Twin Peril

by Laura Scott

  Jonah glanced over at the array of breakfast items Logan had ordered from room service, in quantities that would support a small army, realizing his appetite had returned. He glanced at Mallory, relieved to see she appeared anxious to eat something, too.

  Neither of them had said much on the walk back, mostly because he couldn’t think of a way to tell her how much he admired her strength. He took solace in the knowledge that Mallory looked better, as if finally telling him the truth had given her some peace.

  Knowing what he did now, he understood Mallory’s actions better than ever. All along, he’d suspected that she’d hidden her real self from the world behind a facade, but now he knew for certain.

  He somewhat understood the choices she’d made and knew she’d learned from her mistakes. And most of all, he was thankful she’d come into his life when she had.

  Dangerous thoughts, he warned himself as he headed over to the table Logan had cleared for their meal. He could admire Mallory from afar, but he’d already crossed the line once by kissing her. He couldn’t allow a lapse like that to happen again.

  He was a cop and would always be a cop. He knew, better than anyone, the type of stress his career had on families.

  But he was glad when she took a seat next to him at the table, leaving Kate to sit beside Logan. Jonah bowed his head and asked for God’s blessing, thanking Him for the food they had to eat and for keeping them safe from harm. The way Mallory and Kate both murmured, “Amen,” warmed his heart.

  Logan didn’t add to the prayer, but he waited for Jonah to finish before digging in. There were several long moments of silence as everyone concentrated on eating. Jonah was tempted to tease Logan about the way he dug into his food, as if he had a stomach the size of Texas. But he refrained, since he was doing his part in putting a large dent in the meal.

  When Logan finished, he pushed back from the table, picked up a mug of coffee and eyed Jonah over the rim. “Do you want the good news? Or the bad news?”

  Mallory froze at his words, her fork halfway to her mouth. The quick flash of fear in her eyes seared his soul.

  “Don’t play games, Logan.” Jonah knew he was overreacting, but after everything Mallory revealed less than an hour ago, he wasn’t in the mood for Logan’s teasing.

  “The good news is that I heard from one of the guys on my task force. He confirmed Alyssa and Gage do have FBI agents keeping an eye on them. The bad news is that the two agents are probably going to be pulled off by tomorrow. Apparently they’re convinced Mallory isn’t going to return, as that would put her sister in danger.”

  “No!” Mallory jumped to her feet. “They can’t leave them alone. Caruso will find them!”

  Jonah’s heart went out to Mallory. “Take it easy. We’re not going to let that happen. Remember, we still have twenty-four hours before they’re in any danger.”

  “Jonah’s right, but we need to decide on a plan and move forward today,” Logan said. “Kate knows the names of two guys who are for sure working for Salvatore.”

  “James Kiefer and Kevin Graves,” Kate said. “They both come in a lot to talk to Salvatore when he’s there.”

  Jonah’s eyes brightened. It was exactly the opening he’d been looking for. “Then let’s use them to lure Caruso to the warehouse. I’ll place a call to Caruso pretending to be one of Salvatore’s men, claiming I caught Mallory sniffing around Salvatore’s restaurant, and say I’m holding her at one of the abandoned warehouses.”

  “Except he knows you and Mallory were at the restaurant together. It’s why he killed Abby,” Logan argued.

  “But maybe he’ll believe I went back later and saw something I shouldn’t have,” Mallory agreed slowly. “I think we can make this work.”

  Logan scowled. “But that was forty-eight hours ago. Why would the guy wait?”

  “Maybe we could make Caruso believe I escaped and he just got me back,” Mallory said, her eyes betraying her inner fear.

  Jonah reached out to take Mallory’s hand. “Don’t worry. We can make this work without putting you in any danger.”

  He turned toward Logan. “We need backup if we’re actually going to trap Caruso.”

  It was Logan’s turn to be silent. “Well, now, I’m not so sure about that idea,” he drawled.

  Jonah’s gaze narrowed suspiciously. “Why not?”

