Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

B y the time the following Sunday rolled around, they had gotten into a routine, but no further on the hunt to find out Mia's true identity. They gave each other some space in his home, neither stepping out of the shower in a towel or getting too close while watching a movie on the couch, but they cooked their meals together, took long walks with the baby in either the stroller or strapped to one or the other of their chests with the cashmere wrap, and shared household tasks. Kyle had to admit that his kitchen and bathrooms were cleaner than ever before with her there. To anyone who didn't know them, they seemed very much a couple.

For Kyle, though, everywhere he turned was a dead end when it came to uncovering who Mia was. He had spent his week doing a more intensive Google search, a reverse image search, and a deep dive into marriage and birth records in the New York City database. All he had to go on was the address on her driver's license, but that was turning out to be a dead end as well. He went so far as to Google Sarah's name, but of course, nothing turned up. It was as if Mia had appeared, fully formed out of the ether, no past, no footprints, no trace of a life before he pulled her from her car. It was maddening. He was about to suggest a session with a hypnotherapist to try and unlock her memory. He knew that the department had a list of names, and he put it on his to-do-list to find out who the Chief thought might be best. Besides, that would give him an excuse to check in and see if he had a reinstatement date yet. He'd passed his range test the day before, surprising even himself with his accuracy and steady hand. While he still didn't want to carry his gun again, he knew he'd have to once he went back to work.

And for as annoyed as he was over his inability to figure out the puzzle she presented -- bonus points, it was Halloween, and despite his reservations, they were dressed appropriately for their afternoon activity – walking around Sibby's neighborhood with his brothers and nephews in tow, trick or treating. Kyle was in his typical family Halloween tradition "greaser" garb; a tight white tee shirt, a black leather jacket and form-fitting black jeans. Mia had found a wide poodle skirt in a secondhand shop and paired it with a baby-doll blouse in pink, a matching cardigan, and a pair of black flat loafers. Little Sarah was in a warm fleece with donkey ears on the hood and a small fabric tail on her rear end – on loan from one of Sibby's boys. By the time they pulled onto Sibby's driveway, the entire family was already outside, ready to go. The boys could hardly be contained, running circles on the lawn, their excitement bubbling over.

"What took you so long, brother?" Sibby asked, immediately pulling open the car door so that Mia could step out and reach the baby in the back seat. "And I still don't think that this car is appropriate for traveling with an infant. It's too small, even though the car seat fits inside."

"Today was my fault," Mia began, "I got dressed, finally wrangled the baby into her clothes and then she had a massive blow-out, and we needed to start all over again. I'm so sorry."

Kyle's eyes widened as his sister's manner changed when addressing Mia. "Hush now, nothing for you to be sorry for. These things happen," Sibby said, her manner kind and patient, lifting the baby from Mia's arms. "Just so long as you let me hold this little one. I'm hoping that some girl vibes rub off on me. I want our last child to be female," she teased. "Not that I'm sure I want to be doing this again. I'm just toying with the idea for now."

Watching the chaos around him, his nephews brandishing toy swords to complete their pirate costumes, Kyle couldn't stop the next words that spilled from his mouth.

"You're willing to do this again ? Didn't you tell the nurse at the hospital that you were done?" He pointed to his nephews, all in full battle mode, brandishing their toy swords.

"What's it to you, mister?" his sister spat at him. "It's not like you need to clothe and feed them. I'm only thinking about taking one more chance with this genetic merry-go-round. Truthfully, I'll take whatever I get, a healthy baby, God willing. I'm just praying for one of the other variety this time. I will need someone to take care of me when I'm one foot out of the grave."

"Wow," Kyle began, about to remark on the difference in his sister's attitude when speaking to him instead of to Mia, but Mia cut him off.

"I'll say a prayer for you, too, Sibby. I hope you get lucky if you decide to try again." She leaned around little Sarah and gave Sibby a hug.

Since coming to stay at Kyle's, Mia had grown on Sibby, which Kyle still found hard to believe. His sister was tough, but somehow, Mia had found a way to endear herself with a few dates for coffee and the two were well on the way to becoming fast friends.

Sibby looked at Kyle and the sound of her voice brought him out of his thoughts. "You need to learn something from this lovely person while you can. She won't be here forever, you know."

