Page 16 of Twin Jeopardy

“You do know how these things work, don’t you?”

“Unfortunately, I do.” He stood. “I wouldn’t worry about that letter, though. If you ignore these people, they move on and look for an easier victim.”

She tucked the letter back into the envelope and returned it to her purse. “Sorry to disturb your evening.”

“No. That’s okay. I didn’t have any plans.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I was getting ready to make dinner. You want to stay and eat with me?”

“Oh, uh...”

“Sorry, you probably have plans.”

“No. I’d be happy to stay. I can help too.”

“Then come into the kitchen, and let’s see what we’ve got to work with.”

Together, they assembled a meal of pasta, chicken and vegetables. As they worked, they talked about everything but Valerie—his love of climbing, her passion for gardening, his experience with search and rescue, and her volunteer position working with high school journalism students.

“Are you seeing anyone?” she asked when the conversation lulled. Maybe the question was a bit forward, but she was dying to know. And she hadn’t seen any sign of a romantic interest around his place.

He didn’t look up from draining the pasta. “No. Are you?”

“No. I broke up with a guy a few months ago.”

He dumped the pasta in a bowl and carried the bowl to the table. “Is that good? Bad?”

“A little sad.” She sat in the chair across from him at the table. “We’d been together awhile. But it wasn’t working out.” They had fallen into a pattern of fighting more than they got along. “Breaking up was the right thing to do.”

“But lonely when you’re used to having someone around,” he said.

Was that the voice of experience speaking or just someone who was very empathetic? “I’ve managed to avoid long-term relationships,” he continued. “I’m not the easiest guy to get along with.”

“You haven’t thrown up any red flags for me.” Her cheeks warmed. She hadn’t meant that to sound like she was sizing him up for potential-mate material. “I mean, I haven’t noticed any upsetting tendencies—a bad temper or substance abuse, or narcissism.”

He laughed. “According to several exes, I don’t trust people, I don’t confide in people and I don’t care enough about people.”

“Harsh.”

“Yeah, well, who’s to say they haven’t been right? Not everyone has to be part of a couple.”

“You’re absolutely right.” She raised her wineglass. “To being happy with yourself.”

“To being happy with yourself.” He smiled, and his gaze met hers, and something lurched inside her, an internal shift that signaled she might be even happier with a certain untrusting, unconfiding but definitely not uncaring man.

Chapter Six

Elisabeth couldn’t believe how great it felt to be in the mountains again. Was it possible she had been missing this without even realizing it? Amid all this bare rock and immense sky, anything seemed possible, as if the world truly had no limits. She continued up the trail, climbing higher and higher, thighs burning, lungs straining for breath. Obviously, she needed more time to acclimate to the altitude, but she was in pretty good shape, considering she hadn’t spent much time on athletic pursuits.

She stopped and assessed her surroundings. There was a flat-sided dike jutting up from the adjacent rock like a jagged tooth. And there was a big boulder, lichen spattering the surface in green and white and orange. She climbed the rock, scrambling a little for purchase, and stood atop it. She stared at the clump of pinions below, in a kind of trance for a long moment.

She snapped out of it and turned to face the dike. She pulled out her phone and took a few pictures to document the scene; then she headed back down the trail. She met only a few people on the way down—a couple and a larger group of friends. No little kids. Did families not come backpacking up here anymore?

Back in town, she grabbed a decent veggie wrap from the coffee shop at the Gold Nugget Hotel, then walked down the street to a real estate office she had spotted earlier. She stopped on the sidewalk outside Brown Realty to study the flyers tacked to the window, all for overpriced vacation homes, luxury condos and one huge ranch that was listed for over a billion dollars. Did people really pay those kinds of prices to live here? If that was the case, she might stick around a little longer and meet some of those wealthy people.

A chime announced her arrival as she pushed open the door. A man who was the sole occupant of the place looked up from behind the desk and smiled. “Hi,” he said. “Can I help you?”

He was maybe a little older than her, his long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. He wore a tailored white shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms, and dark jeans that definitely hadn’t come from the nearest discount store. Paul would approve of this man’s style. “I’m looking for a place to rent in town,” she said. “Just for a couple of months. A house or condo. Something nice.”

“We have several beautiful vacation properties available for short-term rentals.” The man stood and extended his hand. “I’m Mitch.”

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