Mirror Image

“M-my name—is—Cl-Claire.”

It took Jenna a minute to realize the kid was shivering. From fear or the chill in the air—considering she wasn’t wearing any sort of jacket over her ripped T-shirt—or both. The C engraved on the bracelet flashed in her mind. “What’s your last name?”

“Towne.”

“Do you have any weapons on you?” Jenna asked. “Drugs? Anything illegal?”

“N-no.” The girl’s thin arms began to droop with exhaustion. Griff was armed and Jenna wasn’t sensing an immediate threat, so she holstered her weapon and stepped forward to pat the girl down.

Claire was excruciatingly thin, reminding Jenna of the girls who often showed up at Ruth’s shelter. There was a small, nondescript cell phone in one pocket, and when Jenna moved over to the other side and patted the pocket, she heard a crinkling noise. “What’s that?” she asked, dipping her fingers inside to pull out what she suspected might be a baggie containing drugs.

“N-newspaper.” Claire’s thin voice levered up an octave when Jenna pulled it free. “It’s mine. Give it back!”

The burst of anger ironically made Jenna feel better. The girl might be down to her last few dollars, but she was still fighting, which meant she hadn’t given up.

Jenna pulled out the paper, realizing it was a newspaper clipping folded over several times to make it small enough to fit in Claire’s pocket. When she opened it, Jenna instantly recognized the picture of herself wearing her dress uniform as she stood in front of a crowd, thanking everyone in attendance for the donations to Ruth’s shelter. She remembered that night well, because city leaders had made a big deal of her role in the recent Brookmont arrests. The article was dated just two months ago.

Well, this explained how Claire Towne knew who she was. But there were still too many questions for her peace of mind. “Did you lose a bracelet?”

“Yes. Did you find it?” Claire’s earnest face lit up at the possibility.

Jenna glanced at Griff, who was standing there with a deep frown furrowing his brow. He shrugged his shoulder as if telling her to go with her gut.

“I have it at my place.” Jenna reached out to lightly grasp Claire’s arm. “Come on. We need to get you out of the cold.”

Claire hesitated, casting furtive glances in Griff’s direction. Was the teen afraid of him?

“This is Lieutenant Vaughn, my boss,” Jenna said, hoping to put Claire at ease. “Don’t worry. We’re not going to hurt you.”

Claire’s head snapped up and her fingers curled into fists. “I’m eighteen, old enough to be on my own.”

“Okay,” Jenna said mildly. The girl didn’t look a day over sixteen. Although it could be that she looked younger in the dark because she was thin and scared.

Jenna had the distinct feeling this kid was a runaway. Although it was a mystery as to why Claire had a picture of Jenna tucked away in her back pocket.

“Do you think this is a good idea?” Griff asked in a low voice as they crossed the neighbors’ lawns to head back to her place. “What if she’s acting as a lure for the assailant?”

Jenna sighed, knowing he was right to be wary. But there was no way she could turn her back on this half-starved, frightened and shivering teenager. “That’s why you’re here to stand guard,” she murmured.

Griff didn’t say anything more, but he did move closer, so much so that she could feel the warmth radiating off his skin. She couldn’t deny she was glad he was there. The teenager didn’t say anything as they walked, but looked dejected, as if running away had sapped her strength.

As they rounded the corner of the house, Jenna slowed to a stop, realizing that she hadn’t locked the front door behind her. If Griff’s theory was right, the assailant could be hiding somewhere inside.

“Wait here,” Jenna said, putting a hand on Griff’s arm. “I need to make sure no one is inside.”

“Don’t leave me,” Claire pleaded, grabbing the edge of Jenna’s denim jacket.

“I’ll go,” Griff said. “She trusts you more.”

That was obviously true. Jenna gave a terse nod, putting her arm around Claire’s thin shoulders.

Griff headed inside, and the minute they were alone, the girl turned to Jenna. “Please, you have to help me.”

Jenna was taken aback by her desperate plea. “What’s wrong? Are you in trouble?”

“Yes. I need help and you’re the only one I can trust. Just you, no one else. I’m so glad you’re all right.”

All right? Had this girl witnessed the attack? “Claire, be honest with me. Were you here earlier? Did you see that man try to grab me?”

