by Edina Davis
“Well, let me arrive first, my precious,” Johnny laughed. He took off his jacket and his shoes and followed his wife into the living room.
“Well, Sweetie, let me hear what’s on your mind.”
Laura told him from the start what had happened and what she had learned from Debbie Harris just a few minutes ago. Then she looked at him questioningly.
“Do you have any idea what might be going on there?”
“Well, that really is a bit strange,” her husband commented, frowning pensively. “Are you sure the Fields saw everything correctly?”
“Yes, I think so. Believe me, Johnny, something’s not right, it’s obvious. I’m almost sure that Carina was the visitor, and I feel so guilty, Johnny. I really should have cared more. Above all, I shouldn’t have waited so long. If something has happened to Carry, it’s all my fault.”
“Don’t talk yourself into something like that, my Darling! You really aren’t to blame. After all, Carry’s a grown woman! She didn’t want to be disturbed and you respected that. What else could you have done?”
“Just to have gone there and checked on her, that’s what I could have done!” Laura insisted. “I knew she was mentally unstable, after everything she had to go through. Then Alex’s death, that finished her off, Johnny, do you understand? After all, I’m her only friend!” Laura started crying. “Oh, my God, hopefully nothing has happened to her. I would never forgive myself, never!” she sobbed.
Johnny took his trembling wife into his arms. “But my precious, you can’t constantly keep an eye on a grown woman. If something really has happened to her, which I don’t believe, you certainly aren’t to blame! We’ll wait and see, and if Carry hasn’t reappeared by tomorrow evening, we’ll call the police. Is that fine with you?”
Laura nodded, sobbing.
“Then stop crying dear, and let’s have a bite to eat. I’ll prepare something delicious and you meanwhile just calm down a bit. After dinner we’ll discuss everything again. Maybe we’ll slowly get to the bottom of this.” Tenderly, Johnny caressed his wife’s head and went into the kitchen with a pensive frown. Actually, he was far more worried than he had admitted to Laura.
CHAPTER 70
Meanwhile, Laura forced herself to calm down and replayed all events mentally. The young visitor couldn’t be anybody but Carina, although Mrs. Harris vehemently denied it. When had Carina ever informed her mother about her plans?! Everything fitted together. Carina wanted to go abroad for an indefinite period of time and was now on her way to the airport or was already there. The elegant lady, that Mrs. Field had mentioned, had arrived at Carolyn’s with countless pieces of luggage yesterday and had left this morning. Yes, there was no doubt, it had to be Carina!
Laura again recalled what she had heard from Debbie Harris earlier. According to that, Carry had told her mother that she blamed Carina for having betrayed and lied to Alex. Carry and Alex had grown closer again, and he had obviously confided in her. When Carina found out about this, she must have been furious. It was absolutely possible that she had then contacted Carolyn to confront her before her departure.
This must have led to an argument between the sisters, which got out of control and had led to all subsequent events. According to Mrs. Field, Carina had departed in a taxi the next morning and Carolyn had put Carina’s luggage in front of the house about half an hour earlier.
But since then, Carolyn had disappeared without a trace! Her beloved little sports car stood in the garage and everything in the house seemed unchanged. Laura couldn’t shake off the feeling that something terrible had happened and that Carina played a major role in it. What if Carina had done something to her sister?
Laura remembered the previous evening when she had stood in front of the house and had heard that scratching noise. It had been a downright eerie atmosphere, and then there had been this light she had seen flickering briefly. She was now absolutely convinced that someone had sneaked through the house with a torch.
She remembered the rose bush, which now stood in the back of the garden and reminded her of something. She thought hard and suddenly she knew! Many years ago, Carolyn had buried her beloved little cat Dusty in her parent’s garden. The small grave was in the far-right corner of the garden, next to a white rose bush.
Yes, of course … it was almost to the day eighteen years ago that Carolyn had found the kitten dead next to that rose bush.
The little tomcat Carolyn and Laura had found half-starved on the road on their way to Cradle Valley and which Carolyn had cared for in such a loving way, had been poisoned and Carry had cried her eyes out full of grief.
Of course, she had suspected who was behind it, and years later she had received an anonymous message confirming her suspicion. Her sister Carina had poisoned the kitten back then. The message also stated that even as a little girl Carina had enjoyed torturing and killing animals and that little Dusty had not been her first or last victim. Yes, she had not shied away from harassing, slandering, and blackmailing her classmates.
For Laura and Carolyn, it had been obvious at the time that either Pamela Thompson or Samantha Gillis or both had written the anonymous letter. After all, they had been Carina’s best friends for years, but had both distanced themselves from her shortly before Carina’s departure to the USA.
The memory of Carolyn’s sorrow made Laura sad. She was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of compassion that she could hardly hold back her tears. She thought with affection of her friend, who, from childhood, had suffered countless times from the meanness, lies and intrigues of her sister. How many times had Carolyn come to her, cuddled up in her arms, and wept bitterly?