  “Because Salvatore himself is the main target of the FBI task force, which means my boss isn’t going to go along with this plan, especially if there’s any possibility it will risk our chance to nail Salvatore.” When Jonah kept glaring at him, he added, “You asked for this to be kept off-grid, and I agreed. I knew all along that helping you and Mallory trap Caruso would ultimately blow my cover, putting my career in jeopardy. Rafe is a good friend, and you sounded like you were in trouble, so I decided to take the risk.”

  * * *

  Mallory pushed away from the table and began stacking up the dirty dishes, hoping neither Jonah nor Logan would notice her shaking hands. She’d thought for sure Logan’s plan would work.

  But now she was plagued with doubt. And fear.

  “You told me you have a team,” Jonah insisted hotly, not bothering to hide his anger.

  “I have some guys who will help us off-grid,” Logan insisted. “I told you I had backup.”

  Jonah still looked tense, as if he wasn’t reassured. “You’re sure these guys are trustworthy? It’s not just our lives, but Mallory’s and Kate’s on the line.”

  “You don’t have to remind me,” Logan said testily. He let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know them that well,” he finally admitted.

  “I need you to be sure, Logan. I’ve already been betrayed by one of my fellow officers.”

  “What do you want me to say, Jonah? Do you want me to call this whole idea off?”

  “No,” Mallory said sharply, whirling around to face them. “We’re not going to call this off. We need to do this. We can’t risk placing more innocent people in danger.”

  For a moment Jonah’s gaze held hers, and she was shocked at the agony reflected there. He was worried about her. Truly worried.

  “She’s right, Stewart,” Logan said. “We don’t have time to waste. If we’re going to do this, we need to agree on a plan and get the ball rolling, ASAP.”

  “I’ll be your backup,” Kate offered.

  “You’re not a cop!” Logan shouted, his face red with anger.

  “Kate and I will be fine together,” Mallory spoke up. “Kate knows how to use a gun. Let’s just finish this, okay? We’ll be fine.” She refused to consider any other option.

  Ironic how she hadn’t trusted a man to get close to her over all these years, but now she was putting her very life into these two men’s hands.

  “Let’s go down to the SUV and pull the equipment we’ll need,” Logan suggested. “We’ll need to plant listening devices in the warehouse.”

  “I’m going to call Alyssa while you’re getting the equipment,” she said to Jonah. “She needs to know what’s going on.”

  He nodded and the three of them left the hotel room. She quickly dialed Gage’s number, and luckily, she finally got through to him.

  “How is Alyssa?” she asked. “Did the surgery go okay? Is she feeling better?”

  “Yes, she’s fine.” Gage’s voice changed subtly. “Is Jonah there? I’d like to talk to him.”

  “Why? Did something happen?”

  “Nothing you need to worry about. Just have him call me.”

  She tried not to take it personally that Gage didn’t trust her enough to pass on the message. “No problem. I’ll have him give you a call.”

  “Okay,” Gage said, although his tone clearly indicated he wasn’t thrilled with the delay. “Hold on while I get Alyssa.”

  “Mallory?” Tears filled her eyes when she heard her twin’s voice. “Are you really okay?”

  She blinked the tears away with an effort. “Yes, but listen to me, Alyssa. You and Gage need to be careful. I just found ou
t that the FBI has been watching you both, waiting for me or Caruso to show up. But starting tomorrow, they’re not going to be watching you anymore. I want you and Gage to go someplace safe, understand?”

  “Yes, I understand.” Alyssa’s tone seemed to grow stronger knowing there was a potential threat. “I’ll let Gage know.”

  “I’m sorry, Alyssa.” Mallory wished more than anything that she could be with her sister. “We’re going to try and finish this once and for all, but I don’t want you to wait. Get out now, okay?”

  “We will. But, Mallory, you need to stay safe, too. What has Jonah gotten you into? He promised me he’d keep you safe.”

  “He’s determined to protect me. He’s the one going into danger, not me. Just take care of yourself, okay?” Mallory closed her eyes, wishing she could tell Alyssa everything. How she’d gone to church and opened up to Jonah. That he hadn’t run away from her, even after hearing the truth. That he’d held her hand as they’d walked back to the hotel. That she had fallen for him.

