VEILED MIRROR

by Frankie Robertson

“Don’t confront them. Don’t look them in the eye,” she murmured. “They’re just letting us know this is their territory.”

  Jason nodded.

  Anne looked out the side door. “Ellie!” She came out into the yard drying her hands on a dish towel and hollered at the dogs. “Jeb! George! Ronnie! That’s enough! These are friends.” Anne flipped the towel over her shoulder and hugged Beth. The dogs stopped barking and started sniffing and bumping their noses against them.

  Beth pulled back first. “Anne, this is Jason, Chris’s friend.”

  “I remember you from the wedding,” the older woman said, taking his hand in both of hers. “You were handsome as the devil in that tux.” She winked at him then sobered. “I’m real sorry about Chris and Beth. This is a sad business.”

  “Yes ma’am, it is.” Jason patted Anne’s work reddened hands.

  Beth reached back into the car. “We brought you your dish. Thanks so much for the casserole.”

  “There was no rush on that! You didn’t have to bring it all the way out here.”

  “Well, actually, we had something we wanted to ask Tom,” Beth said. “Is he around?”

  “He’s out in the barn.” Anne gestured toward a somewhat dilapidated building and metal corral about fifty yards away. “I’ll walk you over there.”

  The old dog followed them on stiff legs as Anne led them across the dusty yard. The other two curled up on the porch, out of the sun. “I imagine you’d like to see Polly, too.”

  Beth smiled and nodded. “You bet.” Oh crap. Who is Polly? Ellie had never mentioned her.

  As they neared, two of the horses in the enclosure reached their heads over the railing.

  Maybe Polly is a horse. But which one?

  Anne reached up and patted the bay on the neck. “Sorry Sandy. No treats today. Not unless Ellie brought some?”

  The other horse was a gelding. Probably not Polly. He nudged Beth in the chest with his nose and she patted his jaw. “Sorry, boy. I came unprepared.”

  Anne laughed. “They’re getting spoiled anyway. The grandkids, you know.”

  An older man came out from inside the building. Beth was relieved that she recognized him. “Tom! How are you?”

  There was a flash of something like anger across Tom’s face, and then he ordered his features into a smile. A smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Not bad, considering.”

  What did that mean? She hesitated then plunged ahead. “We came across something while going through Chris’s desk that I didn’t understand. Were you and he doing some business together?”

  Tom’s eyes flicked to Anne for just a second before he answered, “No.”

  “Do you know someone named Carlton?” Jason asked.

  “No, I don’t know anyone by that name.”

  Beth wondered if Tom seemed as stiff to Jason as he did to her.

  “Only Carlton around here is that old mine,” Anne said, leaning against the fence. “Heard some consortium of investors bought it.”

  Tom resettled his sweat stained hat. “Probably a bunch of dumb easterners.”

  “Oh?” Jason propped a foot up on a rail. “Why dumb?”

  “Not so dumb,” Anne said. “There’s still silver in that mine. Everyone knows that.”

  Tom’s eyes flashed. “Yeah, but it’s what you don’t know that’ll bite you in the ass, especially when it comes to mining.”

  “If there’s still silver in it, why did they stop digging?” Jason asked.

  “Don’t know. I guess it got too expensive,” Anne said.

  Beth nodded. “And now someone is going to open it back up?”

  “May be.” Tom shrugged and crossed his arms.

  Beth glanced at Jason, wondering if they had enough information, or if they should dig a little deeper.

  Jason nodded, then said, “Listen, we’re keeping you from your work. We should probably go—”

  “Oh no!” Anne said. “You can’t go without seeing Polly!”

  Tom rolled his eyes, but a smile quirked the corners of his mouth. “Sure, come on. She’s just about the most useless piece of horseflesh on the face of this earth,” he said, as he led them into the building. “But she’ll be glad to see you.”

  Polly is a horse. Beth watched Tom carefully as they walked through the barn, hoping to get a clue from his body language about which one it was, but he didn’t stop at any of the stalls. Instead he went on back to his office and opened the door. A cool breath of air conditioning wafted out along with a soft whicker of greeting.

