Page 52 of Please Remember

Laughing, I hurry to retrieve my phone and see Shields name on the screen. "Hello?"

"Allie? Is this a bad time?"

"No, it's fine."

"I wanted to let you know that we looked into Danny Tomlin."

"And?"

"And, he has an airtight alibi. He had credit card transactions fifty miles away in the window we believe you were kidnapped."

My heart sinks. I'd been so certain of his guilt. It made all the sense in the world. If it was him, this nightmare would be halfway over. "Okay, thank you for looking into it again."

"Allie, are you sure you're safe at Jax's house?"

"What?"

"This is me being a woman more than a cop. Are you absolutely certain Jax had nothing to do with this?"

My jaw drops. "He has witnesses. Plus—"

"There's a hole in his alibi, Allie. And we've had someone tell us that you and Jax were having problems. This person was surprised when he planned to propose after hearing some of the things you'd said."

"Who said this?"

"I'm not at liberty to say."

My mind reels. No one I've met would have said that, would they? "I've gotten different information," I say, “from someone I definitely would have told."

"You're talking about Sage, aren't you?"

"What if I told you I wasn't at liberty to say?"

Shields snickers. "Touché. Just so you know, we also don't have a solid witness who saw Sage at the time you were abducted, either."

"You think... what? Jax and Sage worked together and are keeping a close eye on me in case I remember? If I remember, then I'm actually dead?"

"Just... be careful, Allie. I may not agree with Parsons' methods or how he acts, but I understand what he means when he says people lie. All the time. There are many different scenarios that this could fall under."

"Give me one."

"Sage and Jax could have been carrying on an affair, but they both care enough about you not to kill you. And when you didn't remember anything, it was a perfect excuse to keep you alive."

An affair? Nothing between the two of them has ever come across as anything other than platonic. No, they wouldn’t do that. There’s just no way."That's crazy."

Jax seemed so genuinely surprised to see me, and then excited. Happy. Also protective. He didn't want me going with my parents. Why didn't he want me going with my parents? Even if I didn't have a great relationship with them, they're still my parents. They would have kept me safe. Did he need to keep me close? Was his protectiveness more out of concern for himself?

No! Stop it. He didn't hurt you. And Sage would never hurt you.

"I do know this much, Allie. Whoever did this is someone you know personally. Since there was no sexual assault in the time you were down there, there was another motive. It's not a stranger; it's someone you likely had in your life back then. Probably someone in your life now."

"I'll keep an eye out," I say. "Thanks for calling."

Hanging up, I sit on the couch and try and put everything together. Jax and Sage have issues with their alibis. That doesn't mean that they did this, though. No, the doctor told me to follow my instincts, and my instincts tell me I can trust them. But it does sound suspicious.

Jax walks out wearing loose-fitting sweatpants. "Everything okay?"

"It was Shields," I say and rub my face with my hands.

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