  But this wasn’t the time. “I love you, Lyssa,” she said instead.

  “I love you too, Mal,” Alyssa replied. “Call me every day, okay? I want to know you’re safe.”

  Mallory swallowed against the hard lump in her throat. “I will. Take care, Alyssa.”

  “You too, Mal,” her twin murmured, her voice fading. The pain meds must have caught up with her.

  Mallory closed her phone and spent a few minutes pulling herself together. She had to be strong. She could face anything if it meant keeping her sister safe.

  She opened Logan’s laptop computer, and on an impulse, she did another search on Claire Richmond.

  The same photographs and articles came up as before, only this time, she examined the pictures more closely, trying to see if there was any evidence of Claire’s pregnancy.

  But there was no betraying bump in the woman’s slim figure. Based on the timeline, she figured Claire was only about twelve-to-fourteen weeks along. Was Claire’s pregnancy the reason she thought her modeling career wouldn’t last? No wonder she hadn’t totally given up her waitressing job at Salvatore’s.

  Her gaze rested on a familiar bracelet circling Claire’s wrist. Her stomach knotted as she zoomed in to get a better look.

  The picture was grainy, but there was no mistaking the square shape of the emerald-cut rubies and diamonds. She blinked and ran over to dig through her purse for the bracelet, hoping she wasn’t mistaken.

  She wasn’t. She held the bracelet Caruso had given her next to the photograph and realized it appeared to be the same piece of jewelry. Caruso had claimed it was a one-of-a-kind piece. She’d believed him, as the designer’s initials were engraved on the back of the clasp.

  Seeing the same bracelet around Claire’s wrist seemed too much of a coincidence.

  Hadn’t Abby said that Claire was going to sell an expensive piece of jewelry to start over? Was this bracelet the item she was going to sell? The two girls had talked the night before Claire had disappeared.

  If this bracelet was the exact same one he’d given to Claire then didn’t the bracelet prove that he’d seen Claire the night before she’d disappeared?

  She imagined the struggle as Caruso tried to kill Claire. Had the bracelet fallen off? Or had he taken it? Either way, he must have gotten the bracelet back,

  either right before or right after he’d killed her.

  She stared at the bracelet, suppressing a shiver of distaste. How horrible to think she had worn the same bracelet as a murdered woman. Did Caruso plan to give it to his next girlfriend, after he’d killed her?

  They had to stop him before that happened. All they needed was a way to prove her theory.

  FOURTEEN

  Mallory quickly saved the photo of Claire wearing the bracelet onto Logan’s hard drive. Was it possible there were other photos of Claire wearing the bracelet after she and Anthony had broken up? She tried several other general searches without success.

  What she needed was some photos of Claire with her friends. Curiously, she logged on to Facebook, just to see if Claire had ever had a presence there. She discovered there were a lot of Claire Richmonds listed, but eventually she found a Claire Richmond in Chicago whose photo looked familiar.

  When she clicked on the photo, she discovered Claire had a page that her family and friends must have created as a way to honor her memory. Several had posted heartfelt messages saying how much they missed Claire, and others begged Claire to come home.

  For a moment, Mallory was overwhelmed with sadness. Seeing the photos of the young, smiling blonde only emphasized the loss. Deep down, she knew Abby had been right. The pretty girl wasn’t coming home ever again.

  She painstakingly went through all the photos where Claire was tagged. Unfortunately, most of them were head shots, so there was no chance of even seeing a bracelet.

  But then she found one where Claire was dressed up in a cocktail dress, standing beside another woman at what appeared to be a fancy restaurant. Her heart leaped into her throat when she could make out the same bracelet around Claire’s wrist. But when was the photo taken? There was a date listed as to when the photo was uploaded, but that didn’t necessarily mean the photo was taken at the same time.

  The uploaded date was just five days before Claire’s disappearance. She sat back, her mind whirling with possibilities. There had to be some way to track down when the photo was taken. Did either Jonah or Logan have ways of finding the woman in the photo with Claire? She wasn’t tagged, so she must not be on Facebook.

  If they could find a way to prove the date of the photograph, they would have something they needed to implicate Caruso in Claire’s disappearance. And maybe, just maybe, that would be enough for the authorities to believe her side of the story over Caruso’s.

