More Than Memories (8 page)

“Good, we might find some answers.” He wouldn’t
have
hesitated asking Molly before, but now, without
her memory, he felt unsure of himself. “Are you okay with that?”

“Driving back down?”

“You and I driving down and spending a few days
there.”

“Yes. I like the thought of a trip.” She did feel
completely comfortable with the idea, liked the thought of spending more time
with Trent, but knew clearly she wanted to come back to Ridge City. “Just a
trip, down and back.”

Trent nodded, a half smile on his face
acknowledging her decision. Molly quieted. She was nagged by a question she was
trying not to ask herself, but she had to ask someone. “How does it look to
you? Do you think my parents were into something illegal?”

“Illegal?” He looked surprised. He rubbed his
hands together before saying, “Honestly? I’ve wondered if your parents disliked
me enough to take off like that.”

“They didn’t like you?” Now Molly felt surprised.

“They did. At least, I thought so. However, when
you said you were living in California, so close to here, and they didn’t even
call, well, I just wondered.”

“I don’t know what to say.” At least she didn’t
for a minute. “What about when you became a cop?”

Trent paused, his eyebrows raised. “can you
explain that?”

“Did their attitude toward you change when you
became a cop?”

“They knew from the start what I wanted to do. I
made up my mind before high school even.”

“Hmmm.” She took a big drink of her wine. “And
when you actually became a cop?”

“I didn’t notice a change.”

This line of thinking could lead somewhere, and
that was the problem. Neither pushed it. She expected their food soon and told
Trent, “Now that tomorrow’s decided, let’s forget about planning and worrying
and just enjoy tonight.”

He raised his glass to that just as their food
arrived. Halfway through the meal, she asked him, “So when are you going to
tell me about you and me?”

He had to chew his steak for a minute and then
swallowed hard. Trent looked like he wanted to tell her, but said, “I thought
we weren’t going to worry about all that.”

“And when do I get to see your house?” Her
question stopped him. She knew she needed to see it more than ever. “I can’t
help but wonder what we had . . . or why I left it.”

“I can’t answer all of that,” he said.

“The first part you can. You remember. I don’t.”

“Do I need to explain?” he asked in a shaky voice
filled with echoes of hurt and unanswered questions. She knew what he meant.

Trent called Mark and woke him up at six the next
morning, but he didn’t think his friend would complain when a friend needed
him. He also knew Mark’s alarm was set for six thirty anyway.

“The idea about California went over pretty good.”
Trent paused and sighed as he sat down, thankful for Mark. They’re friendship
remained easy despite the fact that Mark had a thing for Bev, who kept chasing
Trent. Trent pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on Molly. “But she wants to
see my house.”

“So take her.”

“It’s the pictures, you know.” He could put away
all the things that hinted at their life together, but that felt dishonest.

He heard Mark yawn. “Maybe they’ll help. Haven’t
you told her?”

“Oh, she knows. And it’s not just about what we
used to have.”

“Really?” Mark sounded more awake. They talked
quite a bit about how to deal with being alone. Mark didn’t like the single
life, not anymore, and Trent had never wanted to be single. “Old fires stirring?”

“I guess you could say that.” Trent drank his
coffee standing by the window, looking out at the yard and the roses Molly had
planted five years before. She’d been so excited about the house, starting a
life together.

Mark took advantage of his friend’s silence and
said, “So is the trip about finding out what happened or about a trip with
Molly?”

“And your question is?”

“I see.” Mark laughed. “Always practical and
taking care of two things at once.”

“No, that’s where you’re wrong. I just want to be
with her. I can’t let her out of my sight this time.”

“Hey, man, don’t worry. Something like that
doesn’t happen twice.”

Trent paused, too long this time.

Mark finally asked, “Why are you worried?”

“Well, we don’t know why she left.” Trent finished
his coffee and took his cup to the kitchen.

Mark finally found an answer. “Her whole family
ran. It wasn’t you, Trent. I think you’re letting Judy get to you, too.”

