Amnesia

Chapter Twenty-Four – Liam

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Liam

After explaining everything to Billy about what Randy had found, we headed to the barn while Mallory and MaryAnne talked about some quilt that they both wanted to start making. I had tried to reassure Mallory not to worry, but I could see it written all over her face, she was terrified.

“Okay, so have they tried to find this Donald guy?” Billy asked.

“If that’s even his name,” I stated. “I don’t know what to think anymore. Was Mallory brought here because of some sex traffic thing? Maybe she was closer to Billings, and that’s the way she came from. I don’t know!” I pushed both my hands through my hair.

“I’m sure Randy and Jonathon are doing the best they can, Liam. They don’t have much to go on except this guy now. I’m sure they are looking into all the land around here.”

I nodded. “I know they’re doing their best; it’s just I have all these thoughts swirling around in my head. I sent Chad a text and asked him to call me once he got back to Montana.”

“You don’t think your brother has anything to do with this, do you?”

“No, I mean, at first I might have been worried with him going to Chicago, but it really sounds like he goes all the time.”

“Plus, Jonathon was there with him last month.”

“Yeah, that’s true. It’s just the odds of him being there are so strange to me. And why was Emily’s necklace in this basement?”

“Well, if it is a sex trafficking thing, then maybe she was kidnapped for that.”

The thought made my stomach cramp. “Shit, I hope not. The thought of her living that kind of life…I can’t bear to even think it.”

Billy nodded. “Yeah, I hear ya. Listen, why don’t you and Mallory go into town, or even Billings. I think you both need to get out and live a little. I’m sure Mallory being stuck on this ranch is slowly driving her insane.”

I exhaled. “You’re right. I think we’ll head into town.”

Billy hit me on the side of the arm. “Good. How about we make it a double date. The four of us can grab dinner.”

“Grass Range or Lewistown?” I asked.

Billy laughed. “Let’s do Lewistown, since she’ll blink and we’ll be out of Grass Range.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

After heading back into the house and informing both women of our plans, Mallory decided she needed to head back to our place and change. I thought she looked beautiful, but I wasn’t about to rain on her parade.

I was sitting in my office when Mallory walked in. She was wearing a long flowy dress with flat shoes. Her hair was pulled up and piled on top of her head with a few ringlets hanging down to frame her face. She had put some makeup on as well as perfume that smelled like roses and vanilla.

“Wow, you look beautiful, Mallory.”

She spun in a circle and said, “Thank you! I’m a little nervous about going out, but I think it will be good for both of us to get out and off this ranch.”

I stood and made my way over to her. Lifting her chin, I bent down and kissed her. “I couldn’t agree more. Let me text Billy we’re on our way.”

A wide smile appeared on Mallory’s face as she bent down and gave Piper some goodbye kisses.

“Ready?” I asked as I held my arm out for her to take.

“I sure am!”

Once we picked up Billy and MaryAnne, we headed into town. The girls chatted nearly non-stop, but as we got closer into town, Mallory grew quieter.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

Her eyes were looking out into the distance.

“Mallory?”

“Old Baldy,” she softly whispered.

“What?” I asked as I pulled into a parking spot.

“I saw a sign that said Old Baldy and another one that said Highway 238. I just remembered that. Um, there was something called Half Moon Canyon.”

Turning to Billy and MaryAnne, I asked, “Mind taking a drive?”

“Not at all,” Billy replied.

I pulled out of the parking spot, and we started down Highway 238. “Tell me if anything looks familiar.”

As we drove down the country road, I watched Mallory wring her hands together.

“Everything looks the same everywhere you look,” she whispered.

MaryAnne reached for Mallory’s shoulder from the backseat. “Don’t stress if nothing looks familiar.”

I pulled out my phone and called Randy.

“What’s up?” Randy asked.

“We drove into town and something sparked Mallory’s memory. She remembers seeing a sign for Old Baldy and for Half Moon Canyon.”

Randy was silent for a moment, then said, “That’s damn near straight across from your ranch. Looks like that’s about eight miles or so as the crow flies.”

“She could have made that distance,” I replied.

“Okay, let me get with Jonathon and we can start pulling up Google images of the area, see if we can find a barn out on its own.”

“Can we just start searching that area?” I asked.

“It would take us forever to search it by foot, and we don’t have permission to fly the drone above all that private property.”

I thought for a moment. “I can get Josh to fly the helicopter.”

“Helicopter?” Mallory asked from next to me.

“Josh owns that one, not Liam,” MaryAnne stated.

“That would work. Let me know what he says. If we can get you up in the air and looking, we might be able to narrow it down. Where are you now?”

“Driving down 238 to see if Mallory recognizes anything.”

“I’ll fill Jonathon in, you let me know what happens on the drive and when Josh is able to get up in the helicopter.”

“Will do,” I said, then hit End on the display in my truck.

“We’ll drive a bit farther down the road to see if anything sparks a memory.”

“Did you go over a road like this?” MaryAnne asked.

Mallory frowned. “I don’t think so. I did go over a few country-type roads, a field that had been cut for hay because I saw all the hay bales.”

“Okay, that’s a good landmark,” Billy stated.

We drove another thirty minutes and Mallory shook her head. “It all looks the same to me. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I said as I turned the truck around. We started back toward town and Mallory gasped.