  “You softy,” Anne said, laughing.

  “It’s too hot out there for her,” Tom explained.

  Inside the office was a delicate miniature mare, barely thirty inches tall.

  “Polly!” Beth said and held out her hand to the little horse. Her delight was genuine. She’d cared for a few of these miniatures in the past, and loved them. And with this little lady she wouldn’t be expected to ride and give herself away with her poor equestrian skills.

  Polly came forward and nuzzled Beth’s hand, then shied away.

  “Well that’s odd,” Anne said. “Come on girl. This is Ellie. You remember her.”

  I don’t smell right. “Must be the new sunblock I’m wearing.”

  Jason squatted and held out a hand. Polly cautiously sniffed and then let him smooth a hand down her neck. “Hey, little girl. You’re a beauty, aren’t you?” Polly tossed her head as if agreeing with him, and they all laughed.

  “A female who knows her worth,” Jason said.

  Beth was afraid to look at him, afraid he might be wondering why a tiny little horse that supposedly knew her was so skittish with her, and not with him.

  Anne tugged on Polly’s halter. “Come on. Say hello to Ellie, too.”

  “Let’s not force it,” Beth said. “Besides, we should be going. Thanks again for the casserole, Anne.”

  Anne let go of Polly’s halter. “You’re more than welcome. I’m sorry about Polly. I can’t imagine what got into her.”

  They walked back to the car, chatting about the weather and how badly they needed the rain the monsoons were bringing. Finally they were beside the Taurus.

  “If there’s anything we can do, you call us,” Anne commanded.

  Beth nodded and let Anne hug her again.

  “You sure you don’t want to stay and have some lemonade?”

  “No thanks. We really have to going.”

  “Let us know when the service will be, won’t you? We want to pay our respects.”

  Beth tried to hide her desire to get in and speed away. She was tired of running the gauntlet of pretending to be Ellie to these people. She liked Anne’s comforting, motherly manner, and it rubbed against the grain to deceive her. And every time she opened her mouth was a mistake waiting to happen.

  “I will.”

  Anne had to hug Jason too, before they could leave.

  A minute later Jason was driving them down the long gravel drive.

  Beth blew out a deep breath. That had been hard. In fact this whole impersonation was more difficult than she expected. Part of the fun of doing this when they were kids was having to scramble to cover their lapses. But this wasn’t kids’ play, and it wasn’t fun. She was lying to nice people. It was for a very good reason, but she wondered if any of them would forgive her, once they knew the truth.

  Would Jason? She glanced over at him. He’d been sweet with Anne and she liked him even better for it. Maybe she could tell him. Once he knew why she was pretending to be Ellie, he might understand.

  Beth closed her eyes. He might understand. He might even forgive. But he was a lawyer, an officer of the court, even if that court was in Texas. He’d have to tell. He was too honest to let her commit fraud even in a good cause. Then everything would fall apart. No one would talk to her. She’d never find Ellie’s killer.

  If there is a killer. Beth rubbed her forehead, wishing for a way out of this mess. An inspiration struck and she dropped her hand. I could h
ire him. Then everything would be covered by attorney-client privilege.

  “Well that was revealing,” he said.

  Revealing? Beth’s eyes flew open and her breath caught in her throat. He’d noticed Polly’s reaction after all, and all her other mistakes. He’d finally put two and two together.

  “Jason, I’d like to hire you.”

  He cast her an astonished look. “What? You don’t need to do that. Chris was my friend. I want to help.”

  “I know. It’s just that …” Beth twisted the ring on her finger. She didn’t know what to say.

  Jason stopped the car and looked at her more carefully. “Are you in some kind of trouble? I mean aside from the obvious.”

  “No. Not yet.”

  “Not yet. You think the sheriff is going to be looking at you as the murderer, don’t you?”

  She grabbed at the ready-made excuse. “He might.”

  Jason snorted. “For about ten seconds, if he’s having a real slow day. If you were the murderer, you’d be happy as a clam that he thinks Chris’s death is an accident. You wouldn’t be pushing for a homicide investigation.”