“Thanks, but we’ll find out.” He told Mark he’d be
by the station with Molly sometime that day and hung up.

On the Internet’s yellow pages, he learned Arnold
and Ellen Anderson didn’t list their number in California, possibly more proof
that they were hiding. Or maybe they just didn’t want to be bothered. He found
it interesting that their number in Ridge City hadn’t been listed, either. He
grabbed the phone and called Mark’s cell.

“Can you do me a favor and find out who was listed
on the deed to the houses the Andersons owned?” he asked, hearing the distinct
sound of Mark’s front door slamming shut.

“Onto something?”

“Maybe. Just a hunch. They never listed their
numbers, and Molly sparked my curiosity when she asked if I thought her parents
were into something illegal.” He gave Mark the address of Molly’s house in
California.

“Well, Trent, that’s one possibility, but not all
people on the run did something illegal.”

He hoped her parents were clean for her sake.
Trent knew Molly had enough to deal with, but Molly’s idea would make sense.
It’s possible they felt they needed to run because Molly was dating a cop who
would eventually find out their secret.
He grimaced.
Going
to spend the rest of her life with a cop.

Mark asked, “So we’re going on the assumption they
were on the run?”

“I think it’s a strong likelihood.” Trent made a
few notes of his own in his notebook. After ending the call, Trent wondered if
he should call Molly or just show up. It was seven thirty. He decided not to
bother her yet, so he mowed the lawn, started laundry, and picked up the house
in case he did let Molly come see it. On his way to the front door, he walked
slowly and scanned his home, trying to do so through Molly’s eyes. Wouldn’t
some of this bring back memories? He headed out a little before nine in khakis
and a thick, brown shirt. He didn’t want to mess with a sweater even if it was
chilly outside.

Trent caught sight of Molly as he pulled into her
hotel parking lot. She was returning from a walk, he guessed, in jeans and a
raincoat. He caught sight of a red silky shirt underneath. That girl always
looked vibrant with a splash of red, whether on her lips, her nails, or her
clothes. She could pull it off looking both sexy and refined.

He pulled the truck up slowly so he wouldn’t
startle her and rolled down the window.

“Hey there pretty lady, need a ride?” He greeted
her with a smile.

“Well, I usually don’t take rides from strangers,
but you are cute.”

He didn’t get called cute a lot, but he’d take
that from Molly. She went around to the passenger side and hopped in.

“Off to the station?” she asked.

“If you’re ready.”

She nodded and he turned the truck around. At
their destination, Trent opened the door for her, and she commented, “I’ve
never been in a police station before.”
She glanced
sideways at him.
“Or have I?”

He laughed and shook his head. She
didn’t need Trent’s affirmation to know
she’d probably visited this one many times before.
Inside, they found Mark easily by spotting his curly hair. They pulled up two
chairs at his request. “Molly, does the name Cindy Dean mean anything to you?
Someone you knew or your parents talked about?”

Immediately she
looked
questioningly at Trent
. He explained what he’d been thinking that
morning, and how she’d given him the idea. She repeated the name and said, “I’m
not sure if it sounds familiar or not. Who is she?”

“The house in California belonged to her before it
came to you after your parents passed away. They must have known her, but I
can’t find an address or number for her now.”

Trent wrote the information down in his notebook.
“We might find something when we look in that file cabinet you told me about.
For now, maybe we’ll get something out of the records we have here.”

That said, Trent took Molly to his desk and they
opened her file. They each took several interviews and started reading.

“Wow.” She said several minutes later. “The police
did talk to every neighbor, friend, and person who knew my family or saw us the
last week we were here.”

“But no one knew much about your parents’ history
before they moved to Ridge City.”

She enjoyed working together with Trent and
noticed him glance at her once in a while, usually catching her eying him.
Forgetting she was in a police station, she felt the urge to touch him, to
reach over and put her hand on his arm and see how he reacted. She reminded
herself not to rush things.

