Page 29 of Twin Jeopardy

Travis’s expression gave nothing away. Vince glared at him. “Do you think this is Valerie? And that she’s exacting revenge for something I did to her?”

“I think it’s always a good idea to look at every possibility,” Travis said.

“If this is my sister, where has she been all this time? And why couldn’t hundreds of people searching for her find any trace after that day?”

“I don’t know,” Travis said. “But I’m doing my best to find out. Is there anything else about tonight, or about the postcard or the message left on your truck, that makes you think of anything or anyone?”

“No. I’ve gone over and over it in my head, and I can’t think of anything, except that this is another scammer or one of those people who likes to torture others. My parents got calls like that after Valerie disappeared. Is it possible this is one of those people and the article in theExaminershifted their focus to me?”

“Do you know the names of any of those people?” Travis asked.

“I don’t think so, but I’ll ask my parents.” Although that would mean involving them in this, and he had been hoping to avoid that. “Maybe you have something in your files on the case,” he said.

“I haven’t found anything, but I promise I’ll take a look.” Travis stood. “Jake will print your statement and you can sign it, then you’re free to go. Call us in a day or two, and we’ll let you know when you can have your truck.”

“I hate to think how much it’s going to cost to restore the truck,” he said.

Travis didn’t comment on this, merely said good-night and left the room. Vince waited for the printout of his statement, read over it and then dashed off his signature. It wasn’t until he was walking down the hall that he wondered how he was going to get to his condo. But when he stepped into the lobby, Tammy rose from a chair by the door. “I waited to give you a ride home,” she said.

“Thanks.”

He didn’t say anything else until they were seated in her car. “Are you going to write about my truck being vandalized for the paper?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I have to work on the story about the truck accident and the rescue.” She glanced at him, then back at the road. “Why?”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” he said. “I don’t want to upset my parents, but most of all, I don’t want to give whoever this is more attention.”

“If we do run anything, it’s most likely to be a line item in the sheriff’s report. But it isn’t my decision to make. That would be up to my editor.”

“You don’t have to give him the photos you took,” he said.

“No, I don’t.” She fell silent, and he worried he had hurt her feelings.

“I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job,” he added. “And I’m grateful for all the help you’ve given me. I’m just trying to sort out how to handle all of this.”

“I know.” She turned into the parking area for his condo and pulled into an empty space. She unfastened her seat belt but kept the engine running. “I’m sorry about your truck,” she said. “That has to feel like a personal attack.”

“It does,” he agreed. “That message—‘You thought I was dead, didn’t you?’ As if I betrayed my sister by believing she was no longer alive.”

“Even though a lot of people share that assumption.”

“I’m angry that I’m letting some sick person get to me this way,” he said.

“Don’t beat yourself up for being human.” She reached over and took his hand. Her skin was cool and smooth, her touch firm and comforting. “I wish I could do more to help.”

“You’re doing a lot just being here.” He turned toward her, and she surprised him by leaning over and pressing her lips to his.

He leaned into the kiss, pulled by attraction and need. Then, just as suddenly, she pulled away. The kiss was brief, but the impression of it lingered. She gave a nervous laugh and didn’t meet his gaze. “Call me if you need anything else,” she said, and fastened her seat belt.

That seemed the definite signal for him to leave. “I will,” he said. “And thanks for everything.”

He got out of the car and forced himself to walk up to his condo without looking back. He was relieved to find no nasty notes on his door. He sank onto the couch and leaned forward, elbows on knees and head in his hand. His lips still tingled from that kiss. He liked Tammy. He liked being with her. He was attracted to her, and it would be fun to explore that attraction. But was now the time to get involved with anyone, with everything stirred up over Valerie?

Though, when he looked at his life closely, he recognized that Valerie had been his excuse for not getting serious about anyone all his life. Since his twin had vanished all those years ago, he had grown used to being alone. Valerie wasn’t half of him, but she was part of him. She was part of his life even though she was no longer in it, and he didn’t know how to explain that to someone else. Valerie wasn’t dead, but she would never be truly gone either. He had always wondered if finding her body would make it easier to finally lay her to rest.

Instead, he was grappling with someone who claimed his sister was still alive and wasn’t happy with him. Valerie was still taking up too much room in his head and his life to make it possible to be there for someone else.

Chapter Ten

---