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Merrell Chameleon hikers when Nica found you, and your pack is top-of-the-line.”
    “Do you always pry into people’s personal belongings?”
    “When I’m asked to investigate.”
    Nica gasped. “I asked you to help, not …”
    “It helps to gather everything I can from what I have to work with. People who vacation on Kauai with premier sporting gear are likely to have insurance.”
    Jade dropped her hands to her lap. “You make a lot of assumptions.”
    “My profession is mostly gut instinct.”
    “Then I’m certainly a dangerous criminal you want nothing to do with.”
    “An MRI might clear things up.”
    Was there a tumor in her brain, something malignant squeezing out the memories, making her paranoid? Had she wandered into the mountains in some kind of daze? She shivered. “All right. I’ll see a doctor.” It was probably the right thing anyway. “But no police. People listen to scanners.”
    He raised curious brows. She squeezed her temples, surprised herself by the things coming out of her mouth. She was sitting at a table with strangers, wearing a borrowed sundress, and wondering, wondering. Tears caught in the back of her throat.
    Cameron’s tumor comment scared her, even if he was just protecting his sister, who might very well need protecting. She had intruded on them. And her resistance to the obvious steps seemed ludicrous. “I’ll get my—your sandals on.”
    “Jade.” Nica touched her shoulder. “Only if you want this.”
    She sighed. “I want to remember.” At least she thought she did.
    Cameron crossed his ankles and watched her all the way to the glass door that opened to the lanai. She resisted glaring back at his cynical face. She had nothing to go on except her inner perception of self, but she didn’t think he was right about her. Avoiding a spectacle didn’t make her dishonest or criminal. He was probably right that she needed to be examined, but his suspicions infuriated her.
    The outside stairs were the only way back to her little porch room. If only she could stay there. She had the strongest feeling that she was about to set things in motion that she had no power to control.

FIVE
    Cameron sat with Nica and Jade in the cramped medical office as Dr. Yamaguchi explained the results of her tests. “A contusion to the central area of the brain can disrupt retrieval of retrograde memory while allowing normal formation and storage of new—exactly the type of amnesia you’re experiencing.” He seemed intrigued by Jade’s case, but not overly concerned. “I would like to schedule an MRI for tomorrow to gauge the full extent of the injury.”
    Cameron nodded for her to agree to it. He’d cover that expense, as well, in order to lay Nica’s mind at rest. He felt confident Jade had the resources to repay him, though it might be through ill-gotten gains—in which case a reward could cover her debt.
    “But,” the neurologist emphasized, “I’m doubtful we’ll see any signs of hemorrhage or tumor.”
    From his vantage point, Jade’s relief seemed sincere, Nica’s transcendent. If the news had been bad, he would not have let her stay. He might have tried to find her another place, looked for family or friends. At the very least he’d have convinced her to rely on the authorities to assist her. Anything to save Nica the angst she would suffer watching another person come to her and die. That much, at least, was no longer a concern.
    “So, I will remember.” Jade’s voice held a cautious expectancy.
    The doctor shifted the thin wire rims up the narrow bridge of his nose. “This complete a loss for this duration is unusual, but every amnesia is different. Very likely things will return to normal within days, maybe even hours.”
    Hope bloomed in her face. If she was faking, she was good. And he’d run into plenty of consummate fakers, people who milked similar situations for all they were worth. He was singularly able to take them apart, but Jade’s reluctance to seek