Page 23 of Deception

15

Madison followed Clayton down the lighted hallway, past rooms with critically ill patients in them, but her thoughts were everywhere except where they should be and surprisingly mostly on him. What was up with that?

She didn’t do relationships. She didn’t have time for one even if she did, not even with someone as appealing as the ranger. How had her memory of him been so wrong? Or had he made up his defense of her?

No, he wasn’t faking the hurt her accusation caused. Or the fervor in his voice when he denied bullying her. She searched memories of her summers in Natchez, trying to remember a specific time he’d been part of her cousins’ bullying. It surprised her that nothing surfaced. There were plenty of times when it was just her and the cousins, though. She owed him an apology. Again.

She shifted her focus back to the reason she was here. Was it possible? No, there was no way this woman could resemble Madison enough to be mistaken for her. It just didn’t happen in real life ... did it?

Except ... all her life, she’d felt something was missing. In spite of her parents always telling her she’d been “chosen,” she never quite felt accepted. Madison brushed the thoughts aside. She’d come to terms with being adopted years ago. But what ifthat family she always wondered about included a sister? The thought almost stopped her in midstride.

Clayton rounded a corner and spoke to a nurse stationed outside a room before turning to Madison. “She’s on a vent and hasn’t regained consciousness from surgery.”

“Surgery?”

“She was shot twice in the back. One was a through-and-through in the shoulder, and the other lodged near a rib, but it missed vital organs. The surgeon gave me this when he finished.” He pulled a small plastic bag from his pocket. “My guess is it’s a 9mm, and I believe it’s in good enough shape to determine the gun it came from. I thought you might get Hugh to run the ballistics report.”

Madison examined the mushroomed projectile. She agreed with him that it probably came from a 9mm gun, maybe a conceal-and-carry type. “You want me to ask the FBI to run the ballistics?”

“The sheriff offered, but Jackson is backlogged. I figure it’d be quicker if the FBI ran it, and I also figure Hugh will do it if you ask.”

He was probably right, and if the gun used in this shooting had been involved in another case, the ballistics team would find it.

“Gotcha. Hugh said he’d be down tomorrow.” She handed the bag back to him.

Madison entered the softly lit room. It was hard to tell much about the victim’s size. Not that she noticed other than having a bare impression. Everything in the room faded except the face on the bed. She found it impossible to look away. The face was identical to hers.

“I-I don’t understand.” She released the breath trapped in her chest. The room tilted, and she swayed.

Clayton steadied her. “I did warn you she could pass for your twin.”

It still hadn’t prepared her for seeing an exact replica of herself down to the hint of a cleft in her chin.

“You weren’t aware you might have a twin?”

Madison licked her dry lips. “No. There has to be an explanation.”

“There’s always an explanation,” Clayton said. “Even though you might not be prepared for it.”

She studied the woman again, her gaze stopping at the bandage that covered her shoulder. “How bad are her injuries?”

Clayton motioned for her to step out of the room, and she followed him. Once they were in the hallway, he turned to the deputy standing guard. “I’ll be in the cafeteria if you need me.” Then he turned to Madison. “That’s if you’ll join me for a cup of coffee.”

All she could manage was a nod. Madison needed the caffeine. It’d been a long day and it might be a long night.

In the cafeteria there were plenty of tables to choose from, and Clayton pointed toward a corner. “How about that one? You look kind of done in, so why don’t I grab the coffee?”

She must look bad for an almost total stranger to notice. “Thanks.”

“Creamer, sugar?”

“Black.”

A few minutes later, he brought two steaming Styrofoam cups to the table. “They made a fresh pot.” He handed her one.

Madison wrapped her hands around the cup and took a sip, pleasantly surprised that the coffee tasted pretty good.

“You okay?”

---