VEILED MIRROR Read online

She took a deep breath and blew it out. “I want a little more predictability than that. You know what my childhood was like, mine and Ellie’s. After all that moving around, all that uncertainty, I promised myself that when I was grown up I’d live a nice, normal, stable life.”

  Jason was quiet. Too quiet.

  “Don’t worry about it,” she continued. “I can cope. You just pushed one of my hot buttons.” Then she climbed astride him. “Now I’ll push yours.”

  And he let her.

  The next morning, as the early light filtered into the room, Jason gently swept the tangled hair from her face and explained why they shouldn’t see each other again.

  BETH PUSHED THE MEMORY away. She’d revisited that scene too often over the last four months. Now, seeing his name and number on the list, the image of his dark curling hair and brown eyes sprang fresh and clear to mind, as did the searing memory of that last conversation.

  He must have known when he’d come to Las Cruces that he was going to dump her. Why the hell did he have to sleep with her first? And couldn’t he come up with a better explanation than, “I can’t be there for you—not the way you deserve.” But her pride wouldn’t let her beg, and she’d feared that if she talked to him again, that’s what she’d wind up doing.

  At least he had the balls to dump me in person.

  How many times had she thought of calling him in the last four months? Now she finally had a good reason, and she wished she didn’t. No matter how much of a jerk he was, she didn’t want to be the one to tell Jason his best friend was dead.

  She made herself push the buttons anyway.

  As usual, she only got his voice mail.

  “Hi Jason. This is Beth Hart.” Suddenly she didn’t know what to say. He might be a jerk, but she didn’t want to just blurt out, your best friend is dead. “Uh, call me, please.” She hung up.

  That was lame. It sounds like I’m trying to get him back. He probably wouldn’t call if he thought that.

  She dialed his number again. “It’s me again. Beth. Look, something has happened.” No, she hated getting cryptic messages. She wouldn’t leave one like that. “I hate to tell you this way, but … Chris is dead. He fell down a mine shaft. Or was pushed. I don’t know. Ellie thinks he was murdered, but the sheriff doesn’t.” She took a deep breath. She was babbling. “I’m really sorry. Ellie’s not taking calls right now, so you might want to wait a day or two to phone if you want to talk to her. I’ll contact you when we’ve scheduled the service … Bye.”

  She closed her eyes. She’d have to see him again. See his grief. He’d be stoic. She doubted he’d accept anything beyond than generic condolences, not that she wanted to offer more. She’d have to see his deep eyes and broad shoulders and tight ass and even worse, endure his impersonal kindness, knowing it didn’t mean anything—he’d be just as nice to anyone under these circumstances.

  “I’M SO SORRY, ELLIE. If there’s anything I can do … ?”

  Beth nodded as Mrs. Hendricks trailed off and handed her a casserole. So many of Ell’s neighbors had said the same thing in the last two days. The barrage of sympathy had become too much for her sister to take, and Ellie had begged Beth to take her place with the afternoon visitors. It was just easier to accept their sympathy as Ellie, and let them think they’d discharged their neighborly duty, than to keep explaining that she was standing in for her sister.

  There must be a hundred of these already in the freezer. Beth put the dish on the kitchen counter. Soon to be one hundred and one.

  Ellie had barely met most of these people, but they’d known Chris. It was the kind of community where people minded their own business but pulled together in a time of need. Beth wondered if Ellie knew how lucky she was as she smiled at the older woman. “Thank you, Mrs. Hendricks. I’ll be sure to call.”

  “You do that. And call me Anne, for heaven’s sake! We’re neighbors,” she said, patting Beth’s arm. “And don’t you forget to eat. You got to take care of that little one.”

  Ellie’s pregnancy had doubled everyone’s concern.

  “I will, Mrs.—Anne. I promise,” She guided the other woman to the foyer.

  Mrs. Hendricks nodded decisively. “I’m sorry to have missed meeting your sister. I hear she looks just like you.”

  “Some people think so,” Beth said, opening the door.

  “I’ll just go then, and let you get some rest.” She hugged Beth again and left.

