Page 48 of Twin Jeopardy

“Is that your next article, about training?” Caleb asked.

“No. I’m going to write about the Denise Darling case.”

A buzz arose as several people asked about Denise Darling, and others rushed to explain. Danny, being the most senior volunteer present, gained the floor. “She was a thirteen-year-old girl who disappeared during a youth hiking trip seven years ago,” he said. “She became separated from her group and got lost. She was found eight days later, almost ten miles from the place she had last been seen.”

“Was she alive?” Bethany asked.

“She was alive.” Vince hadn’t realized he had spoken loudly enough to be heard until everyone turned to him. “I remember the story,” he added. “It was all anyone talked about for a while.” And he remembered it because of Valerie. When Denise Darling had been found, his mother had burst into sobs. Not because she wasn’t glad that a girl had been restored to her family, but because the same thing had never happened to them. Why wasn’t Valerie ever found?

“I wonder what became of her,” Danny said. “She did an amazing job of taking care of herself—better than most adults under similar circumstances.”

“I’m still trying to locate her for an interview,” Tammy said. “If I do, I’ll let you know.”

Danny checked his watch. “We’d better get back to work, or we’ll be here all night.”

Vince tried to focus on the material, but he kept looking back at Tammy’s battered face. Who would hurt her that way?

He hoped the notes he was taking would help him cram for the SARTech test, because he had been too distracted to absorb much information tonight. As soon as Danny turned the lights up, he was out of his chair and headed for Tammy. She smiled at his approach. “Don’t look so worried,” she said. “I really am all right.”

“Where did this happen?” he asked.

“Right in front of my house. I think the person might have been waiting for me. Either that or they followed me home from the planning-commission meeting.”

“You’re not making me less worried,” he said.

She took both his hands in hers and squeezed. “Mitch is staying at the house for a while,” she said. “I guess it does feel safer having him there.”

“You’re welcome to stay with me whenever you like.”

“I like that idea.” She rose on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his. He wrapped his arms around her and turned it into a proper kiss.

A shrill whistle sounded. “Hey, get a room!” someone shouted, followed by raucous laughter.

They pulled apart. “Why don’t I follow you home?” she said, and reached for her car door. She immediately recoiled, and let out a moan.

“What is it?” Vince took her arm. “What’s wrong?”

She pointed, and now he saw that something red was smeared across the car door and windshield. He leaned around to examine the windshield and went cold all over when he read the message scrawled in the same red across the glass:Next time you won’t be so lucky. V.

Chapter Sixteen

“It’s not blood.” Paramedic Hannah Gwynn cleaned the red goo from Tammy’s hand. A crowd had gathered around the Subaru, and someone said the sheriff’s department was on the way. Another volunteer had switched on the outdoor spotlights on the side of the building, flooding the gravel parking area with yellow-tinged light.

“I think it’s stage blood.” Jake Gwynn leaned closer to the car to study the smears of red. “It smells sweet, like corn syrup.”

“Why would someone leave you a message like that?” Eldon asked.

“It’s because of me,” Vince said. His face was pale, the muscles along his jaw tight, as if he was grinding his teeth. He had both hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans and kept sneaking looks at Tammy, though he wouldn’t directly meet her gaze.

Her hands clean, she moved to his side and took his arm. “This isn’t your fault,” she said.

“This was done by the same person who trashed my truck,” he said. “It’s probably the same person who attacked you last night.”

“You can’t know that,” she said.

“The signature is the same.” He pointed to the message on the side window.

She read the threatening words again, freezing when she came to the singleV, like a check mark near the driver’s-side windshield wiper. “I didn’t notice the V before,” she said.

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