him that I remember... I remember... Things are coming back. I need to talk to him. I...” She drew a shaky breath. “I think I can help him find Mary now.”
“Miss Brighton...” His voice took on an edge of excitement and impatience. “Are you saying that you can tell us the location where you were held?”
“Not exactly. But I feel... I know ...that if I go out there, where Zack found me, the rest will follow. The details will come. I want to help find Mary. And the only way that I can do that is to go to the swamp and see if being there will make the pieces of my memory come together and make sense.”
Disappointment was heavy in his sigh and the long moment of silence that followed. Maybe she should have said she definitely knew where to find Mary instead of being honest. But she really did believe the fragments of memories that were barraging her would form a complete picture if she could just get back to the swamp. But she couldn’t do it alone. She needed someone with her, someone she could trust to keep her safe, and grounded. She needed Zack.
“Detective—”
“I appreciate that you want to help. I really do. But unless you know the exact location, unless you’re positive of where Mary is, I think that going against your therapist’s advice is too risky. I remember she was adamant that the only safe way for you to recover the chunks of your missing memories is in a safe, controlled environment—specifically, your therapist’s office. Coming here isn’t recommended and is why you left in the first place. I couldn’t live with myself if something...bad...happened to you because we went against your doctor’s orders. Especially if we have a real chance of you remembering everything, but by coming here too soon, you go backward and forget it all. Can you understand my hesitancy?”
She curled her hands around the phone in frustration. She was so tired of other people telling her what to do, of thinking they knew what was best for her.
“Let’s cut to the chase, Detective.” Frustration made her voice harsher than she’d intended. She cleared her throat and tried to keep her voice even. “I’ve been keeping up with the investigation through the news channels, and it’s clear that you have no leads. Isn’t that right?”
“I wouldn’t say we have no leads,” he hedged.
“I think I deserve the truth. Do you have any leads or not?”
Another long silence, then “No. We don’t.”
“Then I suggest that you get in touch with Zack right away. Tell him that I’m ready to face the devil. I’m flying to Naples Municipal Airport this morning. And I want Zack to pick me up, so he can take me to the Everglades to the exact spot where he...where he found me.”
“You’re flying in from Miami? I didn’t think they even had flights from there to here. It’s only a few hours’ drive.”
“A friend hired a private plane for me.”
What she didn’t tell him was that Sandy had insisted on the rather extravagant gesture. The travel agent had astutely realized that Kaylee dreaded driving the same trek she’d driven the last time she’d gone to Naples, a trip that had ended with her in a box in the ground. Just getting on the plane was going to be difficult. The only way she felt she could face it was knowing that Zack would be there on the other side. Zack would keep her safe.
“Your mind’s already made up. You’re coming out here no matter what, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
When he didn’t immediately agree to her request, she played the card she’d held back just in case. She already hated herself for what she was about to say, but she really was desperate.
“Detective, if you won’t help me, if you won’t get Zack to pick me up at the airport and then take me out to the swamp to look for Mary, I’m afraid I’ll have to take my plight to the press. And I’m pretty sure they won’t report favorably about the Collier County Sheriff’s Office once they hear that you
“Miss Brighton...” His voice took on an edge of excitement and impatience. “Are you saying that you can tell us the location where you were held?”
“Not exactly. But I feel... I know ...that if I go out there, where Zack found me, the rest will follow. The details will come. I want to help find Mary. And the only way that I can do that is to go to the swamp and see if being there will make the pieces of my memory come together and make sense.”
Disappointment was heavy in his sigh and the long moment of silence that followed. Maybe she should have said she definitely knew where to find Mary instead of being honest. But she really did believe the fragments of memories that were barraging her would form a complete picture if she could just get back to the swamp. But she couldn’t do it alone. She needed someone with her, someone she could trust to keep her safe, and grounded. She needed Zack.
“Detective—”
“I appreciate that you want to help. I really do. But unless you know the exact location, unless you’re positive of where Mary is, I think that going against your therapist’s advice is too risky. I remember she was adamant that the only safe way for you to recover the chunks of your missing memories is in a safe, controlled environment—specifically, your therapist’s office. Coming here isn’t recommended and is why you left in the first place. I couldn’t live with myself if something...bad...happened to you because we went against your doctor’s orders. Especially if we have a real chance of you remembering everything, but by coming here too soon, you go backward and forget it all. Can you understand my hesitancy?”
She curled her hands around the phone in frustration. She was so tired of other people telling her what to do, of thinking they knew what was best for her.
“Let’s cut to the chase, Detective.” Frustration made her voice harsher than she’d intended. She cleared her throat and tried to keep her voice even. “I’ve been keeping up with the investigation through the news channels, and it’s clear that you have no leads. Isn’t that right?”
“I wouldn’t say we have no leads,” he hedged.
“I think I deserve the truth. Do you have any leads or not?”
Another long silence, then “No. We don’t.”
“Then I suggest that you get in touch with Zack right away. Tell him that I’m ready to face the devil. I’m flying to Naples Municipal Airport this morning. And I want Zack to pick me up, so he can take me to the Everglades to the exact spot where he...where he found me.”
“You’re flying in from Miami? I didn’t think they even had flights from there to here. It’s only a few hours’ drive.”
“A friend hired a private plane for me.”
What she didn’t tell him was that Sandy had insisted on the rather extravagant gesture. The travel agent had astutely realized that Kaylee dreaded driving the same trek she’d driven the last time she’d gone to Naples, a trip that had ended with her in a box in the ground. Just getting on the plane was going to be difficult. The only way she felt she could face it was knowing that Zack would be there on the other side. Zack would keep her safe.
“Your mind’s already made up. You’re coming out here no matter what, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
When he didn’t immediately agree to her request, she played the card she’d held back just in case. She already hated herself for what she was about to say, but she really was desperate.
“Detective, if you won’t help me, if you won’t get Zack to pick me up at the airport and then take me out to the swamp to look for Mary, I’m afraid I’ll have to take my plight to the press. And I’m pretty sure they won’t report favorably about the Collier County Sheriff’s Office once they hear that you
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