Chapter 3

 

Later that morning, a young, cheerful aide arrived with Jane’s breakfast tray, her movements quick and efficient. She positioned the table in front of Jane and hurried on to her next charge.

Jane’s stomach growled with hunger. Still, when she tried to eat, panic bred by her situation tightened her throat, making it hard to swallow the oatmeal. The toast scratched her sore throat. After a couple of bites, she put it aside. But the coffee tasted wonderful. She closed her eyes as she sipped and savored the hot, fragrant brew. Umm. I need my morning caffeine. I’m never any good without my coffee.

Now where had that thought come from?

Sheriff Ben knocked on her open door and walked in, smiling at her. “Good morning! Remember me? Sheriff Ben?” At her nod, he went on, “I’m so glad to see you’re sitting up and eating. How are you this morning?”

She eyed him. A tall, lanky man, somewhere in his late forties, dressed in a light weight uniform. He wore a badge, had a holster at his hip, carried an air of authority and walked with confidence. She knew she was supposed to avoid the law. But why? Whose rule was that? He seemed very nice and had brought her here to get warm and dry. She answered, “I’m okay, just sore all over.”

“You’re a mighty lucky girl to be alive.” he assured her.

“Thank you for rescuing me,” she said, giving him a smile. “Where’s Mel, the man whose cabin I found?”

“Mel’s at his accounting office in Landers, across the river. He said he’d stop by to see you later.”

“Oh. I thought he worked with you.” Why was she disappointed he wasn’t here now with the sheriff? She’d only seen the man once. But she’d glimpsed genuine kindness in his sky blue eyes. He’d cared about her and she’d immediately trusted him.

Ben shook his head. “No, but he did security work in the military.”

“I see.” She tried to picture him in an army uniform. Or maybe a Marine’s.

Ben asked, “You still haven’t remembered your name?”

She shook her head, panic returning. She pushed away the rolling table holding the remains of her breakfast. “They’re calling me Jane Doe.”

He laughed. “They need something for their records.”

“I suppose.”

Ben said gently, “No one fitting your description has been reported as missing so far.”

“Oh.” She swallowed and looked away. So no one cared about her enough to miss her. Or she lived alone. “What am I going to do if I don’t get my memory back?” she asked. “What if no one claims me as their family member and I can’t pay my hospital bill?”

Ben smiled at her. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure out something. The county has programs for emergencies. I’d like to take your fingerprints, if you don’t mind? Maybe I can find out your identity from them. If you have a family, they must be very worried.”

“Oh!” Relief ran through her. She smiled back at him. Of course, the sheriff had ways to identify her. He’d figure out who she was, where she belonged. “Sure.”

Doubt crept in. Did he think she was a criminal? Would her fingerprints tell him so? She swallowed and watched him open a little kit on her bedside table. She held out her hand and allowed him to roll her fingers on the ink pad and record her prints. His long fingers were calloused and rough, but his touch was warm and gentle as he manipulated her hand, careful to avoid the trailing IV tube.

“You’re not wearing any rings,” he commented.

“No, I’m not, am I?” She followed his gaze to her hands. She had slim fingers, a couple of broken fingernails, and only spots of bright red nail polish. What a mess. She definitely needed a manicure.

“Probably means you’re not married,” he said companionably.

“Married women usually wear rings,” she agreed. What if she had no one to miss her?

”I tried to get your prints from a plastic cup last night, but they were too smudged,” Ben said as he worked. “These will be better, I’m sure.”

He put his equipment away and handed her a moist towelette to clean the ink from her fingers. “Sorry about the ink. Do you remember anything at all from yesterday?”

“Nothing before I came to in the water.”

Ben sighed. “Well, tell me what you do remember.”

She nodded and stared out the window, then began talking softly, describing her ordeal in the river. “I’m a good swimmer,” she ended, “but when the current pulled me under the cold water over and over, I was sure I would die.”

“I figured you must be a good swimmer to have survived.”

She nodded. “I kept bumping into rocks in the river and trying to grab onto them, but my hands kept slipping off. Finally, my feet touched the sandy bottom and I was able to stand.”

