Page 19 of Twin Jeopardy

“Somewhere in the Midwest, I think. We didn’t talk about that.”

“Whatdidyou talk about?”

He laughed. “She asked a lot about me, and about Eagle Mountain. But she told me a few things about herself. She said her father just died and left her some money, so she’s taking the opportunity to see more of the country. And she likes to hike—we talked about checking out a few of the local trails while she’s here.”

“It sounds like the two of you really clicked.”

“We did. I’ve never met anyone who is so easy to talk to. I tried to talk her into having dinner with me tonight too, but she said she had things she needed to do. I thought at first maybe I had come on too strong, but then she said she’d love to go out with me tomorrow night, so that was a relief.”

“I’ll look forward to meeting her.” She took a bite of salad and chewed, angling away from the phone as Mitch told her more about the wonderful Elisabeth.

Her phone beeped, and she checked the screen. “I have to go, Mitch,” she said. “I have another call coming in, and I need to take it.”

“A breaking news story for the paper?” he asked.

“Someone connected with an article that I need to talk to.” Not a complete lie.

“All right, then. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Have fun tomorrow night.” She ended the call and answered the incoming one. “Hey, Vince,” she said.

“Do you still have that note that was supposedly from Valerie?” he asked.

“I think so. Why?”

“Because I got a postcard today.” His voice broke, and the silence that followed made her think he was struggling to pull himself together.

“Vince, are you all right?” she asked.

“The postcard—it had something on it only Valerie, or someone who knew us, would know about,” he said.

She sat up straighter. “Do you think Valerie sent my note and your postcard?”

“I don’t know what to think. I mean, if she is alive, why not just pick up the phone and call? Or come to see me in person?”

“Have your parents heard anything? It seems like she would want to contact them too.”

“If they have, they haven’t told me about it. And I’m too afraid to call and upset them. What if this is just another scam?”

“Maybe you should contact the sheriff’s office,” she said.

“Maybe. Before I do that, could you come over, and bring the note you received? Or I could come there. I thought we could compare the signature and decide if it’s the same person.”

“The note is at the newspaper office,” she said. “Why don’t you meet me there?”

“Great. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

She ended the call, then sat for a moment, her salad untouched. The reporter side of her was intrigued by the turn this story was taking. But she hadn’t missed the pain in Vince’s voice. She wanted to protect her friend while still getting to the bottom of what could be major news.

VINCEWAITEDONthe sidewalk outside the newspaper office. A few people passed on their way to the pizza place at the end of the block, but otherwise this part of town was quiet. The sun had set, but it wasn’t yet full dark. The silhouettes of the mountains above town stood out against the gray sky. The tops of those peaks were miles away, yet they looked almost close enough to touch.

He slipped off his backpack and felt in the side pocket, where he had tucked the postcard. His sister couldn’t have sent it, could she? Why now, after so many years? And why be so vague?

A blue Subaru zipped around the corner and pulled to the curb in front of Vince. Tammy got out. She looked harried, her cheeks flushed, her blouse half-untucked and her hair a little mussed. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” she said.

“Not long.” He waited behind her while she unlocked the door, then tapped a code into the alarm keypad beside it.

“Come on back here to my desk.” She moved through the office, flipping light switches as she went, until she reached a large desk crowded with a desktop computer and stacks of notebooks and loose sheets of paper. “The letter is in the file here,” she said, and pulled open a bottom desk drawer. She rummaged among the contents of the drawer, then stood, waving a piece of paper. “I never throw anything away,” she said. “As you can tell by the state of my desk.”

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