Authors: Elisabeth Naughton
“Okay.”
Simone gathered her things. “I’m going to meet with Ryan. You take some time and figure out what you’re going to tell him. If you want me to be there, we can set it up in the office. However you want to handle it.”
“Thanks, but I think I need to do that on my own.”
“Okay.” Simone shot her a quick smile. “I’ll call you after I speak with him today.”
Chapter Eight
Simone’s gaze snapped to the door when it pushed open. Ryan and Mitch stepped into her office, presenting a unified front.
Brothers.
Regardless of their individual characteristics, they were brothers at heart, and it showed. Ryan with his sharp, clean, good looks, and Mitch with his rugged, outdoorsy ones. They were roughly the same height and build, but so different in every other way.
She rose, stepped to Ryan, hugged him quickly. “I’m sorry for all of this.”
“Thanks.” He pulled back. “I’m sorry about Steve too. I…I should have called you.”
“It’s okay. I understand. These things are hard. They bring up emotions we don’t always want to deal with.”
He nodded. Her gaze cut to Mitch. He’d gotten a haircut and shaved off the goatee. He looked good, but she missed the wispy curls near his collar.
Dragging her gaze away from him, she rubbed her hands together. “Okay.” She moved back behind her desk, switching to lawyer mode. “Have a seat, and we’ll get started.”
“She’s not coming?” Mitch asked.
“No. I’ve already spoken with Kate. We felt it best to do this separately. She wanted time to absorb the results before she spoke with either of you.”
Mitch and Ryan exchanged glances. She noticed their apprehension and took out the test results. No sense prolonging their misery. She handed a copy to each of them. “These are the preliminary DNA reports. It’s not entirely conclusive, but I think you’ll see it’s close enough. We’ll need to get samples from your parents, Mitch, but I think we can say with ninety-eight percent accuracy, Kate Alexander is Annie Harrison.”
Ryan leaned back and closed his eyes. Heartache raced along his features, but she could tell from his quiet reaction he’d already expected this news. As Kate had said, however, knowing didn’t make any of this easier.
Mitch took his time studying the report. When he glanced up, Simone saw the pain in his eyes, too. This was hard on both of them.
She rose and moved around the desk, leaning back against the mahogany surface where she picked up another folder and handed papers to each of them. “Here are copies of her medical records. She wanted you to see them. The accident she was in damaged her face. She went through several reconstructive surgeries to both her nose and cheek areas, which is why she doesn’t look exactly like she did before.”
She waited while they each flipped through the files. “I know it’s one thing for her to say she can’t remember anything. It’s another for you to see it in black and white. She was being treated by a neurosurgeon in Houston. I’ve tried to track him down but am running into a wall. It seems like each of our leads are ending that way.”
Dismissing the thought, she added, “As far as her brain trauma, her records indicate there was some sort of damage to the lateral cortex of her anterior temporal lobe, the part of the brain that deals with long-term memory, specifically that area which focuses on personal memories. So things she learned say, in school, haven’t been affected because they’re stored in a separate part of the brain—or so the theory goes. Where she learned those facts, though, is a different story because that would be a personal memory, like where she went to college. It explains why she does so well in her current field, remembering technical information about seismology and geology, even though she doesn’t know what sort of degree she holds. As I’ve learned through research on this case, most of what the medical community knows about the brain is pretty inconclusive, especially those parts of the brain that deal with memory.”
“So she really doesn’t remember anything?” Ryan asked in a weak voice.
“No,” Simone answered. “And there’s one other major thing you should be aware of.” When they both looked up, she said, “That portion of the brain is also responsible for personality.” She wanted to make this part perfectly clear so they both understood. “She’s not the same person she used to be. If you spend time with her, like I have, you’ll notice similarities—gestures, looks, that sort of thing. But there are some very glaring differences as well that you need to be prepared for. Kate’s personality now was developed
after
the accident. She reacts differently to situations. Whereas Annie was emotional and quick to respond, Kate is more reserved. She thinks things through before jumping to conclusions or voicing observations. That’s a minor point, but it becomes important when you get to know her. I don’t want either of you thinking you can just pick up where you left off five years ago and everything will fall in line.”