Claire’s features crumpled, and she buried her face in her hands. “Yes. I’m sorry. When that man showed up I ran away, intending to get help. But then I heard someone yell, ‘Stop! Police,’ so I hid in the bushes.”

Jenna wasn’t sure what to think of Claire’s story. It certainly sounded plausible. She glanced at her modest brick house, wishing Griff would hurry. What if Claire and the masked man were working together? She pulled out her phone and mentally counted down from ten.

If Griff didn’t come out soon, she was calling for backup.

Three, two, one. She lifted her phone and was about to punch in the number for their dispatcher when Griff emerged from the darkness.

“Your place is clear.”

She let out a sigh and resisted the urge to close her eyes in relief. Griff was a good cop, but she couldn’t deny feeling concerned about his safety. “Thanks.”

He followed them inside, and she flipped on the lights, wincing at the brightness before shutting the front door behind them. She shot the dead bolt home for added security.

She turned to face Griff and Claire. Griff was staring at Claire intently, looking a bit shaken.

“What’s wrong?” She raked her gaze over Claire, who was just about Jenna’s height, looking for signs of injury.

“Don’t you see it?” he asked. “The resemblance is uncanny.”

Resemblance? She sharpened her gaze on Claire’s face and took a step back as the realization hit hard.

Seeing Claire’s face was akin to looking at her own reflection in the mirror.

* * *

Griff didn’t like this situation one bit. First the assault, then this girl showing up, looking far too much like Jenna.

On closer inspection Claire was definitely younger than Jenna by several years, so they couldn’t be twins. And there were very subtle differences in their appearances. Claire’s hair was lighter in color and longer than Jenna’s. But the similarities of their facial features, down to the shape of their clear blue eyes, made him wonder if they were related in some way.

But Jenna claimed to be an only child. And he didn’t think that was a lie. Considering the way she was gaping at Claire, she was just as stunned to see the girl as he was.

“Okay, Claire, you better start talking,” Jenna said with a dark scowl. “You told me you were in trouble. What kind of trouble? Did you steal something? Get caught? Run away? What?”

She was firing questions faster than her M16 shot bullets, and Griff watched Claire’s shoulders droop as if she were exhausted.

“Maybe we should offer her something to eat?” The emaciated look of Claire bothered him. “She looks hungry.”

Jenna let out a huff but then nodded. “Right. Food. I’ll throw in a frozen pizza.”

The way she hurried into the other room made him think she was anxious to get away from Claire. Honestly, he understood. He’d heard that they all had a double in the world, but he hadn’t really believed it.

Until now. The physical similarities between the girls were eerie.

Claire was subtly inching away from him, rubbing her hands over her arms. He grabbed an afghan off the sofa and tossed it to her. “Wrap up. You’ll feel warm soon.”

She nodded and did as she was told, huddling into the blanket as if she could disappear inside. He raked a hand over his short hair.

Now what?

“Do you live in the Milwaukee area?” he asked.

Claire shrugged but didn’t answer. She was looking at him as if he was an ogre, so he tried to soften his harsh features.

“Listen, we’re not going to hurt you, okay? We just need to understand what’s going on. Jenna was brutally attacked a few hours ago and we need to know why. Are you in town with someone?”

Claire slowly shook her head from side to side. When she finally spoke, her voice was so soft he had to strain to hear her. “I came on my own. Took a bus from Chicago.”

Chicago? He found it hard to believe this tiny slip of a girl came ninety miles with nothing more than the clothes on her back and a crumpled piece of newspaper in her pocket.

Being a runaway was looking more and more likely. Especially since she seemed to be afraid of him.

Because he was a cop? A man? Both?

She hadn’t seemed afraid of Jenna. In fact, he was amazed the girl had gone out of her way to purposefully find Jenna.

But how?

“Do you have any identification? Anything to prove who you are?”

Claire shook her head again, easing toward the opening leading to the kitchen.

“Okay, why don’t you tell me how you found Jenna?”

She shook her head and darted a glance toward the door. He bit back a sigh of frustration. How could he get this girl to trust him?

“Pizza’s in, should be ready in a few minutes.” Jenna looked at Claire. “Come into the kitchen. I think you owe us an explanation, don’t you?”

The enticing aroma of pepperoni, cheese and tomato sauce filled the air, and Claire was practically drooling with anticipation. But then she hesitated. “I need to use the bathroom to wash up.”

