LITMIR.BIZ

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      Or Heidi? Did a car wreck cause her injuries? It fit. Lee took out an evidence bag and dropped the cloth in it, then pulled out his cell and called the captain to report the development.

      Will the name William Peterson mean anything to Heidi?

      “You staying until the crime-scene techs show up?” Lee asked Austin.

      “Yeah. No use both of us standing around waiting. But I thought it might be a good idea to have Kip check this area in light of the car being found. Something might have gone down here.”

      “I agree. We’ll work our way out from here, then resume our search where we left off when you called.”

      An hour later, Lee determined the area surrounding the car was clear of any dead bodies and trekked deeper into the woods to the last place Kip and he had searched. He gave his dog a long lead on his leash and Kip went to work, nose to ground. As the border collie went back and forth through the forest, Lee kept thinking about the car Austin had found and couldn’t help wondering if it was connected to Heidi. As soon as possible, he would delve into William Peterson’s life and see if Heidi and Peterson knew each other, because even if she didn’t remember who he was, there could be a link between the two.

      * * *

      As the door to her hospital room opened, Heidi tensed, scrunching the sheet up in her hands. Nurse Gail entered with her medicine she needed to take. Heidi drew in a composing breath, causing pain to stab through her chest. One of her ribs had been cracked and was healing, but it still hurt her when she inhaled too deeply. The list of her injuries from minor to major only confirmed something bad had gone down right before the police found her.

      “Hi, how are you this afternoon? The earlier shift told me the doctor is releasing you if your lab work comes back okay.” Gail gave her the little cup with her pills in it, then poured her some water and handed that to her.

      “Yes, that’s what he said to me, but...” What am I going to do? Where am I going?

      “But? Are you concerned about not being well enough to leave?”

      “No.” She’d examined the dark recesses of her mind until she had a headache. “I’m not sure what to do next.”

      “I can understand that, but officer Calloway called earlier when you were down in X-ray to see if you were going to be discharged today.”

      “He did?”

      “Sorry I didn’t get the message to you sooner. This has been a busy afternoon. He’s coming right after work. He has a place for you to stay, at least temporarily.”

      In the darkness that surrounded her, there was a ray of light. “He mentioned he would ask around.”

      “When Lee says he’s going to do something, he does.”

      Maybe they were in a relationship. Gail was an attractive redhead about Lee’s age. “You’ve known him long?”

      “We went to school together. He’s a good friend of my husband, Harry. He’s a trainer at the K-9 Training Center next to the police headquarters. Harry got Lee interested in becoming a K-9 officer. He was a natural. Lee is like Harry. They’re big animal lovers.”

      Did she have a pet in her other life? Was it left alone because she wasn’t there to take care of it? “I remember hearing barking in the woods.”

      “You do? That’s good. It was probably the K-9 Unit searching for Brady. By the time Lee found you, the kid had been rescued.” Gail lifted the tray of medication she had. “I need to make my rounds.”

      Heidi scanned the almost-bare hospital room with no flowers or cards. It hammered home how alone she truly was. Even sitting in bed, she had little to think about other than trying to remember and meeting a dark screen. It would be good to get out of here and try to build some kind of life for herself while she waited for her memory to return. If it returned.

      The least she could do was try to make herself presentable to one of the few people she knew. Maybe she should dress. She went to the closet and checked its contents. A set of clothes was hanging up. They must be hers, but she didn’t remember them—buying them or wearing them.

      Inside the bathroom, she quickly donned the jeans, which fit her perfectly, and the gray fleece sweatshirt. The small amount of energy she expended dressing herself tired her out. Apparently she wasn’t going to bounce back as fast as she wished.

      When she came out of the bathroom, she glimpsed a movement out of the corner of her eye right before a beefy hand covered her mouth and nose.

      “The third time is the charm. Good thing I’m a patient man.”

      The deep voice of the custodian penetrated her panic-filled mind.

      THREE

      Lee ascended the stairs to the hospital’s second floor two at a time. He’d hoped to be here earlier, but Austin and he had stayed a little longer in the Lost Woods because reporting the wrecked car had delayed their search. But almost a third of the area had been covered, making for a long day. They didn’t find anything other than the Buick, which might or might not be linked to the kidnapping. To Heidi.

      No scent of Pauly in the forest or another grave, however, had been found. He counted that a good day. Pauly could still be alive, passed out drunk somewhere they hadn’t looked.

      He caught sight of a custodian going into Heidi’s room at the other end of the hall. Several staff members rushed toward him, passed him and went into a patient’s room nearby. A code blue sounded over the intercom. A nurse hurried with a cart. Lee stepped out of the way and slowed his pace.

      * * *

      I won’t be a victim, screamed through Heidi’s mind as she twisted and pummeled her attacker. That managed to increase the constriction about her. Finally she went limp, dead weight, which threw off the custodian. He stumbled forward, still holding her, but the hand about her mouth slipped.

      “Help. Help,” she yelled.

      His hand clamped again over her mouth. “You’ll pay for that.”

      The door crashed open, and Lee charged into the room, his gun drawn. “Let her go. Now.” He aimed his weapon at the man’s head.

      “I could snap her neck.”

      “And you’ll be a dead man. Is that what you want? Right now you’ll be charged with assault. If you hurt her, you’ll be dead.”

      Through her haze of terror she heard the man’s heavy breathing. She felt his sweat drip on her, the roughness of his hand. The scent of his body odor as though he hadn’t showered recently assailed her, gagging her.

      The hammering of her heart thundered through her mind. She focused totally on Lee before her, a fierce expression on his face, his feet braced apart, both hands on the gun, steady, pointed toward her attacker. Seeing Lee dressed in a uniform accelerated her fear even more as though she’d faced a police officer before with a gun aimed toward her. Was she a criminal?

      Slowly the man released his grip on her. She closed her eyes for a few seconds. When he dropped his hand from her mouth, she hastened away from her attacker—away from Lee. She collapsed against her bed, clutching the sheets.

      Lee hurried to the assailant, put him up against the wall and handcuffed him. Then he reached into his pocket, withdrew his cell and placed a call to the police station. Taking her attacker by the arm, Lee pulled him to the chair nearby and shoved him down.

      “Stay put,” Lee said to the six-foot man then approached her. “Are you all right?” His gaze skimmed over her briefly before he returned his full attention to his suspect.

      “Yes.” The word came out on a shaky breath. She glanced down at her hands trembling and sat on the bed, tucking them under her legs.

      “I have a patrol officer coming to take this man in. Once he

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