  “I DON’T CARE WHAT the medical examiner said. It wasn’t an accident!”

  “Ell—” Beth tried to calm her sister, but Ellie wasn’t listening.

  “I know the sheriff thinks I’m some kind of wacked-out, hysterical female, but I thought you would understand.”

  All their lives they’d shared so much, but Ellie’s insistence that Chris was murdered left Beth feeling alone and frightened. “I’m trying to, but—”

  “But nothing. I know Chris. He was anal about things like that. He wouldn’t have fallen into a mine shaft he’d covered just the week before.”

  “The sheriff didn’t find a cover.”

  “That’s my point. Someone took the cover to hide the evidence. Chris was murdered.”

  “Maybe this was a different shaft. Maybe he didn’t know about this one.”

  Ell stopped her pacing and turned abruptly toward her sister. Her expression was fierce. “How many shafts do you think there are out there?”

  Beth stared at her twin, not knowing what to say.

  “It doesn’t matter, anyway. Beth, please believe me. This wasn’t an accident. I just know it.”

  “Okay then, what do you want to do? Even with the Pontifore name behind you, the county prosecutor won’t override the sheriff when the medical examiner says it was an accident.”

  “That’s just the preliminary conclusion. And the M.E. only said his wounds were consistent with what might be received in an accidental fall.”

  Beth bit the inside of her cheek, not wanting to argue. When Ellie had first shown interest in the autopsy results, Beth had been glad to see a glimmer of her twin’s usual feistiness return, but now she felt her sister was inching farther and farther out on a precarious limb.

  “I’m going to hire a private investigator. Will you come to Tucson with me to see him?”

  A cold dread made Beth swallow hard. Was Ell going off the deep end like their father had? Was she starting a search that would never end? Beth wanted to say no. This seemed like a bad way for her sister to come to grips with Chris’s death, a bad way to prepare for motherhood and life as a single mom. But it was what Ell wanted, and there was no way Beth was going to let her down. Or let her go alone.

  “All right, I’m in. When do we go?”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Big fat drops splatted on the windshield of the truck as thunder rumbled overhead. “You sure you don’t want me to drive?” Hills dotted with scrub oak and greening grass flashed by, grayed by the falling rain. Beth braced a hand against the cracked dashboard as Ellie took the turn on the twisting dirt road faster than Beth liked.

  Ellie flashed her a grin. “Still a ‘nervous Nellie,’ huh? You never did like speed.”

  “Humor me, okay? Slow down. And fasten your seatbelt while you’re at it.”

  “I drive this road all the time. Besides, we need to get across the Jimson Wash before it floods. There’s no bridge there.”

  Beth changed the subject. “You want to stay and get some dinner in Tucson after this meeting with the private investigator?”

  “Sure. Depending on how heavy this rain is, we may need the extra time to let the water go down. We might as well spend it having dinner.”

  “Uh, just what do you hope this guy can do for us?”

  Ellie threw her a sharp glance. “You still think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

  “No, but—” She didn’t want to doubt her sister, but the evidence was against her.

  “—Listen, you don’t know Chris like I do … did.” Her chin quivered as she
struggled not to cry.

  Beth winced. It killed her to see Ell like this. When her sister met Chris she’d found more than her prince charming. She’d found her soul-mate. Beth had been a little jealous at first, until she’d seen how happy her sister was. Beth didn’t envy her twin now. When they’d lost first their mother, and then later their dad, somehow they’d survived, but now Ell was pregnant and Chris was gone and her heart was bleeding all over again. How much pain is one woman supposed to bear?

  Ell glanced over at her. “Don’t look at me like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like you’re glad you’re not me.”

  Not this again. Not now. Her sister had always been willing to take more risks than Beth, and had always given her a hard time about being too cautious. “Ell—”

  Her sister shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. But I wouldn’t give up having had Chris in my life just to avoid it.” Her voice wobbled. “Being with Chris was worth it.”

  Beth didn’t know what to say. “I believe you.”