“You’d been carried downstream to where the river is shallower,” Ben explained.

She gave him a wry smile. “I suppose. Anyway, I found the cabin and thought I’d find a telephone or someone to help me. But the cabin was empty. I’m sorry I had to break the window to get in. I was so tired and wet and cold. When I found the knitted afghan on the sofa, I wrapped myself up. I must have fallen asleep. I hope Mel didn’t mind my making myself at home.”

“Don’t worry about that. Of course Mel doesn’t mind,” Ben said. “We’re all so thankful you survived. He saw you go into the river, helped us hunt for you all afternoon.”

“He did?”

“Yes. His accounting office is in a house right on the river bank. He happened to be at the window, saw you fall and called for help. You must have a guardian angel watching over you.”

She laughed. “Sheriff, wouldn’t a guardian angel have kept me from falling in the river in the first place?”

Ben grinned and shrugged. “True. Anyway, we’d all been searching the river for you for hours without finding a trace of you.”

“I’m sorry to have caused so much trouble.”

“No problem. Part of my job. We didn’t find you, but when Mel went to his cabin for the night, he did.”

“Yes.”

Ben eyed her, hesitating. “I need to tell you something else.”

“Yes?” Jane waited. Now what? The worried look on the sheriff’s face had anxiety spiraling inside her. He didn’t like having to tell her something. She was homeless and anonymous. What could be worse?

Ben shifted his feet and rubbed a long finger along the side of his nose. He met her eyes. “Mel says you didn’t just fall in. He saw someone on the cliff with you.”

“A man?”

“He thinks so, yes, but he’s not sure. Too far away to tell. Do you remember being with anyone yesterday?”

“No.” She shook her head. “If someone was with me, where is he? Why didn’t he call for help? Why hasn’t he been here to answer questions? He must know who I am and where I live.”

“I’m sure he must.” Ben hesitated and then said, “Mel saw him push you off the cliff. That’s probably why he’s disappeared.”

Jane’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, my God! You mean he tried to kill me?”

Ben nodded, his face grim. “Sure looks like it. Most people don’t survive going through that stretch of rough water below the dam.”

“He must hate me,” she whispered. If so, she was well rid of the jerk. What kind of man tried to kill someone?

“Or she,” Ben reminded her. “Remember it might’ve been a woman. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news.” Ben patted her hand awkwardly.

She opened her eyes and forced a smile onto her lips. “That’s okay, Sheriff. It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but this must be a shock to you.”

“Yes.” She looked away, staring out the window for a long minute. Then she looked back at Ben. “Is that why you had a deputy outside my door?”

“Yeah. We thought he might come back.”

She nodded. “I suppose. If you find this man, what can you charge him with?”

Ben rubbed his nose again, thoughtfully. “I’d like to make attempted murder stick. But we have only Mel’s word for that and he was too far away to positively identify the person. So, I’m hoping you get your memory back so you can tell us who it was and whether he or she pushed you in on purpose. Your testimony would do it, I think.”

“I see.” She chewed her lip, staring out the window. She was on the second floor and only the tops of trees were visible against the blue sky.

“The newspapers want to run a story about this. We could run your picture and see if someone identifies you.”

She jerked back to face him. “No! I told you, no reporters.”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “Too late. I’m afraid our little paper already has something in print. I’ll tell them you don’t want any more publicity, though.”

“All right. Thanks.”

Ben eyed her. “You’re awfully pale. You’d better rest. I’ll go run these prints and see what I can find out. Don’t worry, we’ll find out who you are. We usually do.”

“Sure.” She smiled woodenly and watched him stride out. Nice. Everyone was being so nice to her, a stranger. How could she ever repay them?

The nurse returned. “We can get rid of this IV now.” She disconnected it and put a band aid over the wound. Are you up to a shower, dear?”

“Sure.” Wincing as her sore muscles screamed in protest, Jane eased out of bed and made her way to the little bathroom. The nurse helped her undress and adjusted the water. She laid out shampoo, a fresh hospital gown and panties.

“Sure you’re okay? Don’t feel woozy? Do you want me to stay with you?”

