The Tenth Cycle: A Thriller (A Rossler Foundation Mystery Book 1) (31 page)

Daniel was afraid he understood only too well. “So, you’re saying, keep on going, then release the information that isn’t harmful to everyone at once and get out of the way.”

“Correct,” said Luke. “Once it’s all over the media, it will no longer be of any advantage to kill or kidnap you or Sarah, or anyone associated with you. It will be a
fait accompli,
and the bad guys will just have to compete with everyone else to exploit it.”

“Guys, let me think about this. For now I’ll tell Raj not to destroy his copy of the database if he hasn’t already, and I guess he can keep entering data. But that’s all. I don’t want Sinclair working on it until I’ve had a chance to talk it over with Sarah, and who knows how long that will be?” Daniel was reluctantly coming to agree with Luke’s arguments as he absorbed their logic. But, if he had anything to say about it, it wouldn’t be Sarah or Sinclair taking the risk. Raj would have to fend for himself. For the first time, Daniel had an inner chuckle as he thought of his paranoid friend revealing himself to strangers to save the project that wasn’t even his passion.

Luke went on to say that he would ask David to keep his surveillance up, but to back off his insistence on results for a while. Everyone agreed that Sarah needed a chance to recover before they proceeded, and David would have to accept it as well.

Sarah didn’t mind his company, seemed glad to have it in fact. By the time she was released from the hospital, she had remembered Luke and Sally as soon as they walked in the door together, another good sign. They got a hotel for the week, leaving Daniel, Ryan and Emma to sort out who would stay with Sarah at her house when she was released.

Sarah was released from the hospital on the second day after that, since nothing more could be done for her physically. Over the next week, Daniel and her parents filled her in on what she didn’t remember on her own, the pieces of the puzzle gradually knitting together until she remembered almost everything prior to meeting Daniel, although she still didn’t remember him, and had to re-read the paper she’d written in support of her tenure bid several times before it sunk in. Sarah didn’t seem surprised that Daniel would be staying at her house and accepted it as just one more thing that she had to re-learn, for which he was very grateful. Keeping her constant company would surely help her remember him.

Daniel had contacted Martha Simms when Sarah’s crisis was over, apologizing for neglecting her. Martha seemed depressed, and Daniel couldn’t blame her. Especially after he told her that the specialists had cautioned against forcing or even encouraging Sarah to remember recent tragic events too soon. She would remember Martha and Mark, he explained, but not Mark’s death. Seeing Martha would cause her to ask and then she’d be forced to confront it. Though her heart was broken, Martha understood, and Daniel promised to stay in touch and let her know as soon as Sarah could handle seeing her. Martha asked just one thing.

“Those bastards have taken everything from me Daniel. Promise me you’ll find them and bring them to justice.”

“Martha, I’ll do everything in my power, and that’s a promise.” Little did he or Martha know that most of the killers had already paid the price, though the man pulling the strings might never be brought to justice.

Luke and Sally flew home after the first week, with Ryan and Emma following after another. Watching the two young people together had convinced them that Sarah wasn’t distressed by Daniel’s company, and he wasn’t pressuring her to remember. Now that he was free to stay with her full-time and just submit one column per week for the Times, they were sure he could eventually charm her again as he had the first time. They extracted a promise that he’d keep them posted daily and left her in his care with confidence.

Daniel had found time to contact Raj and tell him that he had accepted the Clarkes’ logic; and though the research was off for a while, Raj could continue to input the raw data, as long as he continued to take safety precautions. However, he cautioned Raj that they still didn’t know who was behind the murders, as the kidnappers were unidentified not only as to their personal identity, but also their affiliation. Neither Daniel, nor the Clarkes, nor police, nor Agency authorities believed that the dead men and woman were acting on their own. The safest thing would be to lie low, research-wise, until David had investigated more thoroughly and perhaps identified the kidnappers. Besides that, Daniel told him, the recovery of Sarah’s memory was his first priority.

Slowly, over a period of weeks, Sarah regained most of what she had lost. The only exception was the pyramid research and falling in love with Daniel. She had obtained disability leave of absence from the Institute, and legal advisers there had offered a generous settlement in return for her assurance that she would not sue because of their security breach. Since Leavitt doubted she could bring a successful suit under the circumstances, Sarah accepted the settlement and devoted herself to the memory exercises that the specialists told her would eventually result in the return of most of her memory if not all of it.