But the deep sadness she had felt as a little girl had turned more and more into anger and hatred with increasing age, which Laura had watched with growing concern. This had also been her main motivation to become a specialist for psychiatry and psychotherapy, delving into twin research.
For years, Laura had scrutinised the question whether identical twins can show completely contrary character traits despite identical genetic make-up. Science was still in the early stages in this field and kept coming up with spectacular new knowledge.
Everything indicated that Carina had an antisocial personality disorder with pronounced narcissistic traits; her narcissism, her lies, her total self-centredness, her lack of empathy! She obviously felt neither pity nor guilt when she terrorised her fellow human beings, on the contrary, she seemed to derive almost sadistic pleasure from it. With her deceptive charm, she easily managed to manipulate people in order to destroy them in the end.
Carolyn, on the other hand, was a lovable and extremely sensitive person, also patient and compassionate. Still, Laura couldn’t help but to admit that she too had often behaved very questionably. This ever-growing bitterness and the deep hatred for her twin sister did not really correspond with her quiet and docile character at all.
But was Carolyn really as docile as it seemed? Laura thought back to Carolyn’s hot-tempered emotional outburst more than sixteen years ago.
‘I hate her! I could kill her with my bare hands,’ she had screamed, filled with hatred, after she had caught her sister with Ben. Actually, Laura knew of many incidents, in which hatred for her sister had glowed in Carolyn’s eyes.
Couldn’t it even be possible that Carry had done something to her sister? No, that couldn’t be! Or could it? What if the depression and the fresh trauma had triggered a psychosis or a dissociative disorder in her and she …?
Laura’s hands began to shake. Once more she thought about the rose bush, that had only recently been moved from the terrace to the garden, and an ice-cold shiver ran down her spine.
Suddenly the scales fell from her eyes! What must have happened the previous evening and during the night ran like a movie in front of her eyes, and sheer horror choked her. Yes, it all made sense, even the old chest fitted perfectly into this horror scenario.
Laura’s heart, however, refused to believe the inconceivable. No, Carry would never be able to do something so hideous!!
Memories of her conversation with Mrs. Field circled through Laura’s head.
But my husband happened to see the young woman getting into a taxi late this morning with all her luggage.
Was my friend there as well? I mean, was she outside to see the lady off?”
No, she wasn’t, but about half an hour earlier, she brought all the luggage outside.
It must have been Carina who had taken the luggage outside the house that morning, wearing her sister’s clothes. Yes, it had been Carina. She had committed this gruesome act. It couldn’t be otherwise, it just had to be like that.
Laura noticed a strange feeling deep in her heart. It was a feeling that scared her. A secret hope … the hope that her dearest friend was still alive, even if that meant …
No, she wouldn’t and couldn’t think that! Carry would never be capable of an evil deed. She as her only friend had to know and should firmly believe in her! Almost all her life, Laura had closely witnessed the hell her friend went through, how terribly she had suffered … And now she was …
“… dead! Carry is dead!” she now screamed in intense desperation. “Oh my God, no … please no! Oh, Carry!” She put her hands over her face and began to cry loudly.
Johnny rushed into the room, a kitchen towel in his hand. “Laura, Darling, what happened?” he exclaimed in horror.
Laura’s face was tear-streaked. “Call the police, Johnny!” she sobbed. “Please, hurry! I’ll explain everything to you later. Something terrible has happened to Carry! I think I know now what happened. Carina mustn’t leave the country by any means. Call the police!”
Johnny ran to the phone without asking further questions.
“Forgive me, Carry! I should have been there for you!” Laura whimpered while her husband dialled the number of the Bexhill police station.
EPILOGUE
At about the same time, a strikingly beautiful young woman confidently crossed the airport hall and with resolute steps approached the counter. She put her passport and the flight ticket on the desk. The young man behind it was busy typing on his keyboard.
“Smoking or non-smoking?”
“Non-smoking, please. I’d also like a window seat.”
“One moment, please.” He hit the keys again eagerly. “A window seat for the lady. Perfect, madam, a window seat, and a non-smoker for you. Could you now put your luggage on the conveyor belt, please?”
He glanced at the many pieces of luggage. “It will be a longer stay, I assume?”
“You might be right there,” the young woman replied, looking deep into his eyes, and giving him a smile that made him blush to the roots of his hair.
“Have a pleasant flight, Mrs. Carpenter,” he said sheepishly and handed her the boarding pass.
“Call me Carrie,” the young woman said, giving him another deep look with her large, golden brown eyes and glancing briefly at his name tag. “Many thanks, Tommy-Boy. Maybe we’ll meet again.” She pursed her full red lips as if for a kiss and walked away with swaying hips. Her short, tight skirt revealed most of her long, well-shaped legs. She left behind a confused young man by the name of Thomas Jefferson.
“What a looker,” he murmured and followed her with his eyes until she was out of sight.
Shortly afterwards, the young woman sat in the plane with her eyes closed, a serene smile on her full lips. She thought about her future life in Mauritius and sighed longingly. Mauritius … paradise on earth, it was waiting for her. Everything would be wonderful … life, freedom!
