Page 58 of Twin Jeopardy

Mom turned away, sobbing, and fled past them down the hall. Vince started to go after her, but his dad took hold of his arm. “Let her go,” he said. “She needs a little time alone.” He closed the door, and the three of them returned to the living room.

“Why didn’t you tell the police about the notes Vince and I have received, and the messages left on Vince’s and my vehicles?” Tammy asked.

“Those things happened in Eagle Mountain,” Dad said. “We don’t know that they have anything to do with us.”

“Except the person who wrote the notes signed them with a V and implied they were Valerie.” Tammy’s voice was gentle but insistent.

Dad sat heavily on the sofa. “Why would Valerie destroy her own room?” he asked. “And those notes—why would she blame any of us for what happened to her?”

Vince sat in an armchair facing the sofa. Tammy perched on the arm of the chair. “Why didn’t you and Mom ever have Valerie declared dead?” he asked. He had never voiced the question before, not wanting to cause his parents more pain. But he wondered if they knew something he didn’t.

“We considered it,” Dad said. “But we didn’t want to give up hope.”

“Did anything happen to give you hope?” Tammy asked.

He didn’t answer. Vince cleared his throat. “You mentioned seeing a young woman in a casino who looked like Valerie.”

Dad sighed, his gaze focused on the rug. “There were two phone calls, years apart. Once, the person—a female—just said, ‘Help.’ Another time all she said was ‘Dad?’ and then hung up before I could answer. I’m sure they were just people being cruel, but we always wondered, what if they really were Valerie?”

Vince’s stomach rolled, and he feared he might be sick. Rescue work had schooled him to be strong when faced with others’ pain, but broken limbs and gashed heads were nothing compared to seeing his father tortured this way.

“You must have tried to find her over the years,” Tammy said.

“We did. We hired private detectives twice, but they never came up with anything. They tried to find the camper that was in the mountains the day we were but never found a trace of him either.”

“I didn’t know that,” Vince said. “About the detectives, I mean.”

Dad glanced at him. “You had your own life to lead,” he said. “We didn’t want to burden you with our concerns.”

“What will you do now?” Tammy asked.

“We’ll get someone in to fix the house.” He looked at Vince again. “And before you ask, no, we won’t move. Your mother, especially, would never leave this place.”

“Because Valerie might come home.” Tammy’s voice was scarcely above a whisper, but it was loud in the still room.

“Yes. When you have children of your own one day, you’ll understand. We can never give up hope. No matter how much it hurts.”

When would the hurting stop?Vince wondered. Sure, the pain of grief and the memory of a smiling little girl who had once been part of their lives would always be part of them. But this new pain, of a wound constantly reopened, when would that end? How could he make it end?

Fifteen years ago.

“WE’REGOINGTOneed to give you a new name.”

She looked up at the man who stood over her. The man with the friendly smile who had brought her to this place—a place she didn’t know. The smile frightened her now, though she didn’t know why. He hadn’t done anything to hurt her. “Can you think of a name you would like to go by now?” he asked.

“Why do I have to have a new name?” she asked. “Why can’t I go home?”

The man—he had told her his name was Paul—squatted down so he could look at her directly. He had dark eyes. They looked all black, like a cartoon character’s. They had frightened her at first, but she was getting used to them. “I explained this already,” he said. “Your mom and dad didn’t want you anymore. They were going to leave you up there in the mountains to die, until I agreed to take you instead.”

“Why didn’t they want me?” Her heart beat so fast it hurt at the idea. “They said they loved me.”

“They were liars.” He shrugged. “People are, sometimes. You’ll learn that as you get older. They thought they’d be happier with just one kid, and they decided to keep your brother because he’s a boy. Some people feel that way. But I don’t.” He reached out and gently stroked her head. “I always wanted a little girl like you.”

She began to cry. He let her. They sat like that for a long time, him stroking her hair. “It’s going to be all right,” he said. “You can help me with my work.”

She sniffed and tried to control her tears. She didn’t like the way crying felt. If she helped him, maybe he would let her talk to her parents. If she talked to them, she could get them to take her back. Whatever she had done to upset them, she could make up for it. She just had to convince Paul to let her see them again. “What kind of work?” she asked.

“People give me money to invest,” he said. “You’ll be good at persuading them to give me the money. You’re a pretty child, and people will like you. Sometimes I’ll ask you to talk to people while I take things they don’t need anymore. Things we can use. You’re smart. I could tell that just by watching you there at the camp.”

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