“I’m fine,” Jane assured her, though she wasn’t fine at all. Between the nausea and Ben’s revelation, she felt awful. The nurse nodded and left her.

Jane caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and gasped. She stared, but didn’t recognize the woman looking back. She appeared to be in her mid twenties, with regular features and smooth white skin except for a cheek scraped raw. Probably not bad looking normally. Long, dirty red hair and red eyebrows with a purple bruise above one eye. Or was part of it mud?

What a mess. And they’d cleaned her up when they’d brought her in here last night. How had she looked before? Picking up the shampoo, she stepped under the warm shower to remedy that situation. Her body seemed to have bruises everywhere. She bathed carefully, wincing when she touched a sore spot. She toweled her hair and patted herself dry. After putting on the clean gown, she stepped out of the bathroom, feeling weak and exhausted from the effort.

The nurse waited. She’d changed the bed linens and smiled at Jane. “Feel better now?”

Jane nodded. The nurse helped her into the freshly made-up bed, handed her a comb and mirror and left. Jane began working the tangles out of her hair.

Better physically, yes. But emotionally, no. Anxiety curled in her gut again. What was she going to do? What if they couldn’t find out her identity? Where she lived? What then?

Tears stung behind Jane’s lids and she lay back and closed her eyes.

What kind of man would try to kill someone? What kind of a jerk had she gotten mixed up with? A criminal? Was she a bad person, too?

She shuddered and rejected that thought. She might not know her name, but she knew she’d never knowingly be involved in anything illegal. If he’d pushed her off the cliff, he was not a nice man. So he could be involved in other bad activities, couldn’t he?

She tried to avoid thinking about it. Mama will be furious. I can’t tell her someone tried to kill me. The newspapers and gossip rags will have a field day.

Her pulse pounded as, for a fleeting second, she’d almost pictured her mama and imagined her disapproving voice. She had to avoid the scandal.

If only she could catch that memory and make it come in clear. If she could picture her mama’s face, she might remember her name. But the memory was gone. She sighed. One step forward and two back.

However, now she was sure somewhere she had a mother. And her mother was very afraid of scandal and reporters. Why? Would it stop Mama from coming forward to identify her? She didn’t know.

Why couldn’t she remember? She lay back against the pillow and allowed tears of frustration to come.

~ * ~

At his desk in his accounting office, Mel stared at meaningless figures on his computer screen. With a sigh, he gave up trying to get any work done and shut down his computer. The woman’s white face kept getting in the way of the figures on his computer screen.

He poured a cup of coffee and moved to his window to drink it. Gazing at the rippling water, he wondered how she was doing this morning. When their usual group of men met for coffee at the Flame Restaurant this morning, Ben had admitted he’d made no progress on identifying either the mystery woman or the person Mel had seen with her at the dam. Nor had Ben or his deputies found any evidence or anyone who remembered seeing a vehicle near the dam road about that time.

So, everyone was calling her Jane Doe for now. In his mind’s eye, Mel kept seeing the shell-shocked look in her lovely green eyes. She’d haunted his dreams last night and he still saw those panicked eyes when he closed his.

This situation reminded him too much of his days in the Special Forces. He’d seen that same look in the eyes of a woman he’d pulled from the wreckage of a bombed house. She’d just realized she no longer had a home or family. That was the kind of thing he’d come here to this peaceful small town to forget. Why did violence seem destined to follow him?

He needed to see Jane and make sure she was all right. He locked his office and strode to his car. He’d just stop over at the hospital. He grimaced, remembering he had an appointment with an important client at one o’clock. He glanced at his watch. He could make it back in time if he picked up a fast-food sandwich for lunch on the way.

At the hospital, he asked for the woman who’d fallen in the river. The nurse smiled. “Oh, you mean Jane Doe? She’s right down the hall, second door on your right.”

He knocked on the open door, though he could see her watching TV. She was in bed, sitting propped up with pillows. Her face had a normal color this morning. Her auburn hair shone and fell around her face in soft waves. Beautiful.

At his knock, her gaze swung to him. Her face lit up with a smile. “Hello, Mr. Jonner.”

