Chapter 27

 

By the time I hit the southern edges of Albuquerque, my body was buzzing from all the hours behind the wheel, and my brain had gone numb. I exited at Lomas and wound my way into Ron and Victoria’s neighborhood, parking at the curb in front of their house, handing the ring over to my brother as I pled tiredness for my reason not to come in. It was the point in the day when I wanted nothing more than a bowl of soup and a cuddle from my dog before curling up in bed. For once, it didn’t bother me a bit that Drake wouldn’t be home tonight.

Freckles came bounding out Elsa’s back door when she opened it to my tap. I thanked her profusely for watching my rambunctious little one all day, but declined to come in. I suppose she saw the fatigue in my eyes because she didn’t push it.

I followed the soup-cuddle-sleep plan, adding only a quick phone call to Drake and a hot shower. I was in bed before nine o’clock. Then I was wide awake at four-thirty, rested and refreshed.

All the way home yesterday afternoon I’d toyed with various ideas for ways to get the Delaney twins in one place and snap the elusive photo to wrap up the case. I’m kind of funny about projects—I like to tie up loose ends and finish them. The Lorrento case still hung in the air as a trail of random threads. I had no illusion about those two working out what they would do about their marriage, but at least our assigned task—my task anyway—had been completed. Now, I needed a photograph. Just one. It shouldn’t be difficult.

I’d sorted through the things I did know about the two girls and their recent activities: a store purchase in Las Cruces, two Corvettes now parked in Albuquerque, the shopping sprees, the river party. When I got to that point, I remembered the girl Zayne (well, I thought it was Zayne) had picked up at the dorm and spent the day with. She might provide a lead.

All of this ran through my head while I made coffee and sat outside, sipping it. The sun peered over the top of Sandia Peak, revealing a gorgeous spring morning and the back yard practically bursting with brilliant green. New leaves and shoots were showing up everywhere. The hanging baskets of petunias I’d placed around the gazebo overhang released their heady sweetness into the air.

A flicker of what-the-hell zipped through me. It was tempting to sit out here and give myself over to an entire day off, but I knew I wouldn’t. After an hour I was getting antsy. I needed just one photograph. The sooner I got it, the sooner I’d be free to goof off.

I took my empty cup inside and grabbed a couple of cereal bars from a box. Trading robe and slippers for jeans and a T-shirt, I did a little something with my hair and surveyed the result in the mirror. Could I pass for a college kid? I decided yes. Students came in all ages these days.

With an old textbook under my arm and a swing in my step, I headed for the door. Freckles raced to her crate, eager for the treat she always got, and I went out to the Jeep. At UNM I pulled into the same parking lot where the twin’s friend had met her. I flipped back through the photos on the camera, the ones I’d taken at the river party, finding the girl and memorizing her face.

Students began milling about, getting into vehicles, beginning their day with yawns and bleary eyes. I scanned every face but it took close to forty minutes before the one I wanted showed up. Her long, brunette hair was more subdued today, pulled into a side ponytail that trailed over one shoulder, and her makeup was far less dramatic. She had a backpack looped over one shoulder and was staring at a cell phone in one hand. I got out of my Jeep, feigned nonchalance, and started on a path that would bisect hers.

When my shoulder bumped hers, she looked up in irritation. I noticed she didn’t drop the phone. I grabbed the first name I could think of.

“Sorry,” I said. “Oh, hey. You’re Kris, right? Zayne and Clover’s friend?”

“Missy. Yeah, I know Zayne and Clover.” She quickly surveyed me with wary eyes and a half-smile.

“Yeah, I saw you the other night. You went to the party down at the river with … oh gosh, I can never tell at a distance. Was it Zayne?” I’d fallen into step beside her.

“Clover.” Her eyes were back on the phone screen.

“So weird. I’ve known them forever and I still can’t tell them apart.”

“Zayne got a little tattoo on her neck.” Missy indicated a spot behind her own ponytail. “It’s a tiny dragon, but personally I think it’s too little and came out looking like a spider.”