An unprecedented feeling of happiness flowed through her body. Oh, it was so fantastic to finally be free! Now everything would turn out well.
Suddenly she felt something touching her right ear.
What have you done? a gentle voice breathed reproachfully. Where’s your sister? What did you do to her?
She winced violently. No!! Please, not again!
You killed her cruelly, it murmured in her head. Goosebumps ran down her back and she pressed both hands against her throbbing temples.
I’ll see you in hell, sister, the whispering now came perilously close to her ear.
Her heart skipped a beat and ice-cold sweat formed on her forehead. Go away and leave me alone for ever, she pleaded in silent desperation.
She summoned all her strength to suppress the rising panic, to banish the buzz of voices from her head. She pressed her hands firmly on both ears, and when after a while all was still, she breathed a sigh of relief. She pushed her chin forward proudly.
She was Mrs. Alexander Carpenter, the beautiful, wealthy widow of a respected doctor from St. Leonards in East Sussex, and she would lead a life that would please him. She had done no harm to anybody, on the contrary, she had been treated badly all her life!
But now she was finally free, and a better life lay ahead of her. Yes, she would make it! Her left hand firmly clutched the small brown handbag, which contained everything she needed for her new life. Here’s to freedom! Live and let live! This motto finally achieved its full meaning for her. She could finally live! She was free, so wonderfully free! And one day she would be reunited with her beloved husband and her child.
She was suddenly torn out of her wonderful dreams of the future by a loud voice.
“Mrs. Carpenter?”
Confused, she raised her head and looked directly into the cold eyes of a tall, elderly man who held a police badge under her nose. Next to him stood a young woman who also identified herself as a police officer.
“Yes, I’m Mrs. Alexander Carpenter! How can I help you?” she asked with a friendly smile.
“Bexhill Police. Detective Chief Inspector Bruce Higgins and Detective Sergeant Kyra Fuller. Carina Carpenter, you’re hereby under arrest. Based on credible testimony, there is an urgent suspicion against you to have murdered your twin sister. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. You have the right to free, independent, and confidential legal advice and may contact a solicitor. Did you understand that, Mrs. Carpenter?”
Her head started spinning like a merry-go-round. What was happening here? She was supposed to have murdered her sister. But she hadn’t seen her for ages! Or had she? She couldn’t remember. Her eyes filled with tears.
“Did you understand that, Mrs. Carpenter?” the Chief Inspector repeated his last question insistently. She nodded, didn’t resist the handcuffs, and followed the two detectives.
Shortly afterwards she was sitting in the back of the police car impassively, staring into space. What had happened? She couldn’t remember anything.
Suddenly, a shrilling voice shrieked in her head so loudly that she screamed involuntarily.
The young female detective turned around to her.
“Aren’t you well?” she asked with an indifferent expression. When she got no reply she just shrugged and turned back to the front.
Chief Inspector Higgins, who was driving the car, tapped his forehead with his index finger, giving his young colleague a meaningful look.
Meanwhile, the young woman on the back seat pressed her hands over both her ears in wild desperation. However, the buzz of voices in her head didn’t stop.
Your sister is dead, and you killed her, she heard the familiar gentle voice say reproachfully. You killed your own flesh and blood in a gruesome way. You’re a murderess!
“I didn’t kill anybody!” she cried out, in horror.
“You can tell that to the prosecutor later,” Sergeant Fuller interrupted her, this time not even bothering to turn around to her.
You didn’t kill anybody! It was her, she killed your beloved husband, your Alex, the deep voice
roared like thunder, so that she had the feeling that her head would explode any moment. She killed your child and many other people. She is the murderess, not you! And now she’s laughing at you because you will pay for her crimes. Can’t you hear? Can’t you hear her sardonic laughter?
A fearful shudder ran through her body. Yes, hadn’t she just heard a quiet mocking laugh?
She held her breath in horror for a few seconds and listened.
No, nothing! As so often lately, her nerves had played a mean trick on her. No, there was no laughter!
Slowly, her features relaxed and a happy smile lit up her face. But no, of course not!
That laughter was forever silent …
Acknowledgements
My cordial thanks go to my test readers and friends Tina Antkowiak, Claudia Evers, and Angela Longrée.
With your valuable suggestions and your constructive feedback, you helped me a great deal!
Special thanks go to my husband David for his patient encouragement whenever I was close to giving up.
You always motivated me again and took care of my needs and comforts, whenever I forgot about everything, during writing.
Last, but not least, I thank you, dear readers, for reading my book.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Song titles and excerpts mentioned in the book:
1. I Need You Right Now
2. Magical Love
3. Our Time
Copyright © 2019 EDaFMusic
David Freyer/Edina Davis
All rights reserved.
Carry and Carrie – In the Twin’s Shadow
Copyright © August 2021 Edina Davis
English first edition
All rights reserved.
Title of the original edition:
Carry und Carrie – Im Schatten des Zwillings
(ISBN 978-3749486595)
© 2020 Edina Davis
