Stealing Shadows - Hiding In The Shadows Part 9

"Her lawyer mentioned it. He said she had gone through my desk at home to find out what bills I had so they could be paid. That must have been just after the accident." She was about to mention the missing laptop,

but Kane was speaking and her wavering concentration lost the thought.

"So we have a span of weeks." Kane looked at Bishop. "Great."

Bishop's mind was on something else. "The apartment was searched afterDinah went there to go through your desk." His pale gaze was intent onher face. "And just a few weeks later, Dinah disappeared."

Faith tried to make her mind focus on what he meant. "Are you sayingthat Dinah might have disappeared because someone thought she she foundsomething at my place? Something she wasn't supposed to find?"

"Maybe." He turned to Kane. "Maybe we've gone about this the wrong way.

Maybe there was no direct threat to Dinah, no story someone wantedstopped before she could write it. Maybe it isn't her past we should belooking into."

"But mine," Faith said shakily.

Kane realized suddenly that she was exhausted. it showed in her eyes,darkened with strain, and in the shadows beneath them. She was trying tosit up straight, but her shoulders kept slumping, and her skin wasashen. He was sure that if her hands hadn't been clenched together inher lap, they would have been shaking uncontrollably.

"You need to get some rest," he said.

Apologetic, she said, "I haven't quite got my strength back yet. It hitsme all at once and ... and then I just need to sleep. I'm sorry."

"For G.o.d's sake, don't be sorry. You've been through h.e.l.l, and it'sunderstandable. Besides, you've told us things we didn't know before.

And you may be able to help us find Dinah." Bishop looked at him butsaid nothing.

"I want to," she said again, then sighed. A shadow of fear crossed herface. "if-if you could call a cab for me ..." Kane's hesitation wasbrief. "Look, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go back to yourapartment, at least not tonight. Until we figure out what's going on,until we're sure that what happened to you and what happened to Dinahare unconnected, it's better you stay with us."

Color crept into her face. "I can't stay here."

"Of course you can." He kept his voice matter-of- fact. "There are twobedrooms. Noah's in one, you take mine. I'll bunk down in here." Hegrimaced.

"These days, I'm usually in here most of the night anyway. Might as wellget a pillow and blanket and make it official."

She bit her lip in indecision, and Kane thought about how terrified shemust be, so alone that even the face in her mirror was unfamiliar toher.

Gently, he said, "We'll take it one day at a time, okay? Tonight, youneed to sleep, and I think you'll feel safer here than at yourapartment. Tomorrow we'll start trying to figure Out What's going On."

Bishop said nothing.

Faith finally nodded. "Thank you."

Kane showed her the way to his bedroom, made sure there were cleantowels in the connecting bath- room. He invited her to use Dinah'stoilet articles but found one of his own s.h.i.+rts for her to sleep inrather than anything of Dinah's; that was an intimacy he didn't thinkeither of them was ready for.

When he returned to the living room, he found Bishop sitting just wherethey'd left him, his frowning gaze fixed on the spot where Faith hadbeen sitting.

Silently, Kane fixed drinks for them both, then reclaimed his place onthe couch. "Do you believe her?" he asked abruptly.

"I don't know. She could have told us what we wanted to hear."

"I didn't want to hear that Dinah's being hurt.- Kane's voice was verysteady.

"No. But we might have expected something of the sort, if we're honestabout it. And it made for a dramatic telling, didn't it? Virtuallyguaranteed to create an emotional reaction."

"The details about the beach house-there's no way she could have foundthose out. Except from Dinah." Kane wasn't ready to give up.

"Or from you."

Kane frowned, then realized what his friend meant. "You mean she couldhave gotten them out of my mind as we were sitting here?"

"If she's psychic, maybe. just because she was able to block me doesn'tnecessarily mean she can't use her abilities at the same time."

"Another psychic rule?" Kane asked wryly.

"Something like that."