Kyle felt his sister's words twist deep in his gut. Lately he couldn't think about Mia going anywhere. He was getting attached even though he knew he shouldn't; she had a life out there somewhere, and eventually, she'd find it again. He shook his head and said, "Are we ready to go now, or what?"

"First things first," Sibby said as she started organizing a group picture. "You know that if I don't take this now, the kids will be all hopped up on sugar and we'll never get them to stand still. Now, come on everyone, get close together under the tree."

"I imagine they will calm down enough now to pose, hey Sibby?" he teased his sister, pointing to the boys rolling around on the grass in front of the house.

"Just lead by example, Kyle and wait under the tree."

Kyle's brothers, parents, and nephews knew better than to argue with his sister and they began to assemble in their usual places for their annual family photo. At Sibby's urging, they huddled together to fit into the frame, when suddenly, she turned. "Mia! You and Sarah too!! Get in there!"

"No, Sibby, you should be in the photo. I'll snap the shot. Go in the picture with your family."

"You're an official part of our family now, Mia, no matter what comes next. You have to be in the picture. Plus, it's what I use each year for our holiday card. That'll get the relatives in Galway talking now, won't it?" She laughed out loud at her own thought.

Mia held Sarah and stepped into the frame. Sibby set the timer on the camera and after making sure that everyone could be seen, jumped into the group just before the shutter snapped. "Thanks, one and all. We can set off now. Boys, mind your father and don't run into the street."

The large, unruly group began its trek around the neighborhood, stopping and nearly every house where Sibby would greet everyone she met. Kyle marveled at his sister. She knew all her neighbors and had a kind word to say wherever they went, asking after the health of the more elderly residents and making each person feel cared for and special.

Kyle hung back a bit and waited for his brothers to join him

"So, brother, tell the truth. How was the range?" Tim asked, falling into step next to Kyle.

"You passed, so it couldn't have been that terrible," Conor added.

"It wasn't," Kyle replied. "I can still shoot. I just don't want to."

"Yeah, you know how that goes. It does take a minute. But you'll be reinstated fully, now, and your gun is standard issue. Don't worry. It's like riding a bicycle, right?"

"I really don't think your analogy applies, Conor. I could have killed that kid." He shrugged.

"That won't happen again, Kyle. We all know you. It was a horrible accident. Time to put it behind you," Tim said.

"Now it's just the matter of getting the formal notice, brother. You're headed back to work any day," Conor chimed in, giving Kyle a playful punch on the arm.

"Devon seems to think so. And I'm going to call the Chief and speak to him as well. I hope so, though. It's been rough. I've been losing my mind. At least working on Mia's case has been something."

"Is that why you brought Mia home? As a distraction?" Tim kidded.

"Not funny, man. She had nowhere else to go."

"But she's all recovered now, right, no more headaches? What gives? Do you plan on waiting until she remembers who she is?" Conor asked, more seriously. "Do you like this chick or something?"

Kyle drew in a breath, not wanting to reveal the feelings he had for Mia that he'd yet admitted to himself. "The headaches have stopped, but she still has no memory of her life before the accident. I'm just trying to help her out."

"Right man, but playing house ain't helping," Tim said as they rounded a corner to the next street.

"Just as soon as she remembers, she'll be on her way. Don't you boys worry about it, or me for that matter. I can handle this."

Tim cast a skeptical glance at Kyle. "If you say so, brother. It just seems to me that you're getting a little too comfortable with this arrangement. I'll assume you're still sleeping on the pull-out couch in your office?"

"Of course I am," Kyle replied. "Don't you know me? Would I mess with a single mother like that?"

"That's assuming that she is a single mother," Conor said under his breath. "You don't even know that for a fact."

"Listen you two, I appreciate the concern, I do. But I have this situation under control. No need to discuss it further."

Kyle hoped that was enough to close the uncomfortable discussion. The truth was that he did wish he wasn't sleeping on the couch, but rather in his own bed, with Mia. He'd never let that happen. He didn't know if she was unattached or if she had a husband out there searching for her, but he'd be lying if he didn't admit, at least to himself, that he found her incredibly attractive. There were nights when he had to relieve himself of some of the sexual tension between them with his own right hand. Still, he'd never let this feeling he had for her go anywhere else despite wanting her warm body beneath his own.

