Page 8 of Found By You
Since his heart attack a few years ago, all of us had gotten on his case for overdoing it, so he would always gleefully comment that gardening was overdoing it for him, which we knew wasn’t true. He was just tired of gardening, and I sort of didn’t blame the man.
My father didn’t glance up from reading the paper. “Have you heard anything about the girl from last night?”
“Nope.” I kept pulling weeds and putting them in a trash can next to me; the sound of roots giving way was satisfying.
My mother came out from the house, balancing a tray of water glasses. “I heard about all of the crazy things that happened yesterday. Gosh. But, that is such a shame the girl has lost her memory. I mean, where could she have come from? Do you think it’s related to the Casper death or the kidnapping?”
I met my parents’ gazes and stood carefully, taking off my work gloves. There was no use in trying to pretend that anything was confidential from my parents. “I don’t know. I will tell you that she handed me a card that said ‘Pete’s Trucking’ on one side and ‘T. Carter’ on the other side.”
My mom’s brows drew together, her fingers absently plucking a dead leaf from a nearby tomato plant. “T. Carter?”
My father tapped his head, the newspaper now folded under his arm. “Have you chased down any leads?”
Even though it had all been gnawing at me since it happened, I tried to play it off like I didn’t care. “It’s my day off.”
My father scowled. “Sure.”
I put my work gloves on. “I looked up Pete’s Trucking and it’s in Casper. As for T. Carter, I have no idea. I’m hoping that when I go back on shift tomorrow, people have answers. But, the plates were gone.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, there were no plates on the vehicle.”
“Strange.”
Dylan got up and took a drink of water. “So maybe she was in Casper, maybe not.”
“Right.”
“And she remembers nothing.”
I nodded, sweat beading on my forehead. “That’s about all we know.”
My father pulled his chair closer to us. “Yeah, Pete’s Trucking, I’ve been there before. If I remember correct, Pete is the guy who owns it.”
“I’m sure they are chasing down those leads.”
“T. Carter … Theresa Carter, Tanya Carter, Tara Carter, Thelyssa …” My mother kept running through T names. “Tammy.”
Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out and glanced at the text.
“Who is it?” my mother asked.
I figured I might as well tell them. “It’s Ella. She’s working today. She says that the woman woke up.” Another buzz sounded. “She says that the woman wants to see me.” This made me happy. “I have to go.”I took off the gloves and turned to Dylan. “I guess you’re finishing this by yourself.”
“No worries. I hope the woman is okay.”
“Me too.” I walked toward the house. “See you guys later.”
My mother followed me into the house, the screen door closing behind us with a soft thump. The cool interior provided instant relief from the summer heat.
She lightly touched my shoulder. “If she needs something or if we can provide anything. Please let us know. You know we have that women’s shelter in town. I can bring her clothes or whatever she needs. If she does need someone to talk to, I’d be happy to do that.”
I picked up my keys and my wallet, then turned back and gave my mother a quick hug. “You’re a good woman, Mom. I’ll call you later.”
Chapter 4
I was crying, and I couldn’t stop myself. Tears fell down my cheeks. I didn’t know what was happening. All I knew was that I was completely beat up and no one was familiar to me. I couldn’t remember anything.
