"Diana, what is it?" Liz asked. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."
Diana's eyes snapped to Liz's. "Maybe I have—or at least felt one."
Liz furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about?"
Diana glanced over toward the lobby and then back at Liz. "That man who just left—the one who was staying in room number nine—do you have any information about him? He must have at least given you his name when he checked in."
Liz's eyes widened. "Of course he did. In fact, I have his receipt behind the bar—I'll get it right now."
Brian scratched the back of his head as Liz crossed the room. "Is that really such a good idea?"
Diana looked at him. "I know you think I'm setting myself up for disappointment, but I've got this feeling I just can't shake."
"Yeah, well, Liz had a feeling like that, too, and you and this guy kept missing each other," Brian said. "Don't you think that maybe there was a reason for that?"
Straightening her back, Diana inhaled. "There's only one way to find out."
Liz looked up from behind the bar. "Here it is," she said, glancing back down at the receipt. "Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald."
Diana's eyes flew to Liz.
"Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald?" Brian repeated.
"Yes. Why?" Liz's eyes darted to his. "Do you know anyone with that name?"
"No." His eyes falling to the floor, Brian nudged his toe into the leg of a nearby chair. "It's just unusual—that's all."
"It certainly is." Liz looked at Diana. "Does it sound familiar to you?"
"Maybe. I . . . I don't know." Diana swallowed. "It did for a second there."
"Well, let's find out more then." Sticking the receipt back under the bar, Liz waved Diana over. "Come on. I have a computer in the back office. Let's see what we can find out."
"I can't believe this." Liz looked up from the computer.
"What is it?" Diana asked, hope rising in her heart.
"Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald was engaged to none other than Sheridan Crane," Liz said. "No wonder he didn't mention her name—the poor guy must be aching for some privacy."
"So that's it, then?" Brian asked. "Mystery solved?"
Liz looked at him. "I feel like it's just beginning."
"Why?" Brian asked. "We all know Sheridan Crane is dead. The newspaper was pretty clear on the fact that her body was identified through dental records and fingerprints. There's no way Diana is her."
Diana's pulse quickened. "We all did think I was her for a little bit."
"Yes, we did," Liz agreed, turning back to the monitor. "And it certainly won't hurt to look at these search results."
Diana stepped closer to the desk. "May I see, Liz?"
"Of course." Liz turned the monitor so Diana could see it. "Let's see—we've got an engagement announcement. And here's an article about Sheridan Crane . . . being buried alive . . . ?"
Diana shuddered, her throat tightening. "Let's skip over that one."
"Agreed." Liz winced. Studying Diana for a moment, she bit down on her lip, turned her attention back to the monitor, and clicked on the engagement announcement.
Diana held her breath.
A screenful of text loaded.
Diana's heart dropped. "Why is there no picture?"
"Didn't Doc say the Cranes work hard at keeping their pictures out of the press?" Brian said.
"He did." Shaking her head, Liz clicked back to the search screen. "But that doesn't mean we should give up."
"There!" Diana said, pointing to a link near the bottom of the screen. "I bet that one will have something."
Liz looked down the page. "Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald arrested for kidnapping Sheridan Crane? It looks like these two have quite the story."
"Yes, it does," Diana agreed, inhaling as Liz clicked on the link.
Maybe this would be it.
Liz started to scan the article.
Above the text, two images started to load.
"Apparently, he chloroformed her and dragged her onto a plane in France," Liz read. "And then she had him arrested when they landed in Boston."
The tops of the images began to appear.
"It says here that he claimed he was trying to save her from some hit men," Liz continued reading, her eyes glued to the article. "I wonder why she just wouldn't go back to the States with him voluntarily—from what I could tell when he was here, he was completely in love with her."
"Liz, this isn't one of your TV dramas," Brian jumped in. "People don't have experiences like that and then wind up together."
Liz looked up. "But, apparently, they did. This happened long before they got engaged."
The remainder of the two images inched down the screen.
Diana's breath caught in her throat.
Liz's eyes flew to hers. "Diana, what is it?"
Diana's gaze remained fixed on the screen.
"That's him," she gasped, pointing at the monitor. "That's me!"
Liz's eyes darted to the screen. "That is the two of you."
Brian leaned in to get a closer look. "What on earth?"
Diana's knees buckled beneath her.
Her entire world went black.
"Luis!" Sheridan bolted awake.
Image after image flooding her brain, she grasped onto the leg of a nearby chair.
Luis swinging them both off a hotel ledge. Luis dumping her onto a couch. Luis handing her a rose.
"Luis." Tears sprang to Sheridan's eyes. "Luis—I remember."
"Diana?" Liz's voice sounded. "Diana, are you okay?"
Sheridan's eyes snapped to hers. "Sheridan," she breathed, grabbing hold of Liz's hand. "It's Sheridan."
Her eyes glistening, Liz smiled. "Welcome back, Sheridan."
Brian cleared his throat.
Sheridan and Liz looked at him.
Brian rubbed his arms. "I'm not meaning to put a damper on this—but if you really are Sheridan Crane, why hasn't anyone come looking for you?"
"I don't know." Sheridan's voice cracked. "Luis must really think I'm dead. If he didn't, he would have come looking for me."
Brian raised his brows. "Didn't the papers say that Sheridan Crane's fiancé was the one who identified her body? That he insisted on examining her dental records and fingerprints himself?"
"I do remember reading that." Liz's brow furrowed. "But there must be an explanation. Because that man who was just down here—Luis—was definitely grieving. I could barely get him to eat."
Sheridan blinked back fresh tears. "My family. It had to have been my family."
Liz's eyes widened.
"I know it sounds unbelievable, but trust me—my father and brother would do just about anything to keep Luis and I apart." Her heart constricting, a tear slipped down Sheridan's face. "If they thought faking my fingerprints and dental records would convince Luis that I was dead, I'm sure they not only arranged it—but supplied the records themselves."
Liz sucked in a breath. "To think your own family might be capable of doing that . . ."
"It's okay." Sheridan's voice edged with pain. "I just never thought they'd go to these lengths."
"Do you think there's any chance that they didn't?" Liz asked, hope rising in her voice.
Sheridan's heart sank. "Who else would have the resources?"
Liz squeezed Sheridan's shoulder. "I . . . I don't know."
Sheridan choked back a sob. "What are they going to do when they find out I'm alive?"
Liz rubbed Sheridan's back. "Is there any way you can get in touch with Luis without your family finding out? Maybe the two of you can come up with a way to deal with this together."
Wiping at her tears, Sheridan looked at Liz. "I don't know. I mean, I can try, but my father seems to find out about everything."
"Well, maybe it's time for that to change." Liz's voice and face hardened. "Maybe it's time for somebody to take Alistair Crane down a peg or two—to start beating him at his own damn game."
- If Sheridan decides to take some time to think over her options, go to Chapter 15.
- If Sheridan decides to reach out to someone else for help, go to Chapter 4.
- If Sheridan decides to try to sneak back into Harmony, go to Chapter 14.
