Free Kill Me Again by MAGGIE SHAYNE Page A

knowledge that this day might come. And now it had. No one here knew about the diskettes. She’d taken them from Tommy as some kind of lame, poorly thought out insurance policy when she’d run away all those years ago. And no one knew her name was Sarah, either. No one from this incarnation, anyway. All that was coming from her past life—the one she’d left behind.
    She had to run. And as for going with Aaron, well, he wasn’t really a stranger to her. Besides, he needed her help.
    Decision made, she zipped her bag and returned to the living room to find Aaron and Freddy both missing.
    Frowning, she looked around at the demolished room.Only it wasn’t. Aaron had picked everything up, restored order while she’d been getting dressed and packing her things. She heard his voice outside and realized they hadn’t gone far. She picked up Freddy’s dog bed and opened the front door.
    Aaron was standing at the back end of the dusty-but-impressive Expedition. The tailgate was open, and Freddy was standing with his front feet up on the carpeted floor of the cargo hold, and he wasn’t budging. He was just looking at Aaron expectantly, as if he ought to know what came next.
    â€œUm, Aaron, that’s not my car.”
    He looked up as if startled. “I know. And you’re a fast packer.”
    â€œIt’s going to be a short trip. I hope.”
    He nodded and returned his puzzled look to the dog. “Is there some kind of command you use to get him to jump the rest of the way in?”
    â€œNo. It’s just that he’s so big.”
    â€œAnd that matters why?”
    â€œHe’d have to get a running start to jump all the way in, and in my car he bangs his head on the roof. So he refuses.” She eyed the Expedition. “He would probably never hit his head in this one.”
    â€œWould you believe that’s why we’re taking it?” he asked.
    She sent him a look that told him she would not.
    He shrugged. “I didn’t think so. But I did overhear youtalking to the redhead about this baby. No one knows you have it, right?”
    â€œOnly the redhead—er, Dr. Overton.”
    â€œGood. She’ll never know we’ve taken it, and it’ll take your cop friend longer to sound the alarm if your car is still here,” he said.
    â€œI should probably call her, though. She won’t say anything if I ask her not to, but I don’t want her to think I’ve been abducted by an amnesiac shooting victim—”
    â€œYou don’t think that’s what this is, do you? A kidnapping?”
    She met his eyes. “If I did, I wouldn’t be going. Besides, if you try anything with me, Freddy will eat you.”
    He shot the dog a quick look and nodded. “I bet he would. All right, good, then. You can call the doc later, though. We should get a move on before they figure out I’m not in the hospital. This is the first place they’re going to come looking.”
    She nodded and set her overnight bag on the floor of the backseat. Then she found the release and folded those seats forward, making even more room for Freddy.
    Moving to the rear, she arranged Freddy’s bed while he stood patiently, front feet still inside the SUV, watching her every move.
    â€œI know, boy. I know.” She got behind the dog and, bending, cupped her hands to give him a boost up. He lifted one hind foot into her cupped hands and pushed off as she lifted.
    â€œHey, no, let me—” Aaron began.
    â€œI’ve got this.” She put a little more effort into it, and Freddy got himself in, turned around three times and sank gratefully onto his bed with a sigh.
    â€œGood Lord, woman, how much does he weigh? ”
    â€œTwo hundred, give or take. Most of the time he gets in and out with a lot less help from me. Unless he’s really tired or doesn’t feel like going.”
    â€œOr he’s under the influence of a