Page 10 of Twin Jeopardy

“Yeah. She interviewed me. I think it’s going to be a good story. Apparently, the search for Valerie was a catalyst that transformed the rescue group into a professional organization.”

“Well, good. Good.” He could picture his dad nodding in that thoughtful way he had—lips pursed, brow furrowed.

“She wants to talk to you and Mom too.”

“Well...” Now he pictured his father looking at his mother, gauging her reaction to the request.

“Of course we’ll talk to her,” his mom said. “Maybe someone will come forward who remembers something about that day that got overlooked. Or the article will inspire people to look for her while they’re hiking in that area.”

“Maybe so, Mom. Though after such a long time, I don’t think we can hope for much.”

“You never know. Maybe...maybe Valerie will see the article and get in touch.”

He winced. His parents—especially his mother—had never given up hope that Valerie hadn’t died that day but that she had been taken, perhaps by the mysterious camper no one had ever identified. “I don’t know about that, Mom,” he said.

“I know you think I’m foolish, but it’s not such a far-fetched idea. There have been other missing children who were discovered as adults. And I still say if Valerie had died that day, someone would have found her. You may not remember, but they literally had people spaced two feet apart in long lines, searching every inch of the area around our campsite for miles. How could they have not found her if she was still there?”

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Vince said. “I just wanted you to know.”

“We appreciate that,” his dad said. Gone was the cheerfulness with which he had started the call. Now he sounded tired. Old.

“I’ll let you know if I hear anything else,” Vince said. “I’d better go now.”

“Goodbye, son.” This from his dad. In the background, he heard a sound he thought might have been his mother, crying.

He ended the call and leaned against the sofa, head back, eyes closed. For years, his mom had sworn that if Valerie was dead, she would know it. “She’s my daughter,” she said. “That’s a bond that doesn’t break.”

Once, years ago, she had pressed Vince to admit that he still felt his sister was alive too. “She’s your twin,” Mom said. “You’re halves of the same whole.”

“We’re not identical twins, Mom.”

“Oh, you know what I mean.”

“I’m sorry, Mom, I don’t.”

“You don’t feel Valerie is still alive somewhere?”

“I don’t know, Mom.”

Her face crumpled, but she pulled herself together. “Do you feel like she’s gone, then?” she asked.

“I don’t know, Mom.”

When he thought of his sister, he didn’t feel anything. Just...empty. Not a wrenching loss or a sense that she was just away for a while. There was a void where his sister was supposed to be, and he didn’t expect anything would ever fill it.

ATTHETHURSDAY-evening meeting of Eagle Mountain Search and Rescue volunteers. Vince settled on one end of the sofa in the hangar-like building that served as search and rescue headquarters, next to newlyweds Jake and Hannah Gwynn. When he wasn’t volunteering with SAR, Jake was a deputy with the Rayford County Sheriff’s Department, which put him on the scene for many of the accidents SAR responded to. After seeing the volunteers in action, he had decided to join their ranks. And it had been one way to guarantee he would see more of Hannah.

“All right, everyone. Let’s go ahead and get started.” Danny, clipboard in hand, walked to the front of the room, and conversation among the volunteers died down. “First up, I want to introduce our newest volunteer, Bethany Ames.”

A slender young woman with a mass of dark curls stood and waved. She had a heart-shaped face and an upturned nose, and a dimple in her cheek when she smiled. “Bethany is new to the area and works at Peak Jeep and Snowmobile Rentals,” Danny continued. “Everyone, introduce yourselves later.” Bethany sat, and Danny consulted his clipboard again. “Next, most of you already know that this summer marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of Eagle Mountain Search and Rescue.”

“Happy birthday to us!” Ryan Welch called out while several others responded with whistles or clapping.

“Will there be a cake?” someone else asked.

“Cake is always welcome,” Danny agreed. “We’ll see what we can do. In the meantime, theEagle Mountain Examineris planning a series of articles about the organization, focusing on several of our missions over the years, as well as sharing how the group has grown and changed.”

Murmurs of approval greeted this news.

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