Look-Alike

“You must be a fan of that new reverend in town.” Sarcasm laced Miles’s voice. “He’s been preaching on marriage and fidelity.” The bitterness that had nearly driven him over the edge for years threatened his control.

Brown lifted one eyebrow. “Haven’t heard him. But I do know this—your wife’s affair gives you motive for murder. So that puts you at the top of my suspect list.”

CAITLIN STOOD AT THE EDGE of the door listening to the men’s conversation, her nerves strung tight. The sheriff’s parents had been murdered when he was ten? This guy Brown was FBI? Did Miles plan to turn her over to them? Were they going to send her back to the mental hospital?

She gripped the door edge, trying to think, but panic zinged through her. Apparently, Miles had been telling the truth about their marriage. But why had she married this man? And how could she have forgotten him?

Even more disturbing, if she had cheated on him, then he had reason to hate her. Reason to have locked her away. Reason to have killed her…or Nora. What if he had drugged her and admitted her to that mental hospital, then Nora had come searching for her, and he’d killed Nora to keep her from exposing what he’d done?

Chill bumps cascaded up her arms. That puts you at the top of my suspect list, the FBI agent had said.

If Miles had killed her sister, she needed to get away from him. She could run again. But she had no one else to turn to.

And she couldn’t leave without learning what had happened to her twin.

This other man—the FBI agent—might help her. She’d have to take her chances that he wouldn’t send her back to that psychiatric ward.

Inhaling a deep breath, she yanked on the sweats she found in the closet, then pushed open the door and inched inside the den.

Both men stared at each other as if they’d engaged in a Mexican standoff, but at the sound of her footsteps, they turned. Miles’s gaze skated over her damp hair and body, sending a ripple of sexual awareness down her spine.

A voice whispered in her head, If he wanted to kill you, why hadn’t he done so the night before? Why did he hold you and comfort you?

The other man stood close to Miles’s height but had shorter brown hair and a cleft in his chin. He froze, the shock on his face evident. “Good God, what’s going on?”

“She’s the reason I called you, Brown.”

Agent Brown’s head whipped toward Miles, then back to her. “I don’t understand, Monahue.”

“She claims she’s Caitlin,” Miles stated flatly. “Caitlin, this is Special Agent Reilly Brown. He thinks I murdered you.”

Caitlin gasped at his bold truthfulness, then clasped her hands together, the intense look Miles shot her a reminder of the men’s discussion—that Caitlin had been cheating on Miles. Anger, betrayal and hurt simmered in Miles’s deadly calm voice.

Agent Brown cleared his throat. “If she’s your wife, then who’s the dead woman in the morgue?”

Miles arched his eyebrows toward her to suggest she explain. Caitlin shivered, the aching loss still so raw she had to clear her throat to speak. “My twin sister, Nora.”

Brown’s questioning look speared Miles. “You didn’t mention that your wife had a twin.”

Miles shrugged, his dark eyes still fastened to Caitlin. “That’s because I didn’t know anything about her until she—” he gestured toward her “—walked into my office last night.”

“I saw the story on the television,” Caitlin explained in a broken voice. “I…I came as soon as I did.”

“Where have you been the last few weeks?” Brown asked.

“I was hospitalized,” Caitlin replied.

“I’ve already phoned the M.E. to request DNA, medical and dental records to verify her sister’s identity,” Miles said.

Caitlin flinched. Miles suspected she was lying, that she might not be Caitlin? That she might be Nora, and that Caitlin might be dead…

Or maybe he was angry she’d escaped the mental hospital and returned. Maybe he was worried she’d figure out he had admitted her, and he feared he’d get caught. But if so, why hadn’t he killed her last night or driven her back to that mental ward himself? Why had he called the feds?

“Good. We’ll need a DNA sample from you, too,” Brown said, directing his attention to Caitlin.

She nodded, knowing it was the only way to prove her identity.

“Were you and your twin close?” Brown asked.

Caitlin glanced at Miles and saw him watching her, studying her every move. Again, scattered broken memories bombarded her. The secret language, the sisters huddled together. Then later…bitter fights.

“I asked you if you were close,” Agent Brown asked again, more harsh this time.

“Yes…I loved her,” Caitlin whispered, knowing that much was true. Although she sensed something had happened between them, something to drive them apart.

“Do you know anyone who would want to hurt your sister?” Agent Brown asked.