  “But you wouldn’t have risked your heart like I did. Would you?” Ell’s tone conveyed her confidence that she knew what Beth was thinking.

  Beth’s thoughts flashed to memories of Jason. She’d risked more with him than she had with anyone, and he’d walked away. She hadn’t told Ellie, though. She hadn’t wanted a lecture about getting back on the horse, and she hadn’t wanted her sister to call Jason to ream him out either. Which Ellie would have done.

  “It doesn’t matter what I would have done.”

  “It does matter. It matters to me.”

  Here we go.

  “I want you to be happy,” Ellie said, warming to her subject. “Life is risk. You’ve got to live it.”

  This was when Beth would usually launch a counter-attack that Ellie was too wild and careless, but if Ell could say that, now, Beth wasn’t going to argue with her.

  “You’re right.”

  “What?” Ell eyed her suspiciously, then looked back at the road.

  “You’re right. I probably should take more chances.”

  “Now you’re humoring me.”

  Beth sighed, and tried to say something that would satisfy her sister without making her a liar. “I’ll never be you, Ellie. But I could probably use a little more adventure in my life. I envy what you had with Chris. I’ll think about being a little more adventurous.”

  Ellie blinked back tears. “Really?”

  Beth choked up too, seeing her sister’s emotion. “Really.”

  Beth savored the renewed accord between them as they rode in silence. Now if only Ellie would learn to drive a little slower.

  After a few minutes, her twin cleared her throat. “Chris really was murdered. His death wasn’t an accident.”

  They were back to this again. Beth wasn’t sure what to make of it, but this new obsession was better than having Ellie poking at her—at least for now.

  The absolute certainty in Ellie’s voice sparked an unexpected thought. “Did, uh …” Beth hesitated, embarrassed to ask but wanting to know. “Did Chris tell you that?” Their father had dragged them all over the country after their mother had died. He’d been desperate to say goodbye, to tell his wife he loved her one more time, and had worked a series of temp jobs while looking for a genuine psychic. He’d never found one, and he’d died when his hope ran out.

  “No! Of course not. But …”

  “But?”

  “I just know.” Ellie looked over at her again. “I don’t know how I know, I just do.”

  Is going along with Ellie the right thing to do? Or am I encouraging a delusion? Beth wished she knew. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  Beth nodded. “You usually have good instincts. I trust you on this.”

  Ellie smiled gratefully. “It must be my genes.”

  Beth grinned at their old joke. “Must be.”

  The windshield wipers squeaked back and forth. With all the money Chris had you’d think he’d buy a new truck. Or at least new wipers.

  The old Ford shimmied on the rutted road and Beth glanced out her window at the sheer drop off the edge. “Doesn’t Saguaro County—”

  “—believe in guard rails?” Ellie finished with her. “They don’t have the money for that on little back roads like this.”

  Beth shook her head. “So what did the PI say when you called him? What can a private investigator do for you that the sheriff can’t—besides take your money?”

  Ellie made a face.

  “I’m not doubting you, I’m just asking.”

  “He can take me seriously, for one thing. He can look into who had a motive. He can— Shit!”

  The popping noise didn’t seem loud enough to be responsible for the way the car suddenly jerked to the right. For a moment Ellie wrestled with the wheel, then they were plunging down the embankment. The slope was steep, but Ellie kept the nose pointed down until they hit a rock and slewed around sideways in the loose dirt. Then the truck pitched over and they were rolling.

  Beth covered her face with her arms as she was thrown against the chest strap. A scream strangled in her throat as stones slammed the truck, metal screeched, branches snapped, glass shattered.

  Then suddenly it was quiet except for the soft sound of gravel skittering down the disturbed slope, the hissing of the hot engine, and the rain plinking on metal.

  “Ellie?” The truck had come to rest on the driver’s side, the engine downslope. The door was missing, and so was her sister. “Ellie!”

  Beth hung sideways from her seatbelt, which was a good thing since the roof of the cab was several inches lower than it used to be. “Ellie!” Beth struggled with the latch, then fell as it released. She tried the passenger door, but it was jammed so she kicked out what was left of the crazed windshield and crawled out of the cab. Sharp acrid steam billowed from the radiator, overlaying the spicy smell of rain-washed desert.

