Page 14 of Twin Jeopardy

Sandor began tightening the bolt. “I wonder what happened to her. I mean, you think after all this time, they would have found something.”

“You’d think. Okay, shove rocks up against this post to keep it upright. Then we’ll pack the dirt down around it.”

“I wonder if it was, like, aliens or something.”

Vince stared. “Aliens.”

“Yeah. I mean, what if she was abducted by aliens?”

“I don’t believe in aliens.”

Sandor frowned. “You don’t? But there are a lot of stories...”

Vince shook his head. “Finish setting that post. I’m going to check the other side of the bridge.”

No one else mentioned aliens, but several felt compelled to share their theories, most involving kidnapping, or maybe, they said, Valerie had run away. Vince listened to them all, then found somewhere else he needed to be. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t already thought of all these things over the years—except the aliens. But without proof, he would never know what happened to his sister.

He arrived at his condo a little after five, ready to take a shower, have dinner and a drink, and binge TV. He was walking up to his door when a neighbor called out to him. He braced himself for sympathy or speculation as he waited for Tasha Brueger to reach him. “Hi, Vince,” she said. “I just wanted to tell you there was a young woman here about an hour ago. She was asking about you.”

“Who was she?”

“She didn’t tell me her name. She just stopped me and asked if I knew when you’d be home. She was standing here at your front door. I guess she’d been ringing the bell and not getting an answer. I told her you usually got home a little after five.”

He couldn’t imagine who would be looking for him. Another reporter, maybe? “What did she look like?”

Tasha—who was a foot shorter than Vince’s six feet and had to tilt her head back to look up at him—tugged on one long brown curl and pursed her lips, deep dimples forming on either side of her round cheeks. “She was just sort of average, you know? Dark hair, pulled back in a ponytail. Not too tall, not too short. Not fat or skinny. She wore sunglasses. I had to go pick Sammy up from practice, so we didn’t talk long.”

“Thanks.” He turned back to his door, and Tasha hurried away. Could the woman looking for him have been Tammy Patterson? The description didn’t really fit her, and if Tammy wanted to talk to him, why not call or text?

He let himself in and dropped his backpack by the door. He wasn’t sure if Tammy would ever want to see him again. Last night had ended awkwardly between them. That was all on him—he’d been caught so off guard by the intensity of his attraction to her that he had frozen. He considered himself a pro at keeping things casual when it came to women. His default setting for relationships might be summed up as “don’t bother getting too close.” But Tammy, with her warm smile and earnest expression—as well as the revelation about her brother’s death—had cut through his carefully manufactured defenses with breathtaking ease. He didn’t have to explain his feelings to her because she had experienced them herself.

Whether it was that understanding or her soft curves and cloud of blond curls, he had been bowled over by the desire to touch her. To kiss her. To discover what it would be like to be close to her. He thought she might be feeling a little of the same, but he couldn’t be sure. If he had actually done any of the things his mind insisted on picturing, she might have slugged him. He knew plenty of women, but he couldn’t say he knewaboutthem. Would things be different if he had a sister to ask?

He shed his clothing as he walked down the hall and hit the shower. He closed his eyes and let the hot water beat down and willed himself not to think about anything for just a few minutes.

Half an hour later, he was in the kitchen, staring into the open refrigerator and trying to decide what to make for dinner, when his phone rang. It was a local number, so he answered. “Hi, Vince. It’s Tammy.” She sounded out of breath. Anxious.

“Hey. What’s up?” Did he sound cool or just not too bright?

“Would it be okay if I came by your place for a few minutes? I have something I need to show you.”

“Is everything okay? You sound upset.” Or at least, less than thrilled by the prospect of yet another awkward visit with him.

“I’m just...confused. Anyway, I think you need to see this.”

“What is it?”

“I’d rather show you than talk about it.”

“Okay. Sure. Come on by.”

“I’ll be right over.”

He ended the call and closed the refrigerator, then leaned back against it, no longer hungry. Tammy had sounded rattled. He hadn’t known her long, but she had struck him as a calm person. Someone who didn’t panic easily.

He rubbed his jaw, and the scratch of whiskers made him wonder if he should shave. Would she think he was trying too hard?

He didn’t have much time to wonder. Five minutes later, his doorbell rang. He opened it to Tammy. She was a little pale and a lot agitated. “Sorry to bother you again,” she said as she rushed past him into the condo.

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