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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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Silent Vows
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
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Catherine Bybee
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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Silent Vows
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.
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