was caused by the physical trauma orsome- thing psychological."

"Meaning the loss of memory could be a defense mechanism, a way ofprotecting herself from memories too distressing to recall?"

The doctor frowned at Bishop. "Perhaps."

After exchanging a quick look with his friend, Kane said to the doctor,-I talked to you when I was here before, about Dinah Leighton. Do youremember?"

"Certainly. A very nice lady, Miss. Leighton. As I told you before, sheand I talked several times-but only about Miss. Parker's condition andprognosis.

Miss. Leighton was most concerned about her." His face changed, and hisbrilliant eyes narrowed as they fixed on Kane. "I a.s.sume there's been noword?"

Kane shook his head. "Agent Bishop and I are gathering information onour own, trying to piece together what Dinah was doing in the weeksbefore her disappearance." By now, the spiel was automatic.

Burnett frowned. "I wasn't aware the FBI had been called in."

Smoothly, Bishop said, "We don't always alert the media, Doctor. Workingquietly behind the scenes often garners faster results."

"I see. Well then, I a.s.sume you'll want to talk to the nursing staff.a.gain about Miss. Leighton's visits? "

"If you could arrange that, we would be most grateful," Bishop said, allbut bowing.

"Of course. If you'll wait here, I'll go speak to the floor supervisorand get things started."

"Thank you, Doctor."

Kane looked at Bishop. "You were very polite. Do you dislike him as muchas I do?"

"Yes, I believe I do. And I wonder why."

"You shook hands with him-pick up any bad vibes?

Bishop gave him a look. "None to speak of."

"Then," Kane offered, "it's probably just our natural dislike of humanG.o.dhood."

"That's an oxymoron."

"No, that's a doctor. I don't like hospitals or doctors as a rule," Kanesaid, "so maybe that explains my reaction. I couldn't find even awhisper of a reason he might have been involved in Dinah'sdisappearance. And he appears to have witnesses to his movements thatentire last day."

"I didn't seriously suspect him," Bishop said.

Kane sighed and decided not to tell his friend that he had, over theselast weeks, suspected virtually everyone he met.

It took them a couple of hours to talk to the staff members who had seenor talked to Dinah. They heard about her friendliness, her quiet charm,her concern for her friend. What they did not hear was any awarenessthat Dinah had been pursuing a story or any explanation for herexcessive guilt over Faith Parker's accident.

No one remembered the name of the lawyer who had come to see Faith, andby then Burnett had finished his s.h.i.+ft, so they hadn't been able to askhim.

It was late afternoon when they headed to Kane's apartment. "Since wedidn't get any information," Bishop said reflectively, "we have goodreason to go talk to Faith. Amnesia or no amnesia, she can tell us whothe lawyer is."

"You sound doubtful of the amnesia," Kane noted.

"I think it's very convenient, that's all."

"Convenient for whom, dammit? Faith could have answered a lot of myquestions, but now ... "Let's wait until we talk to her before we ruleher out as a possibly helpful source."

"And we can talk to the rest of the hospital staff on Monday," Kanesaid, "and see if they have anything helpful to add. I 'just have anawful feeling we're going to hear more of the same-lovely opinions ofDinah that don't help us one bit."

"That awful feeling is probably an empty stomach," Bishop saidprosaically. "We haven't eaten since breakfast. And there's probablynothing 'in your apartment."

Kane recognized the attempt to take his mind off things, and smiled.

They settled on take-out Chinese food, and by seven o'clock, were in the process of putting away the leftovers. When the doorbell rang, Kanea.s.sumed it was a delivery boy from the grocery store he'd called. Butwhen he went to the door, he found a woman he didn't recognize standingthere.

She was just a bit over five feet tall and too slender by at least adozen pounds, but she was a knockout.

Gleaming dark red hair with golden highlights, luminous pale skin a.s.smooth and without flaw as polished porcelain, full lip-the bottom onecurrently being worried by small white teeth which with natural color, astraight nose, and big eyes the most unusual shade of green he'd ever seen.

After he silently acknowledged her beauty, he realized she wasfrightened, and that made him speak more gently than usual.

"Can I help you?" She was staring up at him, an odd series of emotionscrossing her face. Disappointment, bewilderment, pain, speculation,frustration, helplessness. She took a step backward.

"No. No, I-I think I have the wrong apartment.

I'm sorry I bothered you."

Before she could turn away, he reached out and grasped her arm. It feltvery fragile. "Wait. Are you- Do you have any information about Dinah?"

She looked at his hand on her, then up at his face, her own frozen inindecision. "I don't think so," she whispered.

Kane didn't release her. A sudden memory surfaced in his mind, a memoryof a still, slight figure in a hospital bed glimpsed briefly as he'dstood in the door- way. Her thin face was so colorless and immobile that.i.t had appeared to him masklike, an inanimate thing holding no life.

Eerie and ghostly, especially with the nearby machines audibly countingoff the beats of her heart to insist, with a machine's irrefutablelogic, that she was, in fact, a living creature.

It was almost impossible to recognize that comatose patient in thiswoman, whose rioting emotions were the very definition of chaotic life.

But suddenly he was sure. "You're Faith, aren't you? Dinah's friend."

Her eyes searched his face, but whatever she was looking for sheapparently didn't find. A little sigh escaped her, and she said, "Yes.

I'm Faith."

CHAPTER TWO.

He didn't know her.

There hadn't been a flicker of recognition in those first seconds.

They hadn't been lovers.

And since they hadn't been lovers, her dreams could not be memories of arelations.h.i.+p.