“Sure. It’s down the hall to your right.”

“Thank you.” Claire slipped away, leaving Griff and Jenna alone in the kitchen.

A strained moment stretched between them.

“Do you think it’s possible you’re related to her in some way?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“I don’t see how, although I guess she could be a cousin. I don’t know much about my father’s side of the family.”

Griff lifted a brow. “I don’t think cousins share that kind of resemblance.”

Jenna scowled at him. “Listen, this isn’t your problem. It’s mine. There’s no reason for you to stick around. I can handle this from here.”

“Funny, I was thinking we should take her down to the station, maybe check her fingerprints for missing persons.”

“Why? The only crime we’re aware of is trespassing.”

“That we’re aware of is the key phrase, don’t you think?”

Jenna’s chin thrust forward stubbornly. “Plenty of time for all that later. Right now she needs food, warmth and shelter.”

Griff didn’t like the idea of leaving Jenna here alone. The girl was young and looked harmless, but that didn’t mean much. He knew only too well that looks could be deceiving. His parents were proof of that. Innocent people had trusted them with their life’s savings when they shouldn’t have.

Then he focused on her last word. “Shelter. That’s a great idea. Why don’t you take her to Ruth’s?”

“Lately her place has been running full,” Jenna pointed out. “Although I guess I could call to see if there are any openings.”

“No!” Claire said from the doorway, looking so pale Griff feared she might crumple to the floor at any moment.

“It’s okay, Claire,” Jenna said in a soothing voice. “We were just trying to think of ways to keep you safe.”

“I’m safer here with you,” the girl protested. “I don’t want to go to a shelter.”

Griff tried to stifle a weary sigh. From the compassionate expression in Jenna’s eyes, he suspected she wanted to give in to Claire’s wishes.

“I won’t force you, Claire. We’ll be fine,” Jenna assured him. “She can hang out here for what’s left of the night.”

“Oh, yeah?” Griff wanted to shake some sense into Jenna. “What if that guy shows up again to finish what he’s started?”

“Stop it—you’re frightening Claire,” Jenna admonished him. “Besides, I doubt he is going to come back. And if he does, I’m armed and will call for backup.”

He stared at her, trying to find a way to convince Jenna that keeping a strange teenager in her home wasn’t smart. “You don’t know Claire isn’t involved in this,” he finally reminded her. “If you’re letting her stay, then I’m staying, too.”

Jenna looked taken aback by his declaration, but to his surprise, Claire nodded. “That’s good.”

Good? He frowned. “Why? Do you know something about the guy who attacked Jenna?”

Claire shifted uncomfortably, looking guilty. “I’m afraid so.”

He knew it! “Start talking,” he advised in a gruff voice.

Claire swallowed hard, her gaze darting between him and Jenna. It was several long seconds before she spoke. “I think that guy attacked Jenna by mistake.”

“By mistake?” Griff echoed in surprise. He’d never expected her to say something that crazy. “What makes you think that?”

Claire licked her dry lips. “I managed to escape from them, so I’m pretty sure they’re looking for me.”

Griff looked at Jenna, struck again by the similarities between the two women. Maybe Claire’s statement wasn’t that far-fetched.

Jenna’s eyes widened in shock. “I guess it’s possible the masked man made a mistake.”

“That doesn’t explain why the bulb was removed from your porch light,” Griff pointed out. “If he’s the one who removed it, then he had to know you lived here.”

Claire winced. “That was me,” she said in a soft voice. “I removed the lightbulb, needing darkness while I waited for Jenna to come home.” The teen’s eyes filled with tears as she moved toward Jenna, who placed a consoling arm around her thin shoulders. “I’m sorry. I never meant for you to be hurt.”

Griff stared helplessly at the two of them. If Claire was telling the truth and the assailant really had mistaken Jenna for Claire, then she and Jenna were still in danger.

Leaving him to figure out how to protect them both.

FOUR

“So you must have lost your bracelet while you were removing the lightbulb,” Jenna murmured, trying to come to grips with what Claire had revealed. To be honest, she was relieved the guy had attacked her instead of Claire. There was no way the younger girl would have had the strength to fight him off.

The fact that Claire had escaped from the guy before also explained why the attack had been so personal. Why he’d seemed so intent on using physical force against her.