  “So you won’t be my lawyer?”

  “I’ll be your friend, and I’ll advise you, but if you really need an attorney, Chris has a whole crew on retainer. You don’t need me.”

  “But I don’t know any of them. I want you.” If he only knew how much.

  Jason shook his head. His expression was rueful, but unyielding. “I’ll help you as much as I can, Ell, but I’m not licensed to practice in Arizona.”

  So that was the end of it. Beth looked away. “Oh, okay. Nevermind, then”

  She couldn’t tell him. Even if he forgave her deception—and that was a big ‘if’—he’d have to tell. And if his friendship kept him from telling, it could cost him his career. She wouldn’t put him in that position. He might be a jerk, but she wouldn’t do that to him.

  Jason took her hand. “It’s going to be all right, Ellie. In fact it’s possible we’ve already found our man.”

  She looked back at him, eyes wide. “What do you mean?”

  Jason’s eyes gleamed like a dog’s on the hunt. “Tom’s reaction. He’s obviously hiding something.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Beth left Jason in the library trying to tease Chris’s financial data out of the laptop, and went to Ellie’s bedroom. What was she going to do? On the way home, Jason had suggested going to the bank tomorrow, to get more info on that seven hundred thousand. She’d probably have to sign things with Ellie’s name to get it. She wasn’t worried about being able to forge Ellie’s signature, she knew she could do that. But up to this point she hadn’t done anything actually illegal. If she signed those papers at the bank she really would be guilty of fraud.When she’d started this, she hadn’t thought about things like that. Hell, she just hadn’t thought.

  It wasn’t too late. She could still come clean, tell Jason and the sheriff the truth.

  And then what? All their attention would be on her deception and not even a little bit on Ellie and Chris’s murders. She had to see this through. Even now, it still seemed like the only way to get any answers. She just wished she didn’t have to screw up her life to get them.

  As long as I’m wishing, why don’t I just wish that Ellie and Chris weren’t dead?

  She looked in the mirror. “Ellie, are you there?”

  She looked into the glass, searching its depths, but all she saw was her own reflection and the room behind her.

  “Ell, I need some answers. I need to know about Hendricks. I need to know if he owed Chris any money, or if Chris owed him, and why he’s so angry.” She stared into her own eyes, feeling foolish for talking to herself. “I need you.”

  The mirror remained empty.

  Beth flopped back on the bed and winced at the pain from her bruises. She covered her eyes with one arm. In all her life she’d never felt so alone. Ellie had always been there, no more than a phone call away, and she’d always had a plan. Even if it was a plan for getting into some kind of trouble.

  Tears stung the corners of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. I don’t need help getting into trouble any more. I’m doing just fine on my own. Maybe that was why her sister hadn’t answered.

  Or maybe Ell had gone to wherever it was that spirits passed on to.

  Ollie’s nails clicked on the tile floor and then he was beside her, snuggling his black and white body close to hers. Beth moved her arm and looked at him. He avoided her gaze, the knowledge that he wasn’t allowed up on the bed without express permission clear in his eyes, but that didn’t stop him from giving her hand a tentative lick.

  Beth rolled over, ignoring the twinge of pain from her chest, and put an arm around him. She couldn’t discipline him when she needed the comfort he offered so much. “You miss her too, don’t you, baby? Miss them both.”

  Ollie breathed a deep sigh.

  They lay together for a while, and then Beth drifted to sleep.

  The next thing Beth knew, she was being jolted awake by Ollie launching himself off the bed, sounding an alert bark. He stood on his hind legs to look out the window. A car door slammed.

  Beth blinked, trying to clear her head and calm her hammering heart. Ollie barked again, then disappeared out the bedroom door toward the front of the house. Damn. Another visitor.

  For a moment she considered hiding in here and letting Maria and Jason do the honors, but she couldn’t do it. She needed to talk to as many people as possible. Jason might think that Tom Hendricks was their guy, but she wasn’t so sure. And who knew where the next clue would come from?