“Wait! Wait! That’s the field! That’s the field I ran through!”

I put the brakes on. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Drive down that road and there is a house and some barns. I made sure to stay clear of it. I waited until it got darker and made a run from that tree line to the other.”

I turned down Half Moon Ranch Road. Sure enough, a property came into site.

“That’s it! That’s the area I ran into. Those trees.”

My heart started to pound. “How far do you think you ran before you got here?”

“I’m not sure what time it was when I escaped, but I ran a good four hours before I got to that field.”

“Billy, pin this spot and send it to Randy.”

“Got it.”

We turned and headed back out to the highway.

“The other side of this is all forested area,” MaryAnne stated.

“There are some small farming areas tucked in there. Let’s head back into town, get something to eat, and wait to hear back from Randy,” I said, reaching for Mallory’s hand. “Billy, will you get with Josh and see about using him and his helicopter tomorrow?”

“Sure thing.”

We drove the rest of the way back to town in silence. Mallory stared out the window, and I could see the worried expression on MaryAnne’s face.

We pulled into Harry’s Place and MaryAnne and Billy got out.

“Will you give us a moment, you guys?” I asked before Billy shut the door.

“Take your time, we’ll get a table.”

Mallory was staring straight ahead. “Are you okay?”

Drawing in a long, slow breath, she exhaled. “I think so. It was there, somewhere out there is that barn, Liam. I just wish I knew where it was at.”

“We’re going to find it, I promise you. Right now, we’re going to go in and enjoy some food.”

She turned to the door where Billy and MaryAnne had walked through. “You’re okay, I promise you.”

Nodding, she said, “You’re right. I’m starving, so let’s head on in.”

After checking out the menu and ordering our food, I pulled out my phone and excused myself. I walked outside and hit Randy’s number.

“Liam.”

“Billy spoke with Josh and we’re going up in the morning. I think we need to focus on looking on the west side of 238. That area is less populated there and it would be easy to hide a barn on the property.”

“I agree. I spoke with Jonathon and told him Mallory had remembered a few details. He was looking into this guy who rented the car. Nothing so far. It appears he used an alias on the rental contract.”

“I figured as much.”

“What time are you going up with Josh?”

“Nine.”

“I’ll join you.”

I turned and looked back at the restaurant. “Why don’t you just come and stay the night, that way you’re already here in the morning and you don’t have to get up so early.”

“Sounds good to me. Where are you now?”

“Eating dinner at Harry’s, trying to give Mallory some sense of normal.”

“That’s good. We’re getting closer and closer, Liam. We’re going to find this guy.”

I closed my eyes. “I really hope so, and I hope you find him before I do because I really want to kill him.”

Randy didn’t say anything for a few moments before he finally said, “We’re going to get him.”

“I hope so, Randy.”

##

Mallory reached up and took the root beer float I had made for her. “That looks good!”

Sitting down on the floor next to her, I held my float up to hers. “To ice cream floats!”

We clinked glasses and Mallory took a drink before grabbing her spoon and eating some ice cream.

“I feel bad Randy didn’t join us,” Mallory stated as she glanced toward the stairs.

“Don’t. I think he was exhausted, and not being home surrounded by work gave him a good excuse to go to bed early.”

She smiled and looked back at her float.

“Are you sure you want to go tomorrow?” I asked her.

“I am sure. Plus, I’ve never been in a helicopter before. And if we do find something, maybe I can tell if that is the barn or not.”

“Well, if we find something, we need to get a search warrant first.”

She let out a heavy sigh. “A part of me never wants to see that place ever again, but the other part of me wants to see it so I know I made it out alive. I escaped and survived. And that we can prevent anyone else from ending up there. Does that make sense?”

“I think it does. I’m not in your shoes, so I can’t pretend to know how you feel.”

“Have you heard from Chad yet?” Mallory asked before eating a bite of ice cream.

“Not yet. I sent him a text that I needed to talk to him. That area is nowhere near where Chad and Krista live. They’re closer to town, and on a few acres of land. Jonathon did say he was pulling tax records to see who owns the surrounding properties to where you were in that field.”

“I highly doubt we’ll find Donald’s name on any of them.”

I chuckled. “I don’t think so.”

She waved her hand in the air. “Enough about all of this. Let’s watch a movie and enjoy our treat you made for us.”

Reaching for the remote, I turned the TV on. “Sounds like a plan. Now that you have your memory back, any favorite movie you want to watch?”

She smiled. “I think we should stick with our tradition of Disney movies.”

I raised a brow. “We have traditions already?”

“We sure do!” she said as she took the remote from me and we were soon watching The Aristocats.

After we finished the floats, I took the glasses into the kitchen and cleaned them out.

I grabbed the bag of Reese’s Cups and walked back into the living room, only to find Mallory sound asleep as the movie played.

She looked so peaceful, and I really wanted to leave her there, but decided the best thing to do was to put her to bed.

I turned off the lights and TV, then bent down and picked her up.

She buried her face in my chest, and we headed to my bedroom.

Piper growled and I turned to look toward the windows. For a moment, I swore I had seen someone standing on the front porch watching me. The chill that ran down my body caused me to shudder. When Piper backed off and started toward my room, I decided we had both been seeing things.