“You mentioned escaping from danger. What exactly happened?” Jenna asked.

Claire lifted her thin, bony shoulders in a shrug. “It’s a long story, but basically I escaped being drugged and forced into prostitution.”

Jenna gasped and curled her fingers into fists. It was too easy to imagine how scared Claire had been.

“Who did that to you? Do you have names? Where did this happen?” Griff asked, going into full lieutenant mode.

Claire shrank against Jenna, convincing her that the teen wouldn’t want to relay horrible details in front of a guy.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Claire whispered.

“It’s okay. We’ll have time to go into that later,” she assured the girl. Then she turned to Griff, imploring him to back off. “The most important thing right now is to get Claire someplace safe. Now that we know she’s still in danger, we need a different plan. I guess you were right. Going to the women’s shelter tonight is likely our best option.”

Claire let out a soft sound of distress, but Jenna did her best to ignore it.

“Agreed,” Griff said firmly. “You can give me directions and I’ll take you both there. Because you’re still in danger, as well, Jenna.”

He was crazy if he thought she was going to hide out in some women’s shelter. “I can’t let you do that,” Jenna protested. “The location of the shelter is secret and needs to stay that way. The women who live there don’t trust men, even cops. But they know me. I’ve been supporting them for years. I’ll take Claire there on my own.”

Griff stared at her, concern wrinkling his brow. “I don’t think that’s smart,” he protested. “What if that guy comes back here looking for you?”

“I’ll make sure we’re not followed, and then I’ll find someplace else to stay for what’s left of the night.”

“I don’t like it,” Griff said in a burst of exasperation. “You know as well as I do that I’m not going to breach the security of the shelter. There’s no reason for you to be so paranoid.”

“Paranoid? The women in the shelter fear for their lives and the lives of their children,” she pointed out, striving for patience. “I don’t understand what your problem is. You really think an armed sheriff’s deputy isn’t capable of taking a young woman to a shelter?”

Griff let out a heavy sigh and scrubbed his hands over his face, giving Jenna the satisfaction of knowing she’d made her point.

Her boss might not like it, but he clearly wouldn’t stand in her way. Yeah, she appreciated his help, but it was time he proved he actually trusted her abilities.

Instead of treating her like a victim.

* * *

Griff hated to admit Jenna was right. If she were any other deputy, he wouldn’t be standing here arguing about this. “Fine. I’ll head out, but I want you to keep in touch.”

“Will do. Thanks for your help.”

Griff turned and walked through the small house to the front door.

He flipped the dead bolt open, then glanced over his shoulder. “Lock up behind me.”

Griff waited until Jenna came over before stepping outside. When he heard the door lock snap into place behind him, he made his way across the grass toward the spot where he’d left his vehicle.

He pulled his keys out of his pocket but fumbled and dropped them. When he bent down to pick them up, he heard the same diesel-engine clicking noise from earlier.

He froze for several long seconds, his thoughts racing. The man who was after Claire? Maybe.

Staying low, Griff headed over toward his police-issued vehicle, using the frame for cover. When he peeked out, he could see there was a dark van, either blue, black or gray, rolling down the street without any headlights blazing.

Something wasn’t right with this picture, and he was relieved Jenna and Claire were safe inside. From what he could tell, there was only the driver, so he popped out from behind his car with his gun raised.

“Stop! Police! Get out of the vehicle.”

The car stopped. He waited as the driver’s window slowly rolled down. Before Griff could move, he saw the short barrel of a handgun. He dived to the ground mere seconds before bullets whizzed through the air, echoing through the night.

The assailant was shooting at him. At a cop!

He rolled closer to the edge of his vehicle and then eased up to a crouch. Every one of his senses was on red alert as he leveled his weapon at the sound of the diesel engine. But the driver had shot into Reverse, speeding backward away from him.

In a flash, the van executed a crazy, tire-squealing turn and disappeared out of sight.

Griff stood for a minute, his heart pounding with adrenaline. Had the man fired at him to scare him off?

Or had he recognized Griff as the cop who’d rescued Jenna earlier?

If that was the case, he had to believe the guy in the car fully intended to kill him.

* * *

Jenna heard the distinctive sound of gunfire and quickly grabbed her weapon, pulling Claire behind her. She reached for her phone, intending to call for backup.

