Kill Me Again by MAGGIE SHAYNE Page B

real dog.
    â€œHe’ll sleep for at least an hour now,” she said. “Maybe more, given the tranquilizer.”
    But he was still focused on the earlier conversation. “You’ve read everything? You really are a fan, aren’t you?”
    She lifted her gaze again. It was a little bit soft, as if he were seeing behind the mask she wore. “I’m more than a fan.”
    Alarm bells went off. Was she an obsessed fan? A stalker type? God, that would be an added complication, wouldn’t it? She didn’t seem like that kind, though. “How do you mean?” he asked, his tone cautious.
    She shrugged. “If you really feel the way your character Harvey does about life and love and loneliness, then I feel more like a…a kindred spirit, I guess.”
    â€œAnd if I don’t?”
    â€œThen I guess I’m only a kindred spirit to Harvey.Either way, you must understand him. Identify with him.”
    â€œSo it stands to reason I would understand and identify with you.” He nodded. “I’ve got to read some of my books.”
    â€œI anticipated that, brought some of them along. We can take turns driving if you want to read a little.” She blinked then, as if she’d just thought of something. “You didn’t forget how to drive.”
    â€œI didn’t even think about that.” He looked at his hands on the wheel and nodded. “It was kind of automatic, getting into the driver’s seat. It didn’t even occur to me that I might not know how.” He felt himself smiling and realized it was the first time since waking up without a past.
    â€œMaybe everything you ever knew is still right there, inside your mind,” Olivia said. “Maybe it just hasn’t quite surfaced.”
    He nodded. “I hope you’re right about that.”
    â€œSo…when do you think it would be safe for me to make those calls? Not that I’m asking permission, of course.”
    â€œOf course. My suggestion, ” he said, “would be to wait until we can pick up a new phone or two. The prepaid ones would be harder to trace.”
    â€œSo we need to stop somewhere.”
    He nodded. “Once it’s daylight. And only if we can get access to some cash. If we use plastic, they’ll trace us.”
    â€œWell, even I knew that much,” she said. “But I thinkyou might be a little overly cautious here, Aaron. It’s highly unlikely anyone is even looking for us yet.”
    â€œOh, trust me. They’re looking. Those nurses are pretty diligent about waking up patients every hour or so. Mostly to tell them to get some sleep.”
    She smiled a little at that.
    â€œBesides, we already know someone is looking. Maybe not the police, not yet. But my shooter’s looking for me, and your housebreaker is looking for you. There’s no question about that. And we don’t know how sophisticated these men are—assuming they’re not the same man.”
    â€œOr how sophisticated the guys who hired them are.”
    He frowned. “You think someone hired that man to break in to your house, don’t you? And you have a good idea who.”
    Her face went serious, and she gave a nod. “I can get us plenty of cash.”
    â€œATM?”
    She frowned at him. “Wouldn’t they, whoever they are, pick up on that faster than they would be able to track a cell phone?” she asked, and he wasn’t sure if it was just him, or if she was starting to sound a little impatient. “And wouldn’t it look fairly suspicious if I took a big chunk of cash out of the bank on the same night you went missing?”
    â€œSee? Even you’ve read a few thrillers.”
    â€œI read widely. I’m an English professor, after all.”And then the stuffy facade wavered a little. “And I watch the occasional episode of Law and Order .”
    He glanced over at her, caught her sheepish expression as she