  She stood up and stretched carefully. And then she stopped. She’d been asleep and Ellie hadn’t come to her. Her sister had come in her dreams every time she’d slept since the accident, but not this time. Was there a limit to how long Ell could linger before going on? Had she passed it?

  Beth’s heart pounded. She felt lost and alone in a too familiar and lightless place. What if Ell never came back, like their mother? What if she was gone forever?

  Maria’s footsteps tapped her approach on the hallway tiles. “The sheriff is here. He wishes to see you.”

  JASON REACHED THE FORMAL parlor where the sheriff was waiting at the same time Ellie did. Her eyes were red. She’d been crying again. He almost envied her that release as he swallowed the ache in his throat.

  He stopped her with a touch on the arm before she went in. “I can do this for you, if you want,” he said in a soft voice.

  Ellie gave him a lopsided smile. “I’m fine. Besides, we don’t even know what this is. But thanks for the moral support.”

  Ellie made the introductions and Jason shook Sheriff Connor’s hand. The man didn’t try to establish his dominance with a crushing grip. His grasp was warm and dry and firm, with just the right amount of pressure to convey confidence.

  “How’re you holding up, Ellie?” Connor asked.

  She shrugged. “About as well as can be expected, I guess. Have a seat.”

  The sheriff waited for Ellie to sit on the couch before he perched on the edge of one of the chairs opposite her. Jason chose a seat where he could see both their faces. Something must be up if the sheriff had driven all the way out here himself, instead of calling or sending a deputy. Or maybe he was just showing respect for the Pontifore money.

  Connor leaned forward and let his hat dangle from his fingers between his knees. “We got the preliminary autopsy report back on Beth.” He paused and waited for Ellie to encourage him with a nod. “Cause of death was exsanguination due to trauma.”

  Jason winced. She bled to death. He’d guessed as much, but it wasn’t easy to hear, even dressed up in technical jargon. He glanced at Ellie; her jaw was tight.

  “I know. I was there.”

  “Did you also know she was pregnant?”

  Jason felt like he’d taken a sucker punch to the gut. Pregnant. Beth was pregnant. Was it his? He’d used protection, but there was a what, three perce
nt failure rate? Had he been about to be a father? He wasn’t ready for that. Like he’d told Beth, his life was too unsettled. He couldn’t offer stability to a lover, let alone a child. Was that why she hadn’t told him? She should have anyway. He had a right to know.

  The noisy thoughts chattering in his head almost drowned out Ell’s answer.

  “Yes I knew.”

  “You did?” Jason wished the words back as soon as he said them. “You, uh, didn’t say anything.”

  Ellie shook her head and wouldn’t meet his eyes.

  The sheriff took out a notepad. If he was surprised by Jason’s outburst, his expression didn’t give him away. “Do you know who the father was?”

  “No. She wouldn’t tell me. I don’t think she’d told him yet.”

  Beth wouldn’t tell her? That’s odd.

  “Was she afraid to tell him?”

  “No! I—she wouldn’t sleep with someone she was afraid of. She was smarter than that.”The sheriff nodded. “She was only a few weeks along. Maybe she was just waiting for the right time. Was she happy about it?”

  A few weeks. Jason sucked in a deep breath. The baby wasn’t his, then. It wasn’t his responsibility. So why did he feel like he’d just been slugged again? So what if she was intimate with someone? What did he expect? That she’d become a nun when he’d told her there was no future for them?

  Ellie bit her lips and looked down at her hands. She was twisting her wedding band again. Then she clenched her fists and straightened her spine. “We thought it was cool that the cousins would be so close in age.”

  “It didn’t bother her that she was going to be a single mother? Or would the father have stepped up?”

  A wave of anger washed over Jason. What kind of bastard would abandon someone like Beth?

  “Since I don’t know who he is, or even if he knew about the baby, I can hardly answer that.” Ellie’s voice was rather sharp. Jason couldn’t blame her.

  Connor changed the subject. “What kind of driver was she?”

  Ellie’s smile was bitter. “Better than me. That’s why she offered to drive. She was always nagging me to slow down.”

  “So she wasn’t going too fast?”