Sarah liked Daniel. He was very caring, apparently wanting to cater to her every need, and, under the circumstances, very patient. Upon her return home, she had found evidence that a man was living with her at the time of her accident, his clothes in the closet and his toiletries in her bathroom. She had no reason to believe it wasn’t Daniel. She found him good-looking to the point of distraction. She wanted so much to remember! But gradually, Sarah came to accept that those memories might never return.

And yet, as pleasant as she found him, she could find no spark between them. She knew it made him sad. But he just teased her and said, “This is an extreme way to get rid of me, sweetheart. This selective memory loss is rather suspicious.” And then he would grin to make her understand he was kidding. The oddest thing about him was his constant joking, twisting common sayings around so they ended differently and meant something else. It was endearing, although sometime irritating. Once in a while, it was even familiar, as if she had heard the twisted saying before. He called them paraprosdokians, and they were often so corny she couldn’t help but laugh.

Sarah’s memory might not have been whole, but her body remembered its patterns. She was happy to accept Daniel’s invitations to walk on campus and hike some nearby trails. Daniel took her to the highest point in Rhode Island and teased her about how low it really was as he’d done on a previous occasion, and she laughed, but it didn’t trigger a memory of him. Daily, Daniel posted updates on one of the hidden email addresses that had been appropriated for that use. Periodically, he called Martha to report on Sarah’s progress. It was a remarkably stress-free time, as the specialists had cautioned Daniel not to push Sarah, and even though he longed for her to remember him, he just enjoyed being in her company.

The change wasn’t gradual, as he’d thought it would be. One day, Daniel returned from a trip to the grocery store to find Sarah holding her white teddy clutched in both arms. No sooner than he recognized what it was, color flooded his cheeks at the memory of the last time she wore it. His eyes sought hers, and found them smoldering.

“I bought this for your birthday,” she said, a slow tear escaping. “You told me once when we Skyped that you hoped I’d bought a white teddy, so I did, for your birthday. Daniel, we loved each other, didn’t we?”

“I still love you, Sarah,” he answered intensely, fearing that her past tense meant it was no longer true for her, though she seemed to have had a memory breakthrough.

“Daniel,” she choked, holding out her arms to him as she dropped the bit of lace into her lap. One stride took him to her, and he lifted her into his arms, holding her closely and murmuring, “my love, my love” over and over again. Her body was trembling, but she lifted her face to him and sought his lips. Their kiss sealed the past to the present, and her mind snapped into full focus.

Daniel sat down on the sofa and drew Sarah into his lap to comfort her as she experienced, and grieved, the past few months in rapid succession. She wept inconsolably when she remembered Mark’s death, curbing her sobs only to ask after Martha. Assured that Martha was eager to see her when she was ready, Sarah whispered, “Soon, darling. We’re all she’s got now.” The only memory she was spared was finding Barry, and Daniel was actually glad of that, as were her doctors and her family when they learned of it. She didn’t need to ever remember that.

As traumatic as her full memory returning was for her, Sarah was so happy to once again feel Daniel’s love surrounding her. She understood that he’d been holding back for her sake, but she felt so much safer within the circle of his arms, and there she stayed as much as she possibly could. She insisted he return to her bed that very night, where she discovered that if he hadn’t been such a gentleman, Daniel’s lovemaking might have made her remember sooner. Her body responded as if to long habit as he loved her.

