Page 61 of Twin Jeopardy

She looked out over the crowd and faltered for a moment when she recognized Mitch and Elisabeth, seated on the back row of chairs. She had mentioned she was planning this event for the family, and this show of support touched her. It wasn’t the kind of thing Mitch would ever have done on his own, so it must be Elisabeth’s influence. She would be sure to thank her later.

She looked down at her notes. “To start, I want to read a poem at the request of Valerie’s mother.” She read the poem, a sentimental piece about the joy a little girl brings to the family. By the time she was done, Mrs. Shepherd was wiping away tears, as were many others in the crowd.

“Now we’ll have an opportunity for anyone who would like to share their memories of Valerie. Her brother, Vince, will start.”

Vince, dressed in dark slacks and a blue dress shirt, sleeves rolled up and collar open, moved to the microphone. Tammy spotted a number of his fellow search and rescue volunteers in the crowd, some of whom must have been involved in the original search for Valerie. Bethany Ames was there. Did that mean she was Valerie?

Vince glanced at a note card in his hand, then cleared his throat and spoke: “When I think of my sister, Valerie, I think of her courage. We were twins, but she got most of the bravery in the family. She truly wasn’t afraid of anything—spiders, heights, deep water, going fast on a mountain bike—all the things that made me nervous never fazed her.

“I remember once, we were riding our bikes in the woods behind our house. Our usual route took us over a ditch, where someone had laid down a couple of boards to make it possible to ride over. But on this day, spring snowmelt had the water in the ditch raging, and had washed the boards downstream. I told Valerie we would have to turn around and go back home the long way, but she insisted we could jump our bikes over the water.

“I looked at that rushing water and my other big fear—of drowning—had me almost paralyzed. I told Valerie I couldn’t do it, but she insisted I could. She backed her bike up a hill, then pedaled furiously down it, gaining speed. When she reached the edge of the ditch, she yanked up on the handlebars and sailed over the gap with room to spare. She wheeled around, shouting in triumph, and told me it was my turn.

“I could have turned around and ridden home alone, but I would have had to live with the shame—and the constant taunts from her—that she had beat me. So I backed my bike up the hill, pedaled with everything I had and held my breath as my bike cleared that gap. Valerie was thrilled, congratulating me and telling me she had known all along that I could do it. I was just relieved that I had survived unscathed.

“After she was gone, I realized how much I had relied on her to lead the way. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I’m a better man for it. I learned that I needed to be brave enough for both of us.”

Tammy watched the faces of those in the crowd as he spoke. Many people were smiling, some nodding their heads. But no one looked angry or upset by the story. Deputies Jamie Douglas and Dwight Prentice stood on either side of the crowd, assessing the attendees but not reacting as if they had spotted anything concerning.

Vince left the microphone and returned to his seat on the front row between his mother and Tammy. Others took turns speaking—two different teachers spoke about how smart Valerie was. Her former soccer coach spoke about her talent for the sport and cheerful attitude. Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd each shared memories of their little girl, their voices breaking as they painted a picture of a cheerful and loved child.

And then it was over. Members of the crowd moved forward to speak with the family while others drifted away. Tammy looked for Mitch and Elisabeth, but they had already left. It didn’t matter. She could thank them later for being there.

Jamie came to stand beside her. “Did you see anyone out of place?” she asked.

“No,” Tammy admitted. “Did you?”

“No. Everyone was quiet and respectful. I didn’t see anything off.”

Dwight Prentice walked up. “Everything seems okay,” he said.

“I guess our plan didn’t work,” Vince said.

“It was still a beautiful memorial,” Jamie said. “I didn’t know your sister, but it sounds like she was a great kid.”

“She was.” Vince took a deep breath and blew it out. “I’m glad we did this, even if we didn’t catch V. We should have done it years ago.”

Tammy slipped her arm in his. “I’m glad we did it too. It helped me to know Valerie and your family better.”

They helped his parents load the flowers and pictures to take back to their home in Junction, which Mr. Shepherd reported was already in the process of being repaired.

Tammy and Vince were walking across the park toward the lot where they had left the Escape when Vince’s text alert sounded. He pulled out his phone. “It’s a search and rescue call,” he said, and scrolled through the message. “Hikers reported an injured man at the base of the cliffs north of Dixon Pass.” He met her eyes. “I should go.”

“Do you need to change clothes and grab your gear?” she asked.

“I keep a change of clothes and a gear bag in the car,” he said.

“Then go.”

“I can drop you off at the condo,” he said.

“I want to walk over and visit my mother,” she said. “I’ll get her to drive me to your condo.”

“You should start thinking of it asourcondo,” he said. “You’re spending all your time there.”

“I am, but I don’t want to presume.”

He took her by the shoulders. “I like having you live with me. I think you should go ahead and move in. Permanently.”

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