“Is she ever going to get her memory back?” Ryan asked.
“From my discussion with Dr. Allan, a local neurosurgeon who’s looked at her charts, it’s not likely. Most amnesiacs remember something, anything, especially from their childhood, but Kate’s case is very unique. She hasn’t remembered a single thing. She’d hoped being in San Francisco would trigger her memory, but so far, nothing.”
She softened her tone. “I’m sorry, Ryan. I know that’s not the answer you were hoping for.”
He nodded, stared down at the report. Several seconds of silence passed before he said, “Who would do this to her? Who would do this to us?”
His head snapped up, but instead of pain, this time Simone saw anger. A hell of a lot of anger Ryan had every right to be feeling. He pushed out of his chair. “Who the hell was that sonofabitch who took her away from us?”
“His name was Jacob Alexander,” Simone answered. “He was a doctor in the Houston area. He was also a passenger aboard the plane that crashed here recently, which is how Kate came to find me and then you. Apparently he was here in San Francisco for a medical conference, though Kate doesn’t know the name of it. I don’t have a lot of information on Alexander yet, but Kate’s asked me to do some digging.”
“What kind of digging?” Mitch asked.
Simone looked his way and saw the anger in his eyes as well. They’d all lost so much time. Time they couldn’t possibly get back. But hopefully knowing the why would help alleviate some of that hurt. “Kate needs to know what happened to her. She’s as confused by all this as you both are, except in her case, she’s trying to figure out which parts of her life are lies and which parts are truth. We’re starting with the nursing home where she was in that coma, although we’re running into obstacles. Ryan, you identified her belongings after the crash, correct?”
“Yeah.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “There wasn’t much there, just her purse and charred laptop.”
“Do you still have them?”
“I might, somewhere. I boxed up a lot of her stuff right after that. What the hell will that tell you?”
“Probably nothing, but she’d like to see them just the same. Mitch, can you get a hold of the university and find out what projects she was working on before her disappearance?”
“You think all this might be related to her work?” Mitch asked.
“I don’t know. What we do know is that Ryan left her at the airport, and she woke up from a coma almost three years later. If this had been a random act of violence, a kidnapping, something like that, she’d be dead now. Someone took the time to make it look like she was on that flight, then to take care of her after God only knows what kind of accident. It could very well have been related to a project she was working on.”
“And if it wasn’t?” Ryan asked.
“If it wasn’t, we’ll cross that off our list and move on to the next possibility. In the meantime, I’m going to keep hounding that doctor in Houston who’s listed on Kate’s medical records and try to find some answers there. Kate also mentioned her father in law—Walter Alexander—who seems to have disappeared just after his son died. I want to track him down as well.”
Simone caught the fire in Ryan’s eyes. Fire that said it was a good thing Jacob Alexander was already dead. Simone understood his rage and frustration, but of more importance to her was Kate, and making sure Kate had what she needed to get through the next few days in one piece.
“So what now?” Ryan asked.
“Well, that’s really up to you and Kate,” Simone answered. “She isn’t asking for anything at this point. She needs some time to absorb it all, but I’m sure she’ll be contacting you shortly. She’s not asking for any sort of legal visitation with Julia, if that’s what you’re concerned about. She’s expressed a strong desire to get to know Julia, which I’m sure you’re aware of, but I think you two need to try to work that out on your own before bringing in legal representation. I think the next step is notifying your parents, Mitch, asking them for blood samples, just to verify the whole thing.”
Mitch nodded. Simone glanced between the two, wishing she could do something, anything to make this easier on them. Knew, unfortunately, that she couldn’t.
She pushed away from the desk and stepped forward, indicating the meeting was pretty much over. “You’re welcome to take those reports. I don’t suspect they’ll help much now, but maybe they will in the future.”
Ryan thanked her, turned and looked at Mitch, who was still seated. “I’ll see you outside.”
When they were alone, Mitch looked up at her. “What’s this investigation about?”
“If it were you, wouldn’t you want to know what happened?”
