Forgotten Memories

Once again, he was touched by her concern. He reminded himself that her worry over an injury wasn’t personal, she clearly took patient care very seriously. After all, she’d taken the risk of driving out to an isolated cabin to remove a bullet lodged in his shoulder. The IV antibiotics and fluids she’d given him had certainly saved his life. He wanted to believe the earnest determination in her eyes was only for him, but more likely the way she was with all her patients.

He needed to remember that she was someone he was trying to protect. Getting emotionally involved would only backfire, in a big way.

“I’m fine, but his shot was close enough that I hit the ground, which gave him the time he needed to get away. And since he had been wearing gloves, we don’t expect to get any fingerprints.”

“I can’t believe this,” she moaned. “What is going on? Why is this happening?”

He had the same questions, so he glanced over at her. “Are you sure you don’t know what this is all about?” he asked, trying to keep his tone nonthreatening. “You must have some idea what this guy wants from you.”

“I don’t,” Gabby insisted, clearly exasperated. “Why would I put my career, or more important, my life, on the line? This is crazy, my only hobbies are reading mysteries and running, my career is too demanding for anything more.”

Shane pulled into her driveway, letting the car idle as he turned in his seat to face her. “Gabby, listen, I can protect you if you tell me the truth,” he said in a gruff tone. “But if you lie to me and the truth comes out later, there won’t be anything I can do to help you.”

Gabby lifted her wide green eyes to his and he could clearly see the anguish reflected there. “I promise you that I have no idea what’s going on.”

Shane desperately wanted to believe her. “What about old boyfriends or maybe a former fiancé?” he pressed. “Surely you must have made some enemies over the past ten years.”

Gabby slowly shook her head. “I’ve spent the last decade completing medical school, finishing my residency and proving myself a capable trauma surgeon.” She hesitated, then continued, “There was one boyfriend during my residency, and I did break things off, but I can’t imagine he cares about that now all these years later.”

“You don’t know that for certain,” Shane said brusquely. “Anyone else?”

“Well, there were a couple of residents in the past ten years who resented me, basically making my life miserable, but I highly doubt either one of them is still holding a grudge.”

“Why don’t you give me their names anyway,” Shane said. “Including the guy you dated. It wouldn’t hurt to touch base with them.”

Gabby pressed her lips together in a frown. “It’s ridiculous to think they’re involved,” she reiterated.

“Then what’s the harm in doing a background check, and validating where all three of these guys were last night so we can cross them off the list?” There was a long pause before she conceded. “Fine. The man I dated briefly was Damon Keller—I have no clue where he is now. Eric Ambrose was the resident who resented me the most. I was chosen to be the chief resident over him and he did not take it well. But I heard he relocated to the East Coast somewhere.” She released a sharp breath, then continued, “Joe Chasco was another resident who didn’t appreciate the fact that I was given the position, either, and he and Eric made my life extremely difficult. Joe relocated to Chicago, I believe.”

Shane wrote the names down, intending to follow up on both of those guys. “Chicago isn’t that far away,” he said as he scribbled in his notebook. “Any other residents who resented you?”

“No, those two were by far the worst.”

He tucked the notebook back in his pocket, wondering at the adversity Gabby must have faced during her career. Was it always like this for female surgeons? Or had she been a target because of her genius IQ?

He could see why some of the physicians she worked with might be intimidated by her eidetic memory, but weren’t they all supersmart? So why pick on Gabby? His mouth hardened into a tight line. He didn’t like the thought of people, especially men, treating her badly.

Shane pulled himself up short, reminding himself that his interest in Gabby wasn’t personal. He wasn’t about to risk opening himself up for another misguided relationship. Besides, Gabby was clearly not interested in him that way, either. He’d noticed the way she shrank away when she’d tripped over him at the door to the call room. And not once had she flirted even the littlest bit.

He needed to keep his distance from Gabby.

Once they figured out who this creep was and arrested him, they’d both go their separate ways. Leaving mutual respect and friendship remaining between them.

* * *

Her house didn’t look any different, Gabby noted as she slid out of Shane’s vehicle and headed for the garage. “I have a spare key,” she said over her shoulder when he joined her.

“That’s good, because the lock on your front door was broken by the intruder, so we nailed it shut.”

Hearing that made her nervous, but she kept her chin steady as she punched a code into the keypad mounted on her garage. When the door opened, she ducked inside and found her spare key. Then she headed over to the door along the side of her house.

“He left a mess,” he warned as she unlocked and pushed the door open. Full of apprehension, she crossed the threshold.

Gabby thought she was prepared for what she’d find, but as it turned out, she wasn’t. The kitchen was a mess, although it didn’t look as if anything was broken, but each drawer and cabinet was open and had obviously been thoroughly searched.

“Your office is the worst,” Shane said his hand resting on the small of her back.

“I didn’t expect to feel so violated,” she murmured as they made their way through the living room, which wasn’t too badly messed up, to the hallway where the bedrooms were located, one of which she’d turned into an office.

She gasped when she saw the chaos on her normally neat desk. “What in the world was he looking for?” she asked helplessly.

“I don’t know,” Shane admitted. “I didn’t see him carrying anything out, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have something tucked away.”

For a moment panic gripped her by the throat and she bolted past Shane to head over to the bedroom. Dropping to her knees, she pulled out a small cedar box, roughly six inches by six inches wide and three inches deep. Her heart thudded loudly in her chest as she gingerly lifted the cover.

She let out a whoosh of relief when she surveyed the contents. “It’s all here,” she said, moving the precious items around to make sure she wasn’t missing something. “He didn’t take it.”

“What’s in there?” Shane asked, kneeling beside her.

She shrugged, not willing to go too much into depth. “Personal mementos, that’s all. Nothing of monetary value. Costume jewelry, like this charm bracelet that my father gave to my mother before he died, photographs of us together as a family. The necklace Leo, my godfather, gave me. Just sentimental things...”

Shane peered over her shoulder and tapped the picture on top where she stood proudly in front of her parents, who were grinning widely for the camera. “You look adorable in that dress,” he said, his breath tickling her ear.

His compliment made her flush, and she quickly replaced the cover of the cedar box, knowing that looking at the old photographs might bring back the crippling headaches that she’d suffered throughout her childhood. “Thanks,” she whispered, scooting away from him, “but this isn’t important right now. I’d better go through my office.”

“Sure thing.” Shane stood back and let her pass. She carried the cedar box with her, setting it aside. Then glanced around at the mess, wondering where to begin.

“If you’re able to tell me what’s missing, that would help,” he said.

“Lucky for you, I’m extremely organized,” Gabby said, gathering papers together. She collated her medical school stuff first, and then the paperwork she’d saved from her residency. She took her time with those, wondering if it was at all possible that Damon Keller, Eric Ambrose or Joe Chasco could have done this.