Silent Vows (7 page)

Jake sat at his desk, going over his own pile of papers. “So, did you meet up with Melissa over the weekend?”

“No.” Todd had broken it off with Melissa several weeks ago, but since Jake liked his ex-girlfriend, he kept asking about her.

“So? What did you do?”

“Not much,” he lied. Jake would never understand why he took in Myra. Hell, he hadn’t even figured it out yet.

“Not me, I watched the game with Jim and the boys, then spent some quality time with Sheila. If you know what I mean.” Jake laughed.

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“I know what you mean.”

“I had a fantastic weekend.”

“Glad to hear it,” Todd said out of the corner of his mouth.

“Nelson, Blakely,” Jim yelled from the door to the room. “Someone’s here for you two.”

A tall, thin, attractive woman stood next to Jim.

She wore a smock over a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

The smock was covered in what appeared to be paint. A small smudge of green must have missed the apron and hit her chin. She didn’t seem at all concerned about her appearance when she marched over to them.

“I came as fast as I could.” Her paint-laden hand thrust out in greeting.

Dumbfounded as to who she was, Todd said,

“That’s great. Who are you?”

“I’m sorry, I’m Liz McAllister. Do you have any word about my sister Tara?”

****

It was a marvelous day, one Myra would never forget.

After waking, and one extraordinarily long shower, she padded around Todd’s kitchen snacking on almost everything. Although his cabinets were only half-full, everything in them was new and exciting.

She left the television on while she explored Todd’s home. At the Keep, she occasionally helped the kitchen staff, but nothing in this kitchen looked the same as the one from her time.

His freezer had boxes of food she had never seen before. Lasagna, Pizza, Thai Chicken with Noodles.

She couldn’t pronounce the names of the dishes, let alone know what they contained. There were directions printed on the boxes. She fingered a dish called a Chicken Bake and felt confident she could prepare a meal from this century for Todd. Once she 53

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found everything she thought she needed, she smiled with an overwhelming sense of pride.

She turned off the television set, and fiddled with the black box that sat next to it. Out of nowhere, music blared into the room.

Startled, Myra almost knocked over a lamp in an effort to lower the volume. Once she turned the correct knob, a nice, steady, quieter beat pulsed out of the smaller boxes around the room.

It was pleasing with a quick-tempo, much different than the music she was used to. The man who sang with the music had perfect pitch. Without thinking, Myra found herself moving to the beat.

Tara had been right about the music, she would miss it when she went home. For now, she danced, smiled and giggled at some of the words in the song.

****

“Have a seat, Miss McAllister,” Todd offered.

She looked between the two men, apprehension written on her face. “This is about Tara, isn’t it?”

“Not directly, no.” Jake sat to her side, Todd behind the desk.

“Then what?” Disappointment laced her words.

Todd brought out the picture of Myra he had buried in papers on his desk. “Have you ever seen this woman before?”

Liz glanced at the photo. “No.”

“Take a good look.”

“Who is she?” She studied the picture before handing it back. “And what does this have to do with my sister?”

“We’re not sure who she is.” Jake took the photo, tossed it at Todd. “She ended up in a hospital a few days ago with amnesia. The only thing she remembered was your name.”

“My name? Why? I’ve never seen her before in my life.”

“We were hoping you could help us with that.

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Since you don’t recognize her, maybe you can’t.”

Todd let his partner do the talking.

“You said this didn’t have anything directly to do with the disappearance of my sister. What do you mean by that?”

“Just a hunch really,” Todd finally spoke. “This woman.” He held up the picture. “Has a very distinct Scottish accent. Your sister was last seen with two men with similar accents, isn’t that right?”

“That’s what I was told.” Hope filled her eyes.

“Do you think she may know something about Tara?”

“She has amnesia, Miss McAllister. She doesn’t remember anything,” Jake said.

Liz McAllister clutched her hands together and rubbed them hard. Todd had seen the action many times in the past. “Can I talk to her?”