"Okay. I have to admit that's possible. But there has to be a connectionbetween Faith and Dinah, and what happened to both of them. Maybe thethreat was against Faith-maybe she was into something dangerous andDinah just stumbled into the situation.

But Dinah clearly felt responsible for Faith's accident, Noah. She feltguilty enough about it to spend a h.e.l.l of a lot of money trying to fixthings for Faith." Playing devil's advocate, Bishop said, "But sheapparently has a history of giving money to people in trouble. So how dowe know her guilt was excessive?

Maybe Faith merely represented ... one more wounded soul she was tryingto help."

"Maybe. But whether Dinah's story got Faith hurt or something in Faith'slife became dangerous to Dinah, the answer has to be there, between thetwo of them. Maybe she won't be able to tell us much, but there arethings we can find out. The facts of her accident, for one. Whathappened to the prescription drug she was supposedly taking and did a doctor actually prescribe it? How did she have a couple of drinks in herjust minutes after leaving her job and going to meet Dinah?"

Kane's face was hard with determination. "The police obviously chalkedthe crash up to a careless, intoxicated driver, so they wouldn't havechecked out the details. We can do that. We can do a background check onFaith and find out as much as possible about who she is. We can find outif Faith and Dinah were actually friends, if anyone saw them together orknew about the friends.h.i.+p. We can find out what Faith's job involved,and whether it might have provided Dinah with information she waslooking for, a story that might have gotten them both hurt. We can lookfor facts, Noah."

After a moment, Bishop said, "So you're convinced both Faith and Dinahwere gotten out of the way because of a story Dinah was working on."

"It's possible, isn't it?"

"Yes. It's possible."

"Then we have a lead," Kane said, his voice sharp with antic.i.p.ation.

"We have a lead," Bishop agreed.

CHAPTER THREE.

it was fairly early when Faith woke up, and she stared around theunfamiliar bedroom with absolutely no idea where she was. The panickedconfusion was mercifully brief, but it left her feeling shaky.

A feeling she was very familiar with.

That was a sensation She took a shower, and it wasn't until she wasdrying her hair with a blow dryer that she realized she had knownexactly where it was in the en closet, even though Kane hadn't shown herthe night before.

Then, when she became conscious of her actions, the brush in her righthand suddenly felt clumsy and wrong, and she had to transfer it to herleft.

"Left-handed," she murmured. "I'm left-handed."

She had been using her left hand consistently since waking up in thehospital. So why had she used her right that morning?

It was probably one of the strange little glitches wrought by her coma,and she forced it from her mind. She got dressed, then made up the bedand neatened the room, leaving everything as she had found it. Finally,unable to postpone the moment any longer, she left the bedroom.

Kane was up. He was freshly shaved, his hair damp and his casualclothing unwrinkled. He was moving restlessly around the living room,and she doubted he had slept much if at all.

He paused near a lovely baby grand piano as soon as she appeared in thedoorway, his awareness of her instant and his gaze sharp. "Goodmorning." His voice, a little abrupt, was softened by a quick smile.

"The coffee's hot, and everything's out on the counter.

Fruit, bread, cereal. Help yourself."

"Thanks." Faith went into the kitchen and busied herself. She was too aware of him for her peace of mind, especially when he came to the otherside of the work island to pick up his coffee cup.

"I hope you slept well," he offered conventionally.

Faith hesitated, then dropped a slice of bread into the toaster and saidlightly, "I've slept a lot since coming out of the coma, but I've yet tosleep well. The doctors say it's natural and nothing to worry about."

"Bad dreams?"

"No, not that. just ... feelings. It's hard to let myself go, to trustsleep. I'm afraid I won't wake up, or that when I do, weeks or monthswill have pa.s.sed.

The doctors a.s.sure me that such a thing won't happen, but of course thefear isn't rational, and rea.s.surances don't help much. So, because I'mso afraid of not waking up, I tend to wake up often during the night."

She didn't go on to describe the rushes of panic, the long minutes of calming herself down enough to sleep again.

"That must be h.e.l.l," Kane said with sympathy.

