“I do.” Libby inhaled the scent of this woman—herbs and earth and spice. Comfort. An overwhelming sense of calm seeped into Libby’s bones. She knew this woman. “Luna.”
Rob’s head jerked to the side. “You remember her?”
“That’s right, my sweet. I’m Luna.” Luna patted Libby’s back. “Do you remember me?”
“I—I remember your smell. Your name came to me from your scent.”
“They do say smell is the most powerful sense and can evoke all kinds of memories.” Luna smoothed her hand over Libby’s face. “Were you physically injured?”
“Just a gash on my head. Otherwise, I’m fine.”
Luna’s gaze darted around the campsite. “Come to my home. We’re attracting attention out here, and I don’t want anyone knowing our business.”
With her arm curled around Libby’s waist, Luna led them to her RV, one of the nicest in the collection, a colorful blue-and-white awning fanning out over some chairs and a small pit for a campfire.
Luna patted a canvas chair. “Sit here, Libby. I’m going to try to help you. I don’t know why you were on the run from Rocky Point. You wouldn’t tell me that, but I can help you with the rest. I can’t imagine the fear of having a black hole for a memory.”
Libby sank to the chair, crossed one leg over the other and promptly started kicking her leg. “It’s been crazy, made worse because of the danger and made better because of...Rob.”
“Call me old-fashioned, but I think everything’s better with a partner by your side.” Luna winked at Rob and waved him into a chair.
Libby blinked. “And you have a partner. He lives here with you.”
“That’s right.” Luna nodded, a broad smile displaying her white teeth. “Zeke, who’s scavenging in the desert right now. I’d say he’s pretty unforgettable. See? You’re remembering already. It must help to be with people you know. No offense, Rob.”
“None taken.”
“Luna—” Libby’s blood bubbled in her veins “—you mentioned you were friends with my mother. Where is she? Is she in the States? Back in Rocky Point? Is she worried?”
The creases in Luna’s lined face softened. “I’m sorry, Libby. Your mother is dead.”
Luna’s words punched her in the gut, and Libby pressed a fist to her belly. “H-how long ago? What happened?”
“It was just a few months ago.” Luna clasped her hands around one knee. “Tandy was murdered, Libby.”
Tandy? Rob sucked in a breath and choked out, “Oh, my God. Libby’s mother was Tandy Richards?”
Chapter Sixteen
Libby stared at him, her eyes wide in her pale face. “Where have I heard that name before, Rob? I’ve heard the name.”
“I guess I mentioned the name once, or you overheard me.” Rob clenched his teeth. Libby didn’t have to remember those details, and if she couldn’t recall the conversation, he wasn’t going to refresh her memory.
Then she wailed and doubled over, her forehead touching her knees. “She was beheaded. My mother was one of the mules who was murdered in the tunnel.”
Luna stroked Libby’s hair and glared at Rob over the top of Libby’s head.
He’d gone from hero to zero with one stupid statement.
Luna murmured, “I’m sure that’s just a rumor, Libby. There are all kinds of gruesome tales circulating around the border.”
Libby straightened up, sweeping her hands across her wet cheeks. “No, you don’t understand. Rob is a Border Patrol agent. He mentioned something about the two women, the two mules, who were decapitated at the border. He said their names, Tandy Richards and Elena something.”
Luna pressed her lips into a straight, thin line. “You’re Border Patrol?”
Rob lunged out of his chair and knelt before Libby, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her lap. “I’m sorry, Libby. I never in a million years would’ve connected you to Tandy Richards. I should’ve never mentioned that case to you.”
Her fingers slipped into his hair. “My mother was a mule for the cartels?”
Luna said, “Your mother was a troubled woman, Libby, but she loved you and had the biggest heart.”
“My father?”
Rob sat back on his heels and held her hands. He’d rather she have a husband in the wings than this.
Luna sighed. “Not in the picture. Your mother moved to Mexico with you when you were a child. She got mixed up with the wrong people.”
Libby clenched her hands in her lap. “That’s why I agreed to help Troy.”
“Who’s Troy?” Luna cocked her head, looking like a bird on alert.
“Never mind, Luna. Knowing my mother died at the hands of the cartels, as painful as it is, clears up a lot.” Libby reached for Rob and touched his chin. “It’s not your fault. This is the fear I have of remembering everything. I must have already grieved for my mother and it’s hit me like a sledgehammer all over again.”
Luna pressed a hand to her heart. “Please tell me you didn’t decide to go after the cartels on your own to avenge Tandy’s death.”
“Not on my own, anyway. It’s complicated, Luna.”
Rob stayed crouched by Libby’s side, his hand caressing her calf. “Do you have Libby’s phone, Luna? We’re hoping that’s going to tell us even more.”
“It’s in the RV. I left it turned off, like you asked, Libby. It might need charging.” Luna rose to her feet and climbed the two steps to the aluminum door to her home. She banged around inside and then called out through the window. “I’m charging it now. Give it some time.”
Libby cupped his face with her hands. “I’m all right. I always felt there was something I didn’t want to remember, and it didn’t have to do with the dead body.”
“If it makes you feel better, Tandy Richards did not come up on our radar as having any connections to the cartels or any drug dealers.”
“She was a user, Libby.” Luna picked her way down the steps, holding two cups of steaming liquid, the scent
