Page 94 of Double Take

“Unbelievable.”

“Does he remind you of anyone?”

“Yeah, kind of. His build, the way he’s holding his head...”

“Adam?”

She nodded and let out a low breath. “It’s not him. I don’t care what anyone says, it’s not him.”

“You don’t have any doubts whatsoever?”

“No,” she said. “No doubts. Not at the moment, anyway.” She bit her lip and narrowed her eyes at him. “But you still do.”

“Yeah, I do, but that doesn’t mean we stop doing what we’re doing.”

“Thank you.” She paused. “Okay, there might be some doubts and I keep ignoring them. It would help to see that he’s actually in that grave. If it’s really not Adam, then I think I could accept he’s still alive.” She gave a little laugh. “I guess I would have to.” A sigh slipped from her. “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.”

He took her hand. “Once again. The trouble is not yours to shoulder. Got it?”

“Right.” She hesitated. “Before you go to Julie Darwin’s, will you swing by Bayview Cemetery?”

“What for?”

“Go by Adam’s grave. Everything else has been wiped away. I’mjust curious about his grave. The marker on it clearly states his name and date of death.”

James wiped a hand down his cheek. “Well, that’s a brilliant idea. I should have thought of that earlier. Yes, we can do that.”

“Good. Thank you.” She stood and paced the small area in front of the sofa. “I think we need to revisit Victoria Irwin. That picture on her end table bothered me. I want to see it more clearly.”

Cole rubbed his hands together. “Let me take care of that. Buzz is here, and there are two cruisers outside and they plan to stay there as long as we need them, so you should be able to relax a little.”

James wasn’t sure about relaxing much, but he appreciated his friends being willing to spend their off-duty time watching out for Lainie. And him. Cole got on the phone and dialed Victoria Irwin’s number. When he hung up, he shook his head. “She’s not answering. I’ll give it thirty minutes and try again.”

“You want to watch some of the game?” James asked him.

Cole hesitated, glanced at his phone, and shrugged. “Sure, why not?” He dropped on the other end of the couch, and Lainie headed for the shower. “How’re things with your dad?”

James tensed at the question, but his friend was well aware of the issues. “I’m not exactly sure. It seemed like we were making some headway at the lake yesterday, but then I had to leave to help Lainie, so...” He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “I hope once this is all over, we can try again.” He clasped his hands on his belly and looked at the ceiling. “I’m such a loser.”

“Come again?”

“I told Lainie she had to keep trying with her parents, her family. I told her she wasn’t a quitter, that she never gave up—even when she wanted to.”

“Ah.” Yeah, his partner could see where this was going.

“I’m thinking I kind of need to take my own advice.”

“I’m thinking you might be right.”

His phone buzzed. A message from one of the officers watching the house.

Homeowner is here and said more people coming.

The door swung open and Jesslyn walked in. “Hey, guys,” she said, then settled onto the loveseat and nodded toward the back of the house. “I hear the shower. She okay?”

“For now,” he said.

A knock on the door sent James and Cole reaching for their weapons, and Jesslyn held up a hand. “Hold on there, cowboys. That’s Kenzie with pizza.”

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