  “Ellie?”

  “Here.” The weak voice came from up-slope.

  Beth scrambled up the loose rock then froze in horror. The lower half of her twin’s body was mangled. The truck must have rolled over her. There was a lot of blood. Too much.

  “Bethie?”

  Ell hadn’t called her that since they were little.

  “I’m here.” Beth knelt beside her twin.

  “Sorry about this.”

  “Don’t talk.” Beth pulled her belt off but then stopped, seeing no good place for a tourniquet. “I need to get you some help.” Where was her cell phone? Back in the truck. “I’ll be right back.”

  “No. Wait.” Ell’s hand fisted in the tail of Beth’s shirt, holding her close.

  Beth put her hand on Ellie’s. “You need help, honey.”

  “Listen to me! You’ve got to find out who did this! Who killed Chris. Please, promise me!” Her voice was thick and wet.

  This was surreal, like a bad movie. But Beth knew what she had to say. “You can find out yourself. Just let me get my phone. We’ll get you to a hospital and you’ll be okay.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” Ell gasped for breath and coughed. Her saliva was flecked with blood. “And you know it. Promise me!”

  The rain came down harder, thinning the blood puddling around Ellie’s body, sending scarlet rivulets running downslope. Lightning cracked, and thunder rolled in the distance.

  “I promise! I promise! Now can I get the phone?”

  Ell frowned. Her grip on Beth’s shirt didn’t ease. “It won’t matter. No one will listen to you.”

  “Of course they will! They’ll send an ambulance for you.”

  “No. About Chris. About me. This wasn’t an accident. My tires were brand new.” Ell coughed bright red blood. Her breathing was too fast.

  “I’ll find out who did this. I promise. Don’t worry.”

  “How? You won’t … be able to … see anything … financial … or other records. You’re not a … Pontifore.”

&n
bsp; “I’ll find a way.” Beth put her hands on Ellie’s cheeks and looked her in the eye. “I will find who did this. I swear.”

  Ell smiled faintly. “Double pinkie swear?” It was the most solemn oath they could give when they were eight.

  “Double pinkie.” Beth hooked her little finger with her sister’s. “Now you have to swear to stay with me. Don’t give up now. You have to stick around. I can’t do this without you.” Tears blended unnoticed with the rain on her cheeks.

  Ell tightened her finger, then relaxed. A sigh bubbled in her throat as she nodded. She released her hold on Beth’s shirt.

  Beth ran for the truck, silently screaming, Don’t let her die! Don’t let her die! Loose rocks and gravel slid from under every footstep. She crawled back inside through the distorted opening of the windshield. Rain pinged and sizzled on hot metal. Where was her purse? Jammed behind the accelerator pedal. She tugged once, twice, but it wouldn’t budge.

  “Damn it!”

  A sharp stillness sucked the breath from her lungs and she froze. The rain still beat on the truck like a drum, but something had changed. Like the sudden absence of an ever-present sound, something—something essential—had vanished.

  “Ellie!”

  With a final violent jerk, Beth wrenched her purse free and shimmied backward out of the twisted wreck. Her shirt caught on the wiper blade; she tore it loose, mindless of everything but getting back to Ell.

  Slipping, falling, scrambling, she reached Ell’s side in less than a minute. But the rapid burbling of her twin’s breath was silent.

  “Ellie! Ellie!” Beth shook her, and shook her again. Her sister’s body remained eerily still. “You promised me! You pinkie promised,” she whispered, taking Ell’s limp hand in her own.

  An empty, aching void opened at her feet.

  No! Ellie and dead couldn’t be thought of together. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be.

  What was she going to do?

  Beth rocked back and forth, keening softly, staring as the rain washed the last traces of blood from her twin’s face. But it wasn’t Ell’s face anymore. She’d heard people say that the dead looked like they were sleeping, but that wasn’t true. Even in sleep Ell had been vibrant. This body was empty. Her sister was gone.