  She picked up the bracelet again and carefully put it in a zippered compartment of her purse for safekeeping as she anxiously waited for Jonah, Kate and Logan to return.

  * * *

  “Get the door, will you?” Jonah said, balancing the box of electronics in his arms.

  Kate obliged, as Logan was also carrying a similar box.

  “You’re back!” Mallory exclaimed, leaping off the sofa. “Come here and look at what I found,” she said, gesturing toward the computer screen.

  He and Logan set their boxes on the floor and then crossed over to the coffee table where she had the laptop set up. He immediately recognized the photo of Claire Richmond. He frowned. “I don’t think it’s big news that Claire had a Facebook page.”

  “See this bracelet here around her right wrist?” Mallory said, pointing at the screen. “That’s the same bracelet Caruso gave me on our third date.”

  Logan’s head jerked up at that comment. He was standing on the opposite side of the computer and leaned over to get a better look. “Well, now, are you sure about that?”

  Mallory pulled the bracelet out of her purse and set it on the table next to the computer. Logan whistled in surprise but Jonah could only stare at the bracelet in shock. As Mallory explained how she saw the same bracelet on another photo of Claire standing next to Caruso, he could barely contain his excitement.

  “It’s possible Caruso took it back from Claire and gave it to me,” Mallory was saying. “He claimed it was a one-of-a-kind item. If we could nail the timeline as to when this photo was taken, we might be able to prove that Caruso saw Claire shortly before her disappearance.”

  “Unbelievable,” Jonah murmured. Leave it to Mallory to find the clue they needed. He wanted to leap up and pump his fist in the air. “This is it, Mallory. We can easily use the bracelet itself as a way to get Caruso’s attention.”

  “I don’t understand,” she said.

  He glanced at Logan. “What if we changed the plan a bit? We can call my boss, who we know is working for Caruso. We can let him know we have this bracelet to set up a meeting. Once we have Finley, we’ll use him to get to Caruso.”

  Logan grimaced and nodded. “I see
what you’re saying, but remember, the bracelet is only circumstantial evidence at this point. It’s not a murder weapon or DNA found at the scene of a crime. It also might not even be the same bracelet.” Logan shrugged. “Mallory is still the key witness who overheard him covering up a murder.”

  “Yeah, but don’t you see that this way is safer? Finley doesn’t know why I cut off all communication with him. He has no way of knowing I suspect him of being dirty. I’ll let him know I want to discuss the bracelet as evidence and provide Mallory’s testimony. He’ll be anxious to get his hands on both the bracelet and

  Mallory—he won’t be able to say no.”

  Deep in his gut, Jonah knew this was the way to go. It was the only way to keep Mallory away from Caruso.

  “I don’t know if I like that idea,” Mallory said slowly. “To be honest, I’d rather face Caruso than your boss. What if Finley arrests me despite what you tell him? Caruso could easily find a way to have me killed in jail.”

  “Don’t worry, Mallory. I wouldn’t actually turn you in. This would just be a way to get to Finley.” The more he thought about his plan, the better he liked it. Finley deserved to be used as bait to get to Caruso. And Mallory would be totally safe.

  “And what if Finley isn’t the dirty cop, but someone above him is?” Logan asked.

  “Finley is the only one I’ve been talking to since we discovered Crane was dirty. He reports directly to the chief of police. I find it difficult to believe the chief is involved in this.”

  Logan was silent for a long minute. “Your decision,” he said grudgingly. “If you want to try that route then count me in.”

  “Me, too,” Kate added, earning another scowl from Logan.

  He felt light-headed with relief. All along, he’d been so worried he’d fail Mallory, the same way he’d failed Drew. He’d tried not to become emotionally involved, but he knew he was. He cared about Mallory, far more than he should.

  As much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn’t pursue his feelings. She might see him in a positive light now, but how long before the extended hours of his job and the horrible things he saw every day wore on their relationship? He couldn’t bear to see the same look in Mallory’s eyes that he’d seen in Cheryl’s, right before she’d walked out on him.