“Hi, Jane. Call me Mel, please. How are you, today?”

“Stiff and sore. But otherwise fine, thanks to you.”

Embarrassment at her gratitude heated his face. “You have a nasty bruise on your forehead.”

She nodded and gave a little laugh. “Those rocks in the river are hard.”

“Sharp, too,” he said, nodding at the bandage on her left arm. “I heard you needed some stitches. I’m so glad you feel up to joking about it.”

“The doctor says it’s going to heal up fine. I’m sorry about getting your sofa all wet and muddy,” she said, looking up at him from under thick red lashes.

Mel shrugged. “Don’t worry about my old sofa. It’s been wet and dirty many times before. No big deal.”

“You’re a very nice man.”

He shrugged, embarrassed. “As I said, it was no big deal. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Damn, but she was attractive. Bruised and hurt, yes, but something about her captured him. Poise, that was the word for it. He wished he’d thought of bringing her some flowers or something.

“Have you remembered anything yet? Who you are, I mean? Or who the man is who was with you by the dam?”

“The man by the dam?”

He stared at her. Damn it, Ben said he’d tell her about being pushed. Hadn’t he? “Yes. Didn’t Ben tell you about him?”

The frown on her face cleared and she nodded. “You mean about you having seen someone push me into the river? Yes, he told me.” She turned the question back to him. “Do you have any idea who he was?”

“No. I just saw a man…or at least someone…with you by the dam before you fell off the cliff. Do you remember who it was?”

She just shook her head, and asked curiously, “What did he look like?”

Mel shrugged. “I was in my office, quite a ways away, so I couldn’t see clearly. Taller than you. Had blond hair. Wearing dark pants and a white or very light colored shirt. Actually, we’re not sure if it was a man or woman.”

Jane looked interested in his description, but it seemed to mean nothing to her. But she was anxious about her future. “What’s going to happen to me?” she asked. “I can’t stay here. I’m not really sick. But I don’t know who I am or where I belong.”

She looked away, fighting tears. Her puffy eyes told him she’d been crying earlier. She had to be scared and upset. His heart went out to her.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “Your memory will come back soon. If it doesn’t, we’ll figure out something.”

“The sheriff said the same thing.” She gave him a little smile.

“I have a meeting with a client, so I have to get back to my office. I’m an accountant,” he explained when she looked questioningly at him. “I’ll stop back later.”

“Okay.” She smiled at him, her lips trembling slightly.

He fought the oddest urge to kiss those luscious lips. Ridiculous. He hardly knew her. She might be married to the jerk who had pushed her into the river, a victim of domestic abuse like his sister, Mary. He swallowed hard. He had no right to dream about this woman or to keep thinking of her, either.

On the other hand, she looked like she could use a friend right now. Certainly the jerk who had pushed her hadn’t come forward to help her out of this predicament.

Mel left the hospital, his feelings tied in knots. He stopped at the drive-in for a sandwich and hurried back to his office. He barely had time to eat the burger before his client arrived.

~ * ~

After his client left, Mel closed his office and drove over to the sheriff’s office to see Ben.

Marion Sanders, who owned the dress shop on the lower level of the mall, sat talking to Ben. Before Mel had a chance to question the sheriff about Jane, Marion turned to him with a big smile. “Hi, Mel. I’m glad you stopped by.”

He winced. Marion was a nice gal, and they occasionally shared a pizza or watched a video together as just friends, nothing serious going on. He wanted their relationship to stay casual, but wasn’t sure Marion did.

Now she gave him the silly grin which meant she was up to something. “I talked to the hospital and the doctor’s ready to release your Jane Doe.”

He frowned at her. “She’s not ‘my’ Jane Doe.”

“You saw her go into the river, started the search for her and even found her yourself, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess.” He glanced at Ben, who sat there with a smirk on his long, bony face. His gut tightened. Ben knew Marion pretty well, too.

“Anyway, I hear she has nowhere to go, unless the sheriff lets her stay in a jail cell or pays for a motel room for her.”

