Page 60 of Twin Jeopardy

“Are people going to think it’s strange we’re doing this now, when we haven’t done anything for fifteen years?”

“I don’t think there’s any timeline for these things,” she said. “It might even help your parents to have a public ceremony like this. There will be other people who attend who remember Valerie, teachers and others who knew her. They’ll know they’re not alone in their grief.”

“Like the funeral we never had.” He nodded. “I think it will be a good thing—and if it helps stop V from harassing us, even better.”

“You can talk to your parents tomorrow. I’ll check with the sheriff and find out if we need a permit to hold the memorial in the park.”

“It feels right to be doing something,” Vince said. “Instead of sitting back, waiting for the next bad thing to happen.”

VINCEWASSUREhis parents would resist the idea of a memorial for Valerie. He would have to work to persuade them, or even go through with the plan without their blessing. But once again, they surprised him. Instead of bursting into tears, as he had expected, his mother had responded with enthusiasm. “I have some wonderful pictures we can display at the memorial,” she said. “And there’s a poem I came across, not long after she went missing, that I found meaningful. I don’t think I could read it out loud in front of people, but perhaps you could. Or maybe Tammy?”

“That sounds great, Mom. Tammy’s arranging things with the city for us to be allowed to hold the memorial in the park.”

“I used to think about doing something like this in the mountains, at the place we saw her last,” his mom said. “But I suppose the park is more practical. Much easier for people to get to. Thank you for doing this.”

“It wasn’t my idea. It was Tammy’s.”

“She’s a lovely young woman.” His mother fixed him with the look that made him feel like a boy being quizzed on whether or not he had completed his homework. “Are things serious between you two?” she asked.

“We don’t want to rush things,” he said. Though the truth was, they were as good as living together, with Tammy spending every night at his place and most of her belongings there. He thought soon he would formally ask her to move in full-time, with a change of address and everything. The idea made his heart race a little, but not in a bad way.

After getting his parents on board, the next step was a meeting with the sheriff. He and Tammy went to Travis’s office and laid out their proposal for catching V. “She associates so strongly with Valerie, I don’t think she’ll be able to stay away from the service,” Tammy said. “Eagle Mountain is a small enough community we ought to able to spot someone new or out of place.”

“I can’t arrest someone for being a stranger,” Travis said. “And grief can make people behave in odd ways. That’s not a crime either.”

“But you can watch them, and if they do cause trouble, you can have a deputy there to put a stop to it,” she said.

“All right,” Travis agreed. “But you have to promise to let us handle any incidents. You focus on the memorial.”

“I promise,” Tammy said, and Vince agreed.

Travis sat back in his chair. “I understand there was a fire at your parents’ house,” he said. “In your sister’s old bedroom.”

“How did you hear about that?” Vince asked, unable to hide his alarm.

“I have friends with the Junction police. They called to verify that you and your parents were in Eagle Mountain the day of the fire.”

“They were checking our alibis?” Vince’s voice rose.

“It’s routine in an arson investigation. They don’t have any leads as to who set the fire. Do you think it was V?”

“It could have been,” Vince admitted. “It’s one reason we planned this memorial. I don’t like her getting close to my parents. She’s already hurt Tammy. I don’t want her to hurt anyone else.”

Travis turned to Tammy. “What do you plan to say in your article for the paper?”

“I’m just going to announce the memorial, say anyone who remembers Valerie is invited and give a brief outline of the circumstances of her disappearance.”

“Play up the loving family who never stopped searching for her,” Travis said. “That contradicts V’s story that Valerie’s disappearance was somehow orchestrated by the family. She may feel she has to show up to refute that.”

“I thought we could have a portion of the memorial service where people can stand up and offer their memories of Valerie,” she said. “Maybe V will have something to say.”

“We could get lucky.” Travis stood. “I’ll have a couple of deputies at the service,” he said. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

THEDAYOFValerie’s memorial was hot and sunny. Vince’s parents had insisted on a large flower arrangement, and a couple of Valerie’s former teachers and a family friend had also ordered arrangements, which Tammy grouped around a series of enlarged photos of the little girl. Though she and Vince were not identical twins, the resemblance was definitely there, and one photo Mrs. Shepherd had provided showed the children together, arms around each other, grinning for the camera with such happiness it made Tammy’s heart hurt.

“There are more people here than I thought there would be,” Mrs. Shepherd said as they watched people fill the folding chairs they had set out. Latecomers stood around the chairs, all facing the small platform with the flowers and photographs. Tammy scanned the gathering, hoping to spot anyone who seemed out of place or who was behaving strangely. But no one stood out.

At two o’clock sharp, Tammy moved to the microphone set up in front of the platform. “On behalf of the Shepherd family, I want to thank you all for coming this afternoon,” she said. “We are gathered to honor a beloved daughter, sister and friend. Valerie Shepherd vanished from our lives fifteen years ago, but she has never been forgotten. And the family has never stopped looking for her.”

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