Chapter 9

Finn

Leigh had done her job well—just as I’d expected. The corporate jet was waiting for us when we arrived and even though I looked like hell, I was whistling with happiness inside. Once we were airborne, Elspeth and I took a shower, dressed in the clothes Leigh had sent and Elspeth underwent an exam.

Pete emerged from the cabin bedroom, a guarded look on his face.

“Who is she, Finn?”

“How is her head?”

“Just a bruise and she’ll be fine, but don’t change the subject. I asked you who she is?”

“I don’t know.” I held a glass of bourbon and was sitting in one of the broad side chairs. I’d been watching television and trying to relax, knowing all the time that this discussion was in the offing.

“What the hell does that mean?” He poured himself a brandy and sat opposite me, crossing his legs and flipping off the television with his own remote.

“It means just that. Look, it’s a long story, but I found her unconscious in a burning hunter’s shack in the middle of nowhere. I saw the flames as I was driving by and went back to check. The car got stuck, we had to wait for someone to pull us out, and I drove south until I got here. I don’t know who she is other than her first name seems to be Elspeth.”

“And you know this, how?” He was trying to trap me; I knew it. I’d probably do the same damned thing if I were in his position.

“Didn’t you see the necklace she was wearing?”

“She wasn’t wearing any necklace. She was dressed in some sort of jogging outfit; I don’t know, but there was no necklace. When she couldn’t tell me her name, I looked for identifying marks. There weren’t any… with the exception…” He let the sentence hang in the air.

“Of what?”

“She’s recently had intercourse.” Pete put it in clinical terms, although he had a fair idea who her partner had been.

I tried to have the good manners to look abashed, but I wasn’t.

“That’s what I figured.” Pete grimaced. “So, Finn, what the hell do you want me to do with this mess you’ve created?”

I downed my drink and poured another. “Is she sleeping?” I asked and he nodded. “Pete, the bruise on the back of her head. Any clues what she was hit with?

“I’m no psychic, Finn. Hell, I don’t know. You said you found her in a cabin. It’s not the kind of bruise you’d get from falling, but you might get it if you backed into something—hard. I doubt she did that. If I had to guess, I’d say someone hit her. I don’t suppose you know anything about that?” He glowered at me.

“What the fuck do you take me for? Of course not!”

“So, again, I’ll ask. What is it you want from me?” He wasn’t going to drop this, no matter how high of a fee he intended to charge me, and I knew it would be dizzyingly high.

“Look, if you don’t have to say anything, just don’t. I don’t know who she is, how she got there, but I’ll put some people on it and see what happens. I’ve got some folks who can make a few quiet, private inquiries. You know how I work, Pete.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what worries me.”

“Pete! Damn, you know I’m a decent guy. Has she gotten to me? Sure. That stranded and bonding thing is real—I just lived through it. Outside of that, I’ll do the right thing, and I won’t take advantage of her unless she fully consents.”

“You need to find out who she is. She’s liable to be somebody’s wife, you know.” He was trying to be objective.

“Not wearing a ring.” I was proving myself to be a worthy opponent to his logic.

“Somebody on the run.” He was just chock full of great suggestions.

“Maybe, but I’ll have my people check it out.”

“I’ll bet you will.” His voice had a dour ring. “She needs something to eat. She’s not malnourished, but she’s small and doesn’t have a lot of reserve.

“I’ll take something in for her.”

“No, Finn, you sit here. I’ll take something in to her. Where is the ‘something’?”

I pressed a button, and the attendant came out. “Would you give Dr. Harper the lady’s dinner, please?” I instructed her.

She nodded, reappearing a few moments later with a tray.

Pete downed his drink, got up, and took the tray, tapping on the bedroom door before he went inside. He was in there for some time – so long that I began to consider checking on them. Once he finally reappeared, we were preparing to land.

“She’s confused, Finn. Don’t make it worse. Where is she going to stay?”

“I’m having one of the condos in my building prepared for her. I’ll give her the privacy she deserves, Pete. You know me.”

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about. All right, let me out of this flying cigar, and I’ll look in on her in a day or so.”

“Pete?”

“Yeah?”

“This amnesia thing. Could that be legit?”

He looked thoughtful and nodded. “Absolutely. Amnesia is a condition that can be permanent, as in degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, or temporary. She might recover her memory, just parts of it, or none of it. If it’s a psychological block, she would need therapy and would have to be willing to recover it. It’s a complicated circumstance with many causes and solutions.”

“You know what the hell I’m asking.”

Pete nodded and buckled his seatbelt. “Yes, she could have lost a segment of time due to that blow to the head. But if someone hit her, why and where did they go afterward? You said you found her and she was alone.”

“Don’t know, Pete, but you can damned well bet I’m going to find out.”