"No wonder you-" When he broke off, Faith said, "Jump when- ever anyonesays boo? I Look like h.e.l.l? Think I'm psychic? Or merely indulge inrunaway paranoia?"

"I wasn't going to say anything like that." But instead of explaining,he changed the subject. "Noah and I have been talking, and we think thebest thing is for you to stay here at least a few days. We need time totry to find some answers, and until we do that, we won't know if youmight be as much danger as in Dinah. So we'll take you to your apartment today and you can pack abag."

"I can't 'just take over your bedroom." I can't force myself into yourlife. I can't do that. I don't belong here.

And you belong to Dinah. She concentrated on the tasks of spreadingjelly on her toast and not looking at him.

"I told you, I'm not using it much anyway. And I'd feel better if youstayed here for a while, Faith." He paused, then added, "Maybe thatbreak-in at your apartment was just that, a random burglary. But maybeit wasn't. Maybe it had something to do with Dinah and why she'smissing. I think you can help me find her."

Faith's restless night had done nothing to settle her emotions orclarify the confusion in her mind, and frustration was obvious in hervoice. 'How? I can't even help myself. G.o.d knows I can't rememberanything helpful."

"You might get your memory back, or at least some of it. In fact, youprobably will."

"But will it be in time to help Dinah?" she murmured, more to herselfthan to him. Before he could reply, she asked restlessly, "Where'sBishop?"

"On the phone." Kane paused, then added deliberately, "Checking intoyour background."

That drew her eyes to his face, and she found him watching her intently.

"Oh. I guess he can do that, can't he." It wasn't a question.

Kane's eyes narrowed suddenly. "Why do you say that? "

"He's with the FBI, isn't he?"

There was a moment of silence, then Kane said, "Neither of us mentionedthat."

"You didn't?" Faith was startled, but quickly realized what the answermust be. "I suppose Dinah told me." She shook her head. "It happens likethat-right out of the blue, I just know things I can't explain knowing.

Either my memories are popping up here and there, or Dinah's are. And since I never met you or Bishop before last night ..." She returned herattention to her breakfast, unwilling to see disbelief or suspicion inhis expression.

But Kane's voice was neutral when he said, "Do you mind that he'schecking into your background?"

Faith took the time to chew a bite of toast, then shook her head. "Whyshould I mind? Maybe he can even find out enough to answer a few of myquestions.

"Such as?"

"Such as ... why there are no photographs in MY apartment and almost noevidence of my past."

"Some people don't like clutter. Even the clutter of ... visiblememories. Maybe it's only that."

"Wouldn't that be ironic," she said. "If I'd kept out of my life the onething that might help me remember my life."

She drew a breath and looked at him steadily. "I'm twenty-eight yearsold, and there should be evidence of that life. Signs that 1-that Ilived those years. Photographs. A high school yearbook. A sweater mymother knit for me. But there's nothing like that there. It's as if Icame from nowhere eighteen months ago when I moved into that apartment."

"Everybody comes from somewhere, Faith. But maybe you chose to walk awayfrom your past for some reason. People do. Go to a new place, startover."

She toyed with the handle of her coffee cup, aware that the gesturebetrayed her uneasiness but unable to stop herself. "Maybe that's true.

But what could have been so bad that I had to wipe out my past before Icould start over?"

It was Bishop, coming to the kitchen at that moment, who replied to herquestion. "My guess would be murder."

"Amnesia?"

"According to her file, yeah." He scowled at a pa.s.serby, sending him onhis way without stopping to wait for the phone, then he continued hisconversation. "I got a look at the shrink's report. Seems her whole lifeis a blank, not just the days or weeks before she rammed her car intothat embankment."

"Is it temporary or permanent?"

"Beats the h.e.l.l out of me. And them, apparently.

The gist of it is that n.o.body knows whether she'll ever regain hermemory. She could get it all back, some of it-or none of it. And there'sno telling how long it might take. She could wake up tomorrowremembering every detail."