She paused when she heard a loud pounding at her front door. “It’s Griff. Open up!”

“Stay here,” she whispered to Claire before she darted over to unlock and open the door. Griff barreled inside, his face pulled into a fierce mask of anger.

“What happened? Are you okay?” she asked in a rush, trying to look for any sign of injury.

“Where’s Claire?” He brushed past her to head into the kitchen, where Claire was standing up against the wall, a half-eaten slice of pizza left sitting on the table.

Jenna winced at the way Claire shrank away from him, clearly afraid.

“Where’s your phone?” he demanded.

“In my pocket, but it’s shut off, see?” The teen pulled it out and showed him the black screen. “I keep it off so no one can track it.”

“The phone can be tracked, even if it’s shut off,” Jenna said, peering over his shoulder.

He took the phone, turned it on and scrolled through the recent numbers. “There don’t seem to be any calls made in the last twenty-four hours,” he muttered.

Jenna lifted a brow, not sure why he thought there would be. Claire was hiding secrets, but the stark fear in the girl’s eyes was all too real.

“Jenna’s right. The guy who’s after you can track you by pinging this phone,” Griff said grimly. “We have to get rid of it, for your safety and ours.”

Claire winced but didn’t protest when he pulled the battery out and tossed the phone in the trash.

“Come on. We need to get out of here.”

“Tell me what happened,” Jenna demanded. “Who was shooting?”

“I suspect it was the same guy who attacked you.”

“Why?” Jenna asked.

“I saw a car rolling slowly down the street with its lights off. I heard a similar car engine earlier when we were sweeping your yard right after the attack. When I confronted him, he opened fire.”

“He actually tried to kill you?” Jenna felt sick, knowing that she’d inadvertently put Griff in danger.

Claire gasped and went even more pale than normal. “We have to get away! Please don’t take me to the shelter, either.”

Jenna wavered, second-guessing her earlier decision. It might be better to keep Claire with her. And right now they needed to get far away from her place. “Okay, pack up the food. I’ll grab some clothes and toiletries.”

“I’ll take care of the food. Just hurry,” Griff urged.

Jenna ran upstairs with Claire close on her heels. “I can help,” she said, although Jenna suspected the real reason Claire followed her was because she was still afraid of Griff.

“Here, wear this,” Jenna said, tossing a dark sweatshirt at her. “Then head into the bathroom to grab toiletries.” Jenna picked up a duffel bag and started stashing clothing inside. Claire was thin, but Jenna made sure to toss in enough clothes for her, too, including a belt so the jeans wouldn’t fall off her slim hips. Within minutes Jenna had everything they needed, and they returned to the kitchen to find Griff waiting impatiently.

He was holding a tinfoil-covered plate, and when she approached, he took the duffel from her fingers and slung it over his shoulder. “I’m going to drive around to the alley. I need you and Claire to wait near the back door until you see me. Keep your weapon handy.”

Jenna nodded. “Okay, but be careful.”

Griff gave a curt nod. “I honestly believe they’re gone. For the moment.”

Jenna silently agreed and shut off all the inside lights as she followed Griff to the front door. Once he slipped through the opening, she shut the door and slid the dead bolt home.

She returned to the kitchen, where Claire waited, looking dwarfish in the oversize sweatshirt.

“Come on. Stay close,” Jenna said. She tucked Claire behind her as she opened the back door. Gun in hand, she peered into the darkness, waiting for Griff to arrive.

Jenna took her time scanning the backyard for any sign of the assailant. She agreed with Griff that the guy probably wouldn’t return anytime soon, but that didn’t mean she was going to take any unnecessary risks. Especially if the guy was really after Claire.

The sound of a car engine grew louder, and she tensed, making sure the vehicle was Griff’s. She spotted the light rack running along the roof and let her breath out in a soundless sigh of relief.

He paused in the alley, waiting for them. Jenna knew it was time to move. “Keep close behind me,” she instructed Claire. “We’re going to stay in the shadows as much as possible.”

“Okay,” Claire whispered, curling her fingers into the back of Jenna’s denim jacket.

Jenna led the way outside and skirted the patio to make her way through the backyard. Claire hovered so close, she accidentally stepped on the back of Jenna’s shoe, causing them both to stumble a bit.