Page 32 of Question Everything

“We did, but we should be prepared for anything. I think we’re safe here. We know that there were no tracking devices on anything we brought with us -- we got rid of the one we found. I just believe in preparation for any possible eventuality, that’s all.”

She suddenly had trouble swallowing her oatmeal and pushed to bowl to one side. “You don’t plan on leaving me alone here, do you? Because it’s a big house and I’m…”

“No, Mia, of course not. I’m just concerned that there might be a chance that we need to defend ourselves. If that happens, I think we should both know what to do.”

She felt a shiver of fear run up her spine. It was bad enough that she could not remember who she was or have a clue as to why those men were after her. It was worse to think that they might come back again. She needed a moment to think. “Let me get dressed in something warmer. I’ll just be a minute.”

Mia turned to lift the baby out of the seat when she heard him say, “You can leave her there. She looks happy enough. I’ve got her.”

“Okay,” she replied. “I’ll be right back.” She ran up the stairs and into her room. She certainly could have done whatever Kyle had planned for them wearing her flannel pajama pants and oversized sweatshirt, but she felt the need to insulate herself from him, especially if they were going to be working together, potentially sitting near one another on the couch. She felt that familiar rumbling in the base of her stomach, the desire that she could not turn off no matter how many times she told herself that any further involvement with him was a bad idea. She would end up heartbroken at the end of this and she couldn’t afford to wallow for weeks in self-pity when she had a baby to take care of.

She stripped off her nightwear and grabbed a pair of wool slacks, a blue pin-striped button-down blouse, and a heavy navy cardigan from her luggage. Then she found a thick pair of socks for her feet. She brushed her teeth and her hair, swiping on a coat of mascara before squaring her shoulders in attempt to bolster her own confidence. She went back downstairs with what she told herself was a determined attitude.I’ll let him help me figure out who I am and be on my way. I’ve inconvenienced Kyle and his entire family for way too long now.

At the bottom of the steps, she could hear him talking to her daughter, but they weren’t in the kitchen. She continued pastthe large dining room to follow the sound of his voice and found them behind a large computer monitor at the desk in the office. Looking around, she saw that three of the four walls had built-in bookshelves; the other wall was all glass. Behind it was a tall sand dune now covered in ice. It looked like it housed a million shimmering diamonds on its surface as the wind shifted the sand around and around.

She cleared her throat to let him know that she was standing there. “Hmm,” she said. “You weren’t kidding about the books. There are a lot of them.”

“Yeah,” he smiled. “It’s been a lifetime of collecting. My mom’s quite the reader and most of these are hers. She’s gone through them all.”

“That’s wonderful. I might take you up on your suggestion and grab one to read later.”

“Great,” he replied. Then he gestured for her to come around to see the tab he had open on the computer screen. “I was able to trace your credit card. It checks out that the billing address is the one in Manhattan, the same one that’s on your license. Apparently, it’s paid electronically. I think that I’d need the IP address of the actual recipient of the bill to track who’s been paying it each month, but I’m hopeful that one of the guys in the consumer fraud department downtown will be able to help with that. I’m going to send him an email now. You have a Gmail account as well – did you know that?”

“No,” she said.

“Well, you do. It’s on the billing information. Would you have any idea what the password might be?”

She looked at him with a blank expression. She couldn’t even believe he was asking her that question. “No, sorry. If I don’t know my name, how would I have any idea what the password to that account might be?”

“Sometimes odd things remain in your mind, is all. Once when I had a concussion, I could remember what I ate right before the game but not the hit that sent my head into the boards. I was thinking that maybe you have bits and pieces coming back to you and maybe they don’t make sense. A password might be a phrase you commonly used prior to the accident, something that just seems like it would work. I tried Sarah’s birthday, but no luck.”

She stared back at him, not knowing what to say, or how to explain that there was nothing in her mind that could help. He looked so earnest, so concerned, that her annoyance with his question quickly faded. Despite her earlier resolve to finally be well enough to be on her way and escape from this nightmare, now all she wanted in this moment was to find herself in his arms once more. She couldn’t make believe any longer. She had fallen for this stranger. There was no way out of it now and that thought scared her as much as the one about the men finding them here. She may be safe hiding here, keeping out of sight and out of the reach of the men on her trail, but by doing that, had she made herself more vulnerable to something riskier? Kyle had made it all too easy for her to lose her heart to him and that, she realized, was more dangerous than any outside threat could ever be.

During Sarah’s morning nap,Kyle walked Mia through the kitchen and showed her the door to the basement. They went down the creaky stairs together. It was freezing. Cold air radiated off the cement walls and floor.

“It’s unfinished down here, but I realize that if you had to hide somewhere, there’s a large cedar closet, and it locks. It won’t keep a professional out, but it will buy us some time. If there’s any sort of intruder, grab the baby and come down here.Let me show you where it is,” he said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the very back of the large space.

Mia shivered, but not from the artic conditions in the basement.Is this where my life has led me? Hiding from some unknown shadow from my past? If I could only remember something – anything – maybe that would help me understand why I feel like I’m running from danger. UGH! Why can’t I remember?She followed closely behind him as he showed her where the closet was located. He opened the door and flipped on the light. A pleasant, sharp woodsy odor met her nose. They stepped inside and she was surrounded by colorful ski clothing, down jackets and extra heavy blankets neatly stacked on shelves. Ice skates hung by their laces on hooks against one of the walls. There was a rack of snow boots in a variety of sizes as well.

“Wow. Your family is prepared for winter, that’s for sure.”

“This house is not far from some great ski mountains. We would often stop here and gear up before heading further north.” He reached out and touched one of the jackets, pulling out the paper ticket attached to its zipper and smiled.

Hmm. It must be nice to have memories of family trips. Hell, what she wouldn’t give for a glimmer of what her life was like before she crashed that car.

“Mia are you with me?” he asked with a grin, shaking her out of her reverie.

She turned and took in the entire closet. There were no windows, but there was a bench in one corner. She imagined that this is where the kids would sit while having their boots laced. The tone of his voice changed just then, from lighthearted to serious, and she knew his detective training was kicking in.

“Mia. If you have to come in here, lock yourself in. I have the key and will come for you once any danger has passed.” He turned to show her the deadbolt lock and how to secure the door.“Don’t open the door unless I say, ‘Wellfleet.’ We’ll use that as our password to know that you and Sarah are safe.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” she said.

“It probably won’t, but I feel better knowing that I can keep you and Sarah safe. Let’s go back upstairs. It’s freezing down here.”

He grabbed her hand again and they hurried back into the warmth of the first floor of the house. “Did you have a chance to look around upstairs?”

“Aside from my room and Sarah’s, no.”

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