“That might be a little difficult. She left the hospital two days ago.”

Obviously disappointed she asked, “Where did she go?”

Todd had to keep his mouth shut and let his partner go on. He told her they had no idea where she was, and no authority to spend valuable resources to find her.

“But if she knows something about my sister, you need to find her.”

“We don’t know if she has information about her.” “And you don’t know if she doesn’t. Please...” Liz stopped and lowered her voice. “You have to find her.” The woman seated across from him was obviously tormented with the loss of her sister. What did Myra know about Tara McAllister’s disappearance? If she knew anything? Was he harboring a fugitive in his home?
Damn
. All these unanswered questions rolling around in his head 55

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were giving him a headache.

“I traced her to a shelter, but she left. Maybe she’ll go back. We’ll let you know if we find her.”

Liz stood to leave and shook their hands again.

“Please call me.” A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “I’m desperate. I was told every day that passes since my sister disappeared is a day closer to her death. If this amnesic woman knows me, even if I don’t know her, maybe she knows something.” Liz McAllister blinked back tears and walked away.

****

The phone rang. On the second ring, Myra heard the metallic click of Todd’s machine sitting by the phone. Through it, she heard his voice. “Myra, pick up.” “I’m here,” she called out to the machine.

“Pick up.”

Myra held the small black box and pressed the TALK button. Tentatively she placed it to her ear.

“Hello? Todd?”

“There you are, what took you so long?”

“Ah, well.”

“Never mind.” His voice was curt. “How is everything there?”

“Good, fine.” Something was bothering him, Myra could sense it. “I’m getting ready to cook dinner. What time will you be here?”

“About four-thirty.”

“I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah. Hey, Myra, do me a favor. Stay in the house.”

“Is it not safe?” she asked.

“Yes, no. I’ll explain when I get home.”

“Okay.”

“I’ve got to go.”

“Todd?” Myra wanted to ask what bothered him, but changed her mind.

“Yes?”

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“Be safe.”

“See you at four-thirty.”

****

What happened? She had read the directions, and still the smoke billowed from the oven. The boxes of food melted into the wire racks. She had obviously missed something vital for the success of the meal.

Even though the meal smoked dangerously, she hadn’t burned the house down. The dishtowel that caught on fire didn’t really count. Who knew the heated rod in the oven would be so hot? Besides, the water flowing through the pipes in the sink quickly put the fire out. However, the windows needed to be opened to air-out the room, and that made the whole house cold.

She rummaged in the refrigerator until she found the makings for sandwiches. Not the meal she had planned, but it would have to do.

Myra brought in a few logs Todd had drying by the back fence for a fire. Myra set them in the hearth and opened her hands. Flames caught on the log and brought a smile to her face.

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Chapter Six

Todd thought he stepped into the wrong house.

Music played on his stereo, a fire blazed in his fireplace, and there was the smell of something cooking coming from the kitchen. Not cooking so much as burning. The unmistakable scent of burnt plastic filled the room.

He spent the better part of the day trying to structure a speech to lay on Myra about how she needed to be straight with him or she would have to leave. Now seeing all she had tried to do made him forget every last word of his prepared speech.

In the kitchen, she bent over the oven, and he admired the view. She wore one of the outfits he bought for her the day before. A simple pair of blue jeans fit snug to her hips and made the most appealing sight he’d seen all day.

He shook his head. That kind of thinking wasn’t going to get him anywhere except deeper into whatever trouble she was in.

“Hey.”

Myra turned and noticed him staring. Her dimples broke out along with her smile. He could get used to that.

“You’ve been busy.” He moved to the counter, set his sunglasses and keys on it.

“A little.” She moved to the refrigerator, pulled out a beer and handed it to him. “I hope you don’t 58

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mind.”

No woman had ever made him a meal in his home. Sure, he’d been invited to dinner by women at their place, but never his. It was an unwritten rule of bachelorhood not to let a female anywhere near your kitchen. If you did, they would move right in and before you knew it, you would be saying ‘I do’.