Kyle turned his attention to his nephews, watching them dance up and down the block, each with a pillowcase growing fuller with each stop they made. Their excitement was infectious. Sibby pushed her youngest in a stroller as Mia pushed Sarah in hers, side by side, barely fitting within the confines of the sidewalk, heads tilted toward one another in deep conversation. Kyle knew that his sister longed for close female companionship like this, he only prayed that Sibby would be okay when Mia did finally leave. Thinking about it further, he hoped they'd both survive it.

His parents trailed behind the two women and his brother-in-law Geoff policed the street making sure that none of the children stepped into harm's way. The late autumn sun was shining, not a cloud in the brilliant blue sky, and the leaves that had fallen, covering the pavement, crunched under their feet. It was the suburban ideal, a perfect Halloween afternoon and for a rare moment in time, Kyle wished it was his to claim. Maybe I'll still have this one day. A wife. A child. A house near my family.

Just then the sound of Conor's voice pulled him out of his own thoughts. "When you go back do you think they'll give you a new assignment, or do they think you'll start out on desk duty first?"

Kyle was about to answer when he saw a familiar looking black sedan slowly turn the corner and pull toward the curb. He looked up at Mia, laughing at something Sibby had said, blissfully unaware of the threatening vehicle so close to her and the baby. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. There were two burly men sitting in the front seat. He hadn't seen them since the day they parked across the street from his house, the day he called for a patrol car to check the men out. This couldn't be a coincidence. These men were looking for Mia and this time he was going to find out exactly what they wanted for himself.

He quietly pulled his brothers a step or two back from the larger group. "Listen guys, I think we have a bit of a problem. That car, the black town car. I think those men are after Mia. They were parked outside of my condo when she first arrived, but a couple of uniforms scared them off."

He watched as his brothers both squared their shoulders at the same time. "Here for Mia? What does that mean? Tim asked.

"At first, I thought they might be private investigators, looking for her, you know, hired by her family. But a PI wouldn't have been so quick to disappear, especially if his fee depended on finding his target. I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about them, like those men are not on the up and up. Something tells me that they are working for someone who has an ulterior motive."

"What do you want to do about it, Kyle? We're right here. Anything you need, just ask."

"I think I want to question them myself. Just steer the family away from here and try to head back to Sibby's. I don't want Mia to be out on the street any longer than necessary."

"We've got it covered, brother. Will do," Tim replied.

Kyle knew that both his brothers had weapons strapped to their ankles. They never left home without them, and while he'd never done that himself, preferring to leave his police-issued gun at home under lock and key when he wasn't working, they felt differently. He and his brothers owned licensed and registered Sig Sauer P365s, a compact pistol. They went to the shooting range and practiced safe gun handling. Even now, when Kyle questioned everything about the night he mistakenly shot the young man with the toy in his hand, he trusted his brothers and their judgement implicitly. They would not deploy a weapon unless it became absolutely necessary.

Kyle waited until his family was much further down the block before crossing the street and walking up to the idling sedan's driver side window. He knocked on the glass, which was rolled down in a smooth motion, a cloud of cigarette smoke drifting outward.

"Gentleman," he began. "Do you mind telling me what you're doing here?"

"Who are you and why would we need to tell you anything?" the driver said gruffly.

"Call me a concerned citizen," Kyle replied. "It's just that I've never seen you in this neighborhood, is all. I know everyone who lives around here, and I know that you two don't."

"We're just out for our coffee break. Taking in some air… is there a law against that?"

"No, but there is no Dunkin within a square mile of these residential blocks." His detective mind clicked on. "Why don't you tell me what you're really doing here." Kyle realized immediately that these two men were professional goons. "Or," he began, "tell me who your boss is, and I'll ask him a few questions myself."

"I told you buddy. We're just taking a break. Nothing more," one of the men said. "We're not here to make trouble. We're only taking in some fresh air." He took an exaggerated deep breath as if to make his point.

"Then let me suggest that you go find a more urban place to enjoy your time off. You've had enough fresh suburban air for one day."

The man in the passenger seat leaned forward and one side of his jacket fell away. Kyle clearly saw the shoulder strap for his gun and the revolver tucked at his waist. The driver put out a hand across his partner's chest and pushed him back in place.

"No problem. We were just leaving anyway," the burly man said as he put the car in gear.

Kyle jumped back as the man pulled away from the curb and he watched the car disappear around the corner. Then he turned and quickly ran to go find his family. He had some decisions to make, and those were best done as a group. For as much as he didn't want to frighten Mia, it was time to get to the truth.