“A jail cell? That’s a shame,” he said with a frown. He tried to imagine someone like her sleeping on a cot behind bars, locked or not. If she was anything like his sisters, she’d be mortified. His stomach turned over. He glanced at Marion and swallowed. “That’s not right.”

“Definitely not,” Marion said.

He turned to Ben. “You haven’t found anyone to claim her yet?”

“No,” Ben said, shaking his head. “But I can authorize putting her in a motel for a day or two.”

“She doesn’t even have a purse or any clothes!” Mel remembered her bloody bare feet and shuddered.

“She can stay with me,” Marion offered. “My sister and her two kids are visiting me for the summer, so it’ll be a little crowded, but she’ll probably get her memory back soon.”

Mel shook his head and glanced at Ben, who also shook his head. Mel got Ben’s message. No way. If she stayed with Marion and the guy found her, Marion and her family could get hurt as well. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Do you have a better idea?” Marion challenged.

Was she hinting he put Jane up? Hmm. Not a bad idea, at that. He said nothing, considering. He didn’t want to get involved. But still…

“Ben could put her picture on the news media and hope someone recognizes her,” Marion said.

“No. She doesn’t want any reporters,” Mel exclaimed before he caught Ben’s warning frown and remembered Ben was trying to keep the fact that she’d been pushed into the river quiet for now. Or at least out of the newspapers, so the fewer people who knew and the less said about it the better.

“Why not?” Marion asked.

Ben put in quickly, “We don’t want a lot of publicity about this, Marion. I’m keeping it on the wire with other departments. I think that’s enough for now.”

“That may not be enough. Besides, I think the papers are already onto this. At the hospital a while ago, I heard a reporter talking to the nurses. One wanted to take her picture but she refused.”

Mel and Ben exchanged glances. “Damn,” Mel said under his breath. Then he frowned at Marion. “What were you doing at the hospital?”

“I went to visit her. To ask if she needed some things,” Marion said. “I needed her sizes before I took her any clothes. Several women have offered clothes for her. You’re not the only person in town interested in helping her, you know.”

Mel flushed. “I realize that.” What could he say without explaining about the man who might still be after Jane? He glanced at Ben for support. He knew the sheriff’s office didn’t have enough manpower to give Jane any real protection. She’d be a sitting duck if this jerk made another attempt to kill her, especially since she didn’t know who he was. She couldn’t tell them who to watch out for. She wouldn’t know who to trust.

Ben held up a hand. “So, if the damage is done, we’ll just have to deal with it. Maybe the reporter won’t make a big deal of it and not many people will notice.”

Mel thought fast. He didn’t like it, but he didn’t have much choice. His conscience wouldn’t let him abandon her. “I have two places. She can stay in my apartment and I’ll sleep at the cabin until we find out where she belongs.”

“That would be great,” Ben said.

“Why not let her have the cabin?” Marion asked.

Mel and Ben exchanged glances again and Mel said, “No, it’s too isolated out there. I think it’s best that she stays in town.”

“I agree,” the sheriff said quickly. “I took care of the paperwork for the hospital bill, so you won’t have to deal with that. You can just pick her up.”

“Thanks, Ben,” Mel said. Marion looked a bit peeved at his offer. Was she jealous because Jane would be staying above his office where he’d see a lot of her?

“I’ll go with you to get her,” Marion said.

Mel swallowed and nodded. When Marion made up her mind to do something, nothing stopped her.

Now she told him, “I have some clothes and shoes for her to wear. She only had her hospital gown earlier. I don’t know what happened to her clothes.”

“They were pretty muddy. If they weren’t ruined, they’d at least need to be washed before she can wear them again,” Mel said.

He and Marion walked out to his car. A gorgeous June day surrounded them, warm and bright with just the hint of a breeze. He didn’t appreciate that as he drove across the river to the hospital.

What had he gotten himself into now? He knew nothing about this woman except she was lovely and vulnerable. What would happen when the person who’d pushed her into the river learned she was still alive? Surely he’d be watching the papers for news of her death.

When Mr. Jerk learned she was still alive, would he return to finish the job? Mel couldn’t let that happen. Yet, the thought of another person depending on him to keep her safe made his stomach churn.