And Todd didn’t.

“Did something burn?”

His eyes circled the room, and her ears glowed red in what Todd quickly identified as embarrassment. “I’m not as adept in the kitchen as I thought,” she told him. “I did the best I could. I hope it’s okay?”

“Of course. I am going to change clothes.”

****

Myra stared after him, wondering what she had done wrong. She thought he would be pleased to come home and not have to cook for himself. It was the least she could do to repay him for all his generosity.

She finished setting the food on his table, poured herself some wine, then waited for him to return.

The meal was full of awkward comments and difficult moments. Gone was the previous day’s lightheartedness and fun. Something was bothering Todd, and he wasn’t ready to talk about it.

It got to the point where they both ate in silence.

Finally, when they were cleaning the dishes, she summoned up the nerve to ask, “What’s bothering you? Did something happen at work?”

He stared out the window avoiding her eyes.

“Yeah, something happened.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He looked up. “Elizabeth McAllister came into the station today.”

She flinched.

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“How do you know her?”

“I don’t.”

“Then why did you give us her name?”

Myra put their dirty dishes in the sink. “I was told she might help me when I got here.”

“By whom?”

She waited a beat and turned toward him. “I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t, not yet anyway.”

“Dammit, Myra, why not!” He dropped the plate in the sink. It broke into several pieces.

“You wouldn’t—”

“Understand,” he finished for her. “Well understand this—Elizabeth McAllister walked into the station today holding out hope that we had some word where her sister is, and thought maybe, just maybe, we had some answers for her. How do I know you didn’t have something to do with that?”

“I had nothing to do with Tara’s disappearance.”

“You say her name like you know her.”

“I do.”

“How can I believe you had nothing to do with her vanishing into thin air?”

“I didn’t,” she cried.

“You’re lying!”

“I told you I wouldn’t lie!” she yelled back.

“Where is she?”

“I can’t tell you.”

He had backed her into a corner, verbally and literally. She felt the wall, and saw his hands shoot out, caging her in. “Then you know where she is.”

“Aye.”

“Is she alive?”

“What do you think I am? A monster?” Her eyes poured fury on him. “Of course she’s alive.”

“Why hasn’t she come home?” He fired questions faster than she could process them, forcing her 60

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answers before she realized what she said.

“She can’t.”

“Why not?”

He moved in closer, she couldn’t catch her breath. “It isn’t safe. Don’t you understand that? ’Tis dangerous for Tara to return here.” She trembled, and cursed herself when she felt a tear fall out of her eye. Spent, she stood there shaking, and unable to control it.
Damn him!
Damn him for pushing her like this.

He cursed himself under his breath and tried to gather her close. She held herself stiff in his arms.

“I’m sorry.”

She didn’t cry, not really. A few tears trailed down her cheeks, but she refused to fall into the abyss of depression.

When he let her go, she put distance between them and started to clean up the broken dish in the sink. “Let me get that.”

She stopped, her words void of emotion. “If I had somewhere to go, I would leave here this minute. If I could go home safely, I would pop out of here in the blink of an eye.” Literally, she thought. “But since I cannot do either, I’m stuck. So unless you are going to make me leave, can you please give me a little peace so I can gather my thoughts? Or would you still like to interrogate me?”

Maybe she wasn’t being fair to him under the circumstances, but she’d had just about all she could take for one night.

****

He left her alone and stood next to the fire.

Flames lapped up the wood, bringing a nice warm glow to the room. He couldn’t remember the last time he lit a fire. It would have been nice if he wasn’t so miserable.

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Sometime later, Myra returned to the room holding a piece of paper. “This is a letter from Tara to her sister. I promised Tara I would give it directly to Lizzy as soon as I could. You obviously don’t trust me, so here.” She handed him the letter sealed in wax. “I trust you not to read it.” She swallowed hard.

“Take it to her.”