After an hour of reading, she knew
more about her parents than they had ever told her
,
but wasn’t sure if any of it would help her regain her memory.

“So,” she said when she saw Trent take a break
from the paper in front of him, “They came to Ridge City in February of 1990
with a little girl, bought a house, settled in, and were pretty quiet but did
eventually get involved in the community. But no one seemed to know much about
their past except that they were sweethearts in college.”

“Good summary,” he pointed out. “And I have to say
there’s not much about them to draw attention. I did find out their marriage
certificate was issued in Reno, so they could have driven in from anywhere.”

Their conversation paused while his eyes looked
glazed, as if Trent also forgot where they were. Several minutes seemed to
pass. He said, “Well, maybe we should think about driving down to your house in
California. How much more time did you want to spend here?”

“I—” Molly didn’t have an answer. “I want to know
the truth, I’m just ….”

“You can come back here. There’s nothing to fear
down there, Mol. Whatever we find, I’ll help you through it.”

She felt pulled between the desire to stay a
while, get to know Trent’s friends better, and the need to find the truth and
possibly remember them. “I guess we could leave tomorrow if that’s alright with
you.”

She had to look away to calm herself. Thinking of
leaving struck panic in her, and she realized she was afraid she wouldn’t come
back, like last time. Only this time she would have Trent with her.

They left the station without much new
information, but Trent wasn’t too worried. He wanted to cover everything and
take things slow, hoping she’d remember. On the other hand, he didn’t want her
to remember too much, too soon. He wanted her to adjust as things came back to
her. One other reason existed that he didn’t want to come to their answers too
soon – he didn’t know what happened four years ago to make her run.

Something happened to make her lose her memory,
something probably involving her parents. He hoped it wasn’t something
involving him, though he couldn’t see how that was possible. Because he loved
her so much, he worried. He didn’t want to lose her again.

“Awe, it’s raining.” She yanked up her hood as
they stepped outside.

“Give it a minute, it’ll stop.” He took her arm
and they hurried to the truck. His hat kept him mostly dry, and once they were
inside, the rain stopped. “See. The weather’s never predictable in the spring,
but it changes enough to please everyone.” Something about his comment made him
stop and think about their situation, but he pushed aside his worries. Life is
full of stress and he just needed to keep going until they figured some of this
out.

As they passed her hotel, Molly asked where they
were headed.

“It’s just the mill pond on the edge of town, but
we went there all the time.” He felt grateful as the sun came through the
clouds and brightened the day. When he glanced over, the sun sparkled on her
hair. He parked by the road and they got out. “Do you mind walking?”

“Not at all.” She smiled and he noticed she hadn’t
covered her freckles with make-up today. She wore lip gloss, making her red
lips shine and her amazing smile stand out even more. Her long black hair shone
in the sun, hanging in loose curls down her shoulders.

He surprised himself by holding out his hand, but
then again it was habit. She took it and asked, “We used to hold hands and walk
through here?”

He nodded, almost jumping at the feel of her hand
in his. They’d been so careful not to touch since they saw each other that
first day. He had put that space between them, knowing he was a stranger to
her, and also knowing how he would react to touching her again. Just like
before, her hand fit into his as they entwined their fingers. She didn’t seem
to think twice about it.

The path they walked on beside the small pond had
been formed over the years by all the people taking walks here. Blackberry
briars grew on one side of the path with new green leaves while cattails stuck
up out of the water on the other side. Bushes were covered in buds, promises of
things to come, and small spring flowers were blooming in clumps.

“Red winged black birds.” Molly’s eyes looked
above them where the small birds flew, trying to catch the red under their
wings. “I haven’t heard them in a while. They sound so pretty.”

“Have you remembered anything else?” He didn’t add
besides the kiss.
He didn’t want to mention the word ‘kiss’ to her.

She huffed out a breath, a signature Molly sign of
frustration. “No, but I think I’ve been trying too hard. When I remembered the
flowers, I wasn’t trying at all. It just was suddenly in my head, like I knew
about it all along.”