He shook his head, glanced down at the report still in his hands. “I get Ryan’s anger and his need to know and all. I’m as angry as he is about the fact she was taken from us. But this…it just seems like a wild-goose chase.”
“It could be. We’re taking it one step at a time. In the meantime, it makes Kate feel like she’s doing something, like she has some control over her life. I think she needs that right now.”
“How’d she take it?” he asked quietly.
“Not well. She knew before I said it, though, just like Ryan did. They have a lot to work through.”
He glanced back at the closed door. “I don’t know how to make this easier for him.”
“Just be there for him. It’s about to get sticky, Mitch.”
His gaze locked on hers. Then his eyes widened. “Oh, hell. The boy.”
“You know?”
“I didn’t, until just now.” His eyes slid shut. “I saw a photo on her desk. Shit.” He told her about the visit to Kate’s office only days before. “I didn’t put two and two together until right now. Things have been so…crazy. God Almighty.” He rubbed his forehead. “I thought things were bad before.”
“You can’t say anything to Ryan. She’s going to tell him. She needs a little time to figure out how. We have to let them work through this on their own.”
“I’m torn on this one, Counselor. She’s my sister, and I love her, whether she remembers me or not. But he’s, by every right, my brother, and I love him too. And he needs me.”
That revelation touched her in a way she didn’t expect. She crouched in front of him, her fingertips gently brushing his cheek. “You’re doing the right thing already. I’m sorry you’re stuck in the middle of all this. Can I do anything?”
He looked up, and that sexy grin spread across his face. The one that brought out that deep dimple that did insane things to her pulse. “You could have dinner with me.”
Oh, but she wanted to. “I can’t, Mitch. Not so long as I’m representing Kate.”
His eyes locked on hers. She saw the same disappointment she felt reflected there. “I want you to tell her to find another attorney, for my own sake, but I can’t. She needs you. She needs someone on her side.”
“She’s got all of us on her side.”
“Yeah, but Ryan…” He looked to the door. “I have a feeling this is gonna get bad before it gets better.”
Unfortunately, Simone had a sinking suspicion he was right.
***
Ryan checked the address he’d finagled from Annie’s secretary and glanced at the small, two-story cottage along the beach with gray shaker siding and seagull wind chimes hanging from the front porch. Nothing like his house in Sausalito. Not even close to the place they’d shared together in San Francisco. But still, property in Moss Beach wasn’t cheap. He wondered how she had the funds for a place out here.
As he took in the small beach houses on the treeless street, he rubbed the dull ache in his chest with the palm of his hand. He wanted to see her, needed to see her. There were things he needed to say now that they knew for sure. He couldn’t sit around and wait for her to make the first move.
On legs more unsteady than he wanted to admit, he made his way up her walk, knocked on the door. When no one answered, he paused to listen. Voices echoed from the back of the house. Trying to figure out where they were coming from, he headed around the side.
The yards were unfenced. Grass gave way to sand, which bled into the Pacific. As he reached the back of Annie’s cottage, a young boy crouched in the grass playing with a pile of sticks stood up and stared at him with big, blue eyes.
Eyes that were just like Ryan’s eyes. Same shape, same color. The blond-haired boy even had the same shaped face.
“Um, hi,” Ryan managed when he could find his voice.
“You’re a stranger.” The boy turned and took off running. “Mama! A stranger!”
Mama? Ryan stepped out of the trees along the side of the house to get another look at the kid. He ran up to a woman seated on the sand. She turned and shielded her eyes from the sun to look back across the yard, then jumped to her feet.
The pair spoke for a moment. Then the boy shrugged and ran toward the house. He paused when he approached Ryan again, this time smiling, flashing that same dimple Ryan had seen so many times before on Mitch’s face, on Julia’s face, on Annie’s face. “Mama said I could watch cartoons.”
He disappeared into the house. The screen door slapped shut behind him.
Ryan’s pulse raced as he stood in the yard, sunglasses in hand, trying to figure out what the hell he’d just seen. No way that was real. He mentally ticked off time in his mind as his gaze shifted across the sand to Annie. Words choked in his throat. Snapshots of their life together flashed behind his eyes, memories of a pregnancy that had only just begun before she’d left on that trip.