Silent Run - Barbara Freethy [45]
The elevator doors opened, and she bit down on her lip so hard she tasted blood. The open elevator revealed graffiti on the back wall, but otherwise it was empty.
“I’ve been in there before—in that elevator,” she said. “A man got in just as the doors were closing. I don’t know what happened next.” She put a hand to her mouth as waves of terror washed through her. Something bad had happened in that elevator. “I can’t get in there. I can’t.”
“Okay, all right. Take it easy,” Jake said in soothing tones. “There’s no one there now. But we’ll go up the stairs.”
She nodded, drawing in several deep breaths to slow her pounding heart. Jake pushed open the door to the stairwell.
“The good news is that you remembered being in this building,” he said. “That’s the most specific memory you’ve had so far. It’s a good sign.”
She tried to feel happy about it, but the flashback had only brought back the fear she’d felt when the man in the hospital had tried to smother her. She’d fought for her life before. What had she done to make someone want to kill her?
When they reached the top floor, Jake began knocking on doors. They didn’t have any success until they got to the last door. Sarah’s heart skipped a beat as they heard footsteps.
“Oh, my God!” someone said in surprise.
Then the dead bolt turned with a decisive click and a woman opened the door. She appeared to be in her twenties and was dressed in black Lycra shorts and a tank top, her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. She gave Sarah a broad, relieved smile. “Where have you been, Samantha?” the woman asked. “I was so worried about you.”
Chapter Ten
“Samantha?” Sarah echoed in surprise. “Why did you call me Samantha?”
“That’s your name,” the woman replied, the smile on her face slowly fading. Her eyes narrowed. “What’s going on? Your face is all bruised and cut up.”
“I was in a car accident. But you know me, right? You know who I am. What’s my name—my whole name?”
“Samantha Blake. Why are you acting so weird?”
“I have amnesia. I have no memory of who I am or where I live, and most important, I don’t know where my daughter is. If you know me, you must know Caitlyn.”
“Katie?” the woman asked, her glance flickering back and forth between Jake and Sarah. “Wow, this is so crazy. You’re saying you don’t remember me or anything?”
Sarah shook her head. “No, I don’t. I’m sorry. Can you tell me your name and how I know you?”
“I’m Amanda Cooper. I’ve lived next door to you for the past four months. That’s your apartment, three-oh-four.” Amanda paused. “How did you get here if you didn’t know where you lived?”
“The car I was driving was registered to a woman named Margaret Bradley, and this was her last address,” Sarah answered.
“Right.” Amanda shot Jake a suspicious look. “Who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”
“Jake Sanders. I lived with Sarah for two years before she ran out on me with my daughter seven months ago.”
Shock flashed in Amanda’s eyes. She reached behind her for the door handle, as if she wanted to be ready to slam the door in their faces. “I’m going to call the police.”
“Wait, why?” Sarah asked.
Amanda hesitated. “You should come inside, Samantha. And you should wait out here, Mr. Sanders.”
“She’s not going anywhere without me.” Jake took hold of Sarah’s arm, as if he couldn’t trust her not to leave him behind.
Sarah didn’t attempt to pull away. “Did I tell you about Jake?” she asked Amanda.
“You told me that there was a guy you were afraid of, someone who might hurt you or Katie.”
“That wasn’t me,” Jake said firmly. “Sarah was never afraid of me. I did nothing but take care of her, protect her and my daughter. She was running from someone else.”
Amanda frowned. “Why do you keep calling her Sarah when her name is Samantha?”
“When I knew her, she went by the name Sarah Tucker,” Jake replied.
Amanda hesitated and then turned to Sarah. “I wish I knew what you would want me to do if you could remember your life.”
“Jake is okay,” Sarah said. “I feel I can trust him.” She’d intended to say the words only in order