“Ah, I guess it was so small I never noticed it.” I glanced up at the nearest building—Sciences, if I remembered from the old days. “Well, this is me.”

I peeled off, noticed Missy kept walking. Her eyes stayed on her phone and she had near collisions with several others who were doing the same. She would never remember the encounter with me, and she’d never know she had just given me a hugely valuable piece of information. I doubled back to the parking lot and drove home.

Freckles was thrilled to see me again so soon, doubly so when I picked up her leash. I’d decided the direct approach was best. I would walk over and come right out with the request for a picture of the two girls together. It wasn’t unreasonable for their aunt to want one, and I was merely the messenger. Both Corvettes were in the driveway over there, so this was as good a time as any. Plus, having my little friendship ambassador along couldn’t hurt.

For Donna’s purposes, a cell phone camera would be fine. I didn’t want to walk through the neighborhood with Drake’s big camera swinging from its strap around my neck. I stuck my phone in my pocket, clipped the dog’s leash on and headed out the front door. The day had warmed nicely and we were just a girl and her dog out on a walk—with one little side mission.

I rehearsed my lines on the way up the street. One simple, straightforward request—that’s all. Your aunt wants me to send a picture.

As I mounted the step I noticed their front door stood open behind the screen door. From inside, I heard a blare of some rock tune. It paused and started again. A cell ringtone. I stepped to the side and pulled Freckles along with me.

“You’ve reached Zany Delaney,” said a voice. “Ha! Yeah, it was a blast. I just got up.”

A pause. Laughter in response to something the caller said. It sounded like Zayne, I supposed. I’d only spoken in recent times with Clover, the twin with the quieter demeanor. Maybe if I could get a look and see that tattoo …

I started to step toward the open doorway but another phone rang, this one with a chiming sound like cathedral bells.

“Hello? Oh hi, yeah this is Clover.”

My heart thumped a little as I reached for my phone camera. Both girls were here in the same room. I would whip the screen door open and get my picture before they knew what happened. The dog picked up on my excitement, running around me and entangling my legs in her leash. I stumbled, crashing my shoulder into the metal screen, making a clatter.

“Who’s there?”

“Um, hi. It’s just Charlie.”

Clover came toward me, her phone still at her ear. I knew which twin it was because I could see the side of her neck.

“Sorry, just me and Freckles.”

She told the person she would call them back then jammed the phone into her pocket.

“Hey Freckles,” she said softly. “You’re so cute.”

She pushed the screen open and knelt to pet the dog.

“I thought I heard your sister talking to someone when I walked up on the porch. Is she here?”

Her head shook, rattling the dog’s tags. “Ah, well … no. That was me. She went to the store and forgot her phone. That was a friend she went to a party with last night.”

I glanced toward the two cars in the driveway. She noticed.

“She walked. It’s just to the little convenience store over on Central.”

It was a lie, I felt sure. For one thing, I’d never seen either of these girls walk anywhere their bright speedy cars would take them. As for forgetting the phone … if not for the previous time I’d been in the house, I wouldn’t have bought that story either. But what was I to do—confront her and have her shut down altogether?

I decided on the if-you-can’t-beat-them-join-them approach. A memory from years ago surfaced. Clover was the quieter of the two and she was also more outdoorsy.

“Freckles and I were going for a hike a little later. Want to come along? Just an easy one up in the foothills.”

Her body tensed.

“Remember the time you girls were maybe ten or so? You were spending the day with Elsa and she thought a picnic would be a great idea. She drove up to that picnic area and I came down the trail, all sweaty and hungry. I was never so happy to see anyone, ’cause, dummy me, I’d left my water bottle behind. She fed us all …”

“I do remember that day,” Clover said. “You were kind of my hero back then.”

“So, what do you think? I’ll grab a little something from the fridge and we can picnic again.”

The thing inside her which had been so closed off to me opened the smallest bit. “Okay, yeah. Why not?”