Caitlin bit her lip as she struggled to recall conversations between her and Nora. Any mention of a man, a lover, but she drew a blank. In her mind, she saw her and Nora as ten-year-olds. Anything more recent remained a dark empty hole. “No…as far as I know she…she didn’t have any enemies.”

“She had one—the person who killed her,” Brown said. “And I intend to find out who it was.”

CAITLIN’S GRIEF and guilt-ridden look tugged at Miles’s sympathy. He understood those feelings well. He’d been bombarded by them since the day she’d disappeared. Remembering how weak she’d been the night before, he poured her a cup of coffee, then slipped it into her hands. She sank onto the sofa and gave him a fleeting smile of gratitude. Then she dumped a packet of sweetener into the cup, and swirled it around just as Caitlin used to do.

“When did you last see your sister?” Brown asked.

She cradled the mug in her hands, blowing on the steamy coffee. “I d-don’t remember.”

Brown propped one foot on the coffee table, leaned over and glared at her. “What do you mean, you don’t remember? I thought you said you were close.”

Caitlin backed farther into the sofa cushion, her hands trembling.

“She claims she has amnesia,” Miles answered for her. “She doesn’t remember marrying me, doesn’t know what happened to her sister, doesn’t know what happened to her the last few weeks.”

Brown’s eyebrow rose in question. “Amnesia? That’s convenient.”

Caitlin flinched. “It’s the truth. I remember the two of us being together as kids, but nothing later on.”

“Did she live here in Raven’s Peak?”

Caitlin massaged her temple as if trying to think. “No…I don’t think so.”

“What about you?” Brown asked. “Where are you from?”

“I…think we grew up in Georgia, near here, in the mountains.”

“Her parents are dead,” Miles interjected. “After she disappeared, I checked into her past. According to records, the Colliers only had one child.”

Brown frowned, and Caitlin gaped at him, her hands knotted. “I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I,” Miles said flatly. “Someone must have tampered with the files.”

“If you were so close to your sister, where was she living? And why didn’t you report her missing?” Brown asked.

“I told you I don’t remember.” Frustration laced Caitlin’s ragged whisper. “Like I said, I’ve been in a hospital for the past few weeks.”

“When she showed up at my office, she was in shock, dehydrated and disoriented,” Miles explained. Hoping to earn her trust, he omitted the part about the track marks.

Brown gave him a skeptical look. “Where were you in the hospital, and why?”

“I…it was in Savannah.”

She hesitated, and Miles realized she was holding back, that her story made her sound unstable. He had to wonder if she was. Maybe Caitlin hadn’t mentioned her twin because she suffered from mental problems, and she’d been embarrassed.

Brown continued to drill her. “How did you get from Raven’s Peak to Savannah?”

She squinted. “I don’t know.” Frustration filled her voice. “I realize my story sounds crazy,” she said in a shaky voice. “But someone locked me in a psychiatric ward. I was on this island, at a research facility. It was off the coast of Savannah.”

Brown exhaled. “The Coastal Island Research Park?”

“Yes, on Nighthawk Island.”

Brown paced across the room to the window, then turned back to her. “Go on.”

“The doctors at the hospital drugged me and kept me locked up. I escaped the night before last and hitched a ride into Savannah.” She sipped her coffee, then glanced at Miles with those pale green eyes, imploring him to believe her. “I went in to a diner in Savannah to warm up, and saw the news report about my sister, so I hitched a ride here.”

A heartbeat of tension followed, then Brown asked, “What was the name of the doctor who treated you?”

“I…his name is foggy. But a nurse named Donna took care of me most of the time.”

“Have you been treated for mental illness before?” Brown asked.

“No.” Caitlin stood and squared her shoulders. “I’m not insane. I didn’t commit myself to that facility, and I didn’t belong there, either.”

Miles studied her, wanted to believe her. But her look-alike was dead, and her story sounded far-fetched. Although he had heard about that research park at Nighthawk Island…

Brown shot him a suspicious look. “If you two are lying to cover up something, I’ll find out.”

“I want the truth as much as you do,” Miles said.

Caitlin inhaled sharply. “And so do I. I may not remember the last few months but I loved my sister. She didn’t deserve to die like this.”

Miles bit back a caustic remark. He had no idea if Caitlin was telling the truth, but she was right. Her sister hadn’t deserved to die at the hands of a ruthless serial killer.

Still, the Caitlin he’d married had obviously kept secrets from him.

Secrets that might have led to her hospitalization.

Or to her sister’s death.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.