Page 97 of Remember Me

I share the good news with Finn. “She wants to meet with me at noon.”

“Let me come with you.”

I shake my head. “I’ve got to do this alone. At least this first step. Besides, you’ve got to focus on your show.”

He blows out a breath. “Then we should call the police.”

“Please, Finn, not yet. It’s too soon.”

CHAPTER 59

Skye

Noon. Parking my Jeep on Beverly Glen, I hop out with my backpack in tow. Slung over my shoulders, it feels weighty with my notebook, laptop, and phone, which now has a recording app. Briskly, I head into the park, wondering why a celebrity of this magnitude has chosen such a public place to meet.

Passing elderly men and women, elegantly clad in all white and engaged in a leisurely game of lawn bowling, I make my way to the other side of the leafy oasis. Swings and slides come into view. Squealing toddlers and youngsters occupy them, with parents and caretakers close by. With the low-seventies sunny weather, it’s a perfect fall day to spend here, and for a moment, I wish Maddie was here with me. How fun it would be to push her on a swing or catch her in my arms after gliding down a slide.

Shoving these maternal thoughts aside, I search for the sandbox and find it quickly. I scurry toward it, my eyes scouring the surrounding park benches in search of Nicole. A few feet away from the toddler-filled sandbox, I spot her, seated all alone. A smile warms her exquisite face, easily recognizable though she’s trying to be incognito, wearing oversized dark sunglasses and a big floppy hat to hide her signature red hair. Faded jeans, combat boots, and a baggy sweater complete her ensemble, mine almost the same except for my baseball cap.

“Nicole?” Though I’m certain it’s her, my tone is more of a question than a statement as I approach her.

Averting her sight from the sandbox, she glances up at me. “Scarlet?”

Taking off my shades, I inhale a deep breath. “No.”

She cocks her head, her expression puzzled. My gaze doesn’t stray from her.

“My name is Skye. Skye Collins.”

As she clasps a hand to her mouth, I sit down beside her.

***

It doesn’t take me long to tell Nicole my story after she gets over her initial shock. She listens intently, hanging on to every word, her eyes occasionally darting to the sandbox and then back to me. Her dark glasses mask her emotions, but they can’t hide the tears that trickle down her cheekbones. I tell her about my lengthy and painful rehabilitation, then about my subsequent entry into the Witness Protection Program, and finally about how fate brought me back to my husband and daughter.

She takes my hand, her lips quivering, the tears falling. “I-I’m so sorry. I almost cost you your life. It’s all my fault.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you remember?”

“Nicole, that’s why I’m here. I don’t remember the accident or anything leading up to it.”

“Oh my God.”

“Nicole, I need you to help me remember. To help me find the person who did this to me and put them away.”

“I knew your accident had something to do with me,” she splutters. “I should have gone to the police.”

“Why didn’t you?”

She hangs her head in shame. “I was too afraid. Soon after your tragic accident, I got married and adopted a child.”

Her gaze shifts again to the sandbox. A darling little boy in overalls, who looks to be the same age as Maddie, waves at her. My companion forces a smile and waves back.

“That’s my little boy . . . Skyler.”

“Skyler?”