If he hadn’t been so busy absorbing the emotions of Sarah’s sudden recall, Daniel would have been on his knees thanking God for the return of his Sarah. Never had he felt such joy and overwhelming sense of relief. With his nose buried in the gardenia scent of Sarah’s hair, he held her close as if he’d never let her go. For a few days, he wouldn’t let her out of his sight, following her everywhere like a faithful dog, and even standing outside the closed door when she required privacy.

~~~

Though it had been only four weeks since her kidnap, Sarah felt as if she’d been away on a long trip. She already knew that her classes were being handled by a substitute, and that her tenure hearing had been postponed until late in the semester, but she began to be restless, with nothing to occupy her time now that she remembered everything. Daniel recognized that he needed to provide a distraction, and remembering his vow, began to plan a surprise that he hoped would end well for him as well as Sarah.

When she awoke, Sarah found a breakfast repast of waffles, fresh strawberries and whipped cream, along with mimosas and coffee. “What’s this?” she asked. “Did I forget our anniversary?”

“Ha ha, that’s my job, and we haven’t known each other for a year yet,” Daniel smirked. “No, I just wanted to surprise you with a special weekend. Happy Special Weekend,” he said, handing her a single red rose from which he’d carefully trimmed the thorns.

“Aw, sweetie, thank you,” Sarah cooed, genuinely touched at his gesture.

“This is just the beginning. Eat up, we’re taking a road trip,” he responded.

Obediently consuming her breakfast but taking time to savor the sweet strawberries, she wondered where he’d managed to get such good ones at this time of year. Strawberries were her favorite, she remembered. In a way it was odd, how sudden realizations like that made her likes and dislikes seem more immediate, where before they were just there and of no particular importance. As if her life had come into focus after being fuzzy for years. It had to be a side effect of the temporary amnesia, she thought, because she didn’t remember having thoughts like that before. Sighing happily, she dipped a succulent strawberry into the whipped cream and savored it slowly, completely unaware that Daniel’s breath had turned ragged as he watched.

The day was crisp but sunny when, after breakfast and clearing away, Daniel bundled Sarah into the car and tossed in an overnight bag for each of them and their hiking boots into the back seat. Sarah laughed, and said, “I don’t even get to pack my own bag? How do I know you remembered everything?”

“You won’t need much,” he grinned. “We’re just going for overnight, and you’re wearing the right clothes for today already.”

Sarah was dressed in soft brown corduroy pants and a plaid flannel shirt, with a cashmere sweater knotted by the sleeves around her neck. Daniel, in jeans and a plaid flannel shirt of his own, looked like a hunter, or maybe a cowboy, Sarah mused. A delicious one, she thought to herself, lost in admiration of the figure he cut in his tight jeans. What fun, that he had planned a surprise for her. She needed some adventure.

Half an hour later, Sarah waited in the car at a tiny resort near Fisherville, while Daniel went into the office for the key. The silver-haired woman at the counter had to be the one he had spoken to on the phone, so he grinned at her. Her face lit up and she came around the counter, where he made good on the promise of a big hug and thanked her for making their cabin available for early check-in. He could hardly wait for evening, when the bulk of his surprise would unfold. Meanwhile, he had a beautiful woman to entertain and keep busy while his co-conspirator arranged the surprise.

A brisk walk around the lake consumed most of the rest of the morning, and then lunch at a cafe in town that boasted a great seafood chowder. After lunch, Daniel followed Sarah patiently from store to store in the quaint little tourist town, becoming a beast of burden as she bought this and that and handed him the bags to carry so her hands were free to find more. It was a special kind of joy to see her laughing and smiling, the Sarah he’d known before Mark’s death gradually coming to the surface. He’d fallen in love with this Sarah, and though he loved her in all her moods, through thick and thin, this happy version was his very favorite Sarah. Watching her was like watching a kitten play. It just naturally made him smile.

When she was tired of shopping, Daniel insisted on taking Sarah to a movie. She was curious; it was almost as if he were avoiding their cabin, but this was his surprise and she would go along with it. They had a choice between a chick flick and an action adventure, and Daniel insisted she pick. Almost as a challenge, she chose the chick flick, but to her surprise, Daniel didn’t object. He even gave every evidence of enjoying it. Finally, when the movie was over with the appropriate amount of tears on Sarah’s part for the happy ending, they emerged from the theater into the early December twilight. Sarah slipped her arms into her sweater, as the air had grown chilly.

Back at the little resort, Daniel left Sarah in the car again, saying he needed to check something with the proprietress.

“Everything’s ready, dear,” the woman assured him. “There were almost too many flowers for the available places to put them, but we managed. The champagne is chilling in an ice bucket, and the caterers just brought the food. Your girl is going to swoon.”

“I can’t thank you enough for helping me pull this off at the last minute.”

“You’re so welcome. I’m a sucker for young love. Do me a favor, though.”

“Anything,” said Daniel.

“Bring your girl to the office in the morning. I want to see if she’s pretty enough for you.”

“Oh, I can attest to that. She’s the most beautiful girl in the whole world—way out of my league. I don’t have a clue what she sees in me, but I’ll take it.”

Laughing, his co-conspirator waved him out. “Go, have fun. And come see me in the morning.”