by June Shaw
“Oh, Eve.”
“I mean it. He seems real nice, and I think he likes me. But you are a great judge of men, and you know I am not.”
I hummed, considering the possibility of looting or sex.
She set her index finger on the tip of my nose. “You meet with him.”
“Excuse me?”
“You have a clear head. You can judge him, and he wouldn’t behave the same if we were both here. I’ll be right across the street watching to make sure everything’s okay.”
“Wow, what protection.” I stepped to the door of her art room. “If a man tries to hurt me in your house, you’ll do what? Throw a rock at the door to scare him?”
“I’m sure he’s not a bad person. He surely isn’t a killer.”
“Eve, this time—”
“I’ll be right out there, and I’ll call you as soon as he gets inside. Then you can tell him I’m coming over—of course you’ll say I’m you. And tell him the police will be following to do more inspecting in the house. Besides, Stan left me a pistol. It’s loaded.”
My stomach clenched like a fist ready to punch. “A loaded gun? You’re kidding.”
She yanked open the top drawer of the end table to the right of the sofa and lifted a pistol. Black, silver top. Metallic smell. “There, it’s off safety. This is easy to use. You just point and pull.”
I backed away, shaking my head. “No, Eve.”
She kept nodding. “I’m just kidding about having to use a gun. But you can stay close to the table after he comes inside. If he wanted to do anything bad, he’d probably try it right away. You’ll be fine, Sunny. You know I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I believed he’d hurt you.” She smiled, looking pleased with her plan.
“This isn’t a good idea.”
“Just do this one favor for me, please. Stay here. Be nice to him—unless he tries to hurt you.” She smiled wider. “Kidding. I’m just jittery. And I really, really like him.”
The shadow of a truck crossed the sheer curtains in front of her den.
She returned the pistol to the drawer. “I’ve gotten close to Dave, so he expects that of me—you. Just be nice. You’ll be safe. Promise.” She swiped her fingers across her heart. “I’ll be right out there.”
She waited, purse on her arm, letting me make up my mind. She looked so much like me, except for her better clothes and more confident attitude. This idea of performing was rather intriguing and pulled my mind away from death scenes. She had no real reason to think the man would hurt anyone, and my current purpose in life was keeping her safe.
I shivered and hummed. “I’ll do it.”
“You won’t regret it. I owe you. Big time.”
I forced a cheerful laugh. “Right. This will be a breeze. Go on.”
She hugged me and dashed toward the door to the garage. My mind screamed Are you crazy? while my stomach squeezed into a knot no Boy Scout could ever untie.
Chimes from the front door rang out.
Anxiety swelled through my chest. I had to go through with our plan. Eve needed the man checked out. If he wasn’t okay, he wouldn’t have stayed in business long. A call to the BBB should tell if complaints were registered, like had he bludgeoned any customers? With an unsteady step, I moved to the peephole.
Dave Price stood away from the door. A tiny image showed him waiting patiently. He didn’t keep ringing the doorbell like I would have. I sucked in a breath and unlocked the door.
“Hello.” I thrust my hand out.
He took it with a broad hand that was warm, his grip firm. “Hello, Eve. You asked me to come back.”
His greeting brought me to fully recall I was playing a role. My sister would have told this fine-looking businessman to call her by her first name.
“Yes, Dave, please come in.”
Dave stood taller than me and wore a nice dress shirt and slacks. He carried a briefcase with a new leather smell and stepped into the foyer. Eve would stand close to him. I probably should do that. I took steps much farther into his space than I normally would with a stranger, especially a male. His gaze held on my face with eyes the comforting color of hot chocolate on a cold day. I felt his nearness. He didn’t shift away or move closer.
“Come sit down.” I led him into the den, and he lowered himself to the sofa, not far from the right end. I started to protest. Second thoughts made me keep my lips tight. I couldn’t tell him not to sit there because I needed to be near my sister’s weapon.
“I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you to sit first,” he said. “Sometimes I’m not much of a gentleman.”
Remembering to be Eve, I said, “I don’t always want a man to be a gentleman.” I winced, especially when his lips turned up at one edge. “I’ll just…sit, too.” I nodded toward the tiny space to the right of him, where I could grab that gun if I needed it. He adjusted, sliding away a little so I could squeeze in. The pulse in my temple counted off seconds. He carried a light scent of spearmint, maybe toothpaste or a mint. And an enticing smell of male.
Enticing? Where did that come from?
The phone on the end table rang. I yanked it up. “Yes?”
“Is everything okay?” Eve asked.
I glanced at the person I’d thought I might fear. “Things here are fine.”
“Good. His truck was parked in front when I pulled out of the garage, but he was already going in the house. I don’t guess he noticed me, and I’m sure he doesn’t know we’re twins.”
“Excuse me. I’ll just be a minute,” I told Dave, who nodded and shifted farther away on the seat. With more space, I stood and carried the phone to the kitchen.
“Sunny,” Eve said, “are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes. I’m just moving so I can talk without him hearing. Do you think there’s a chance he knows it’s me and not you?”
“He doesn’t know I have a twin. Have you gotten close to him?”
“Yes, on the sofa.”
“Then scoot even closer. I’ve done that. Dave doesn’t seem to mind.”
I considered how close I would need to scoot. My hip would squash his.
“You aren’t scared of him,” my twin pointed out.
“What makes you think that?”
“You haven’t even hummed.”
She was right. In fact I’d felt fairly comfortable with the man. “I haven’t decided on my feelings yet.”
“Okay, just don’t get too confident. Go and tell him what we said about your sister coming over with police who’ll have information about the break-in. I’ll stay right here. Keep the phone close.”
“So you think—”
“He’s fine. Go join him.”
Once she hung up, I considered her confusing comments: Get closer to him; don’t get too confident. I marched back to the den. “That was my sister. She’s coming over with the police.” When he nodded, seeming unconcerned, I added, “Somebody broke the backdoor. They’re going to find out who it was.”
He didn’t flinch or show any sign of fearing the law. “Then that’s why there’s wood instead of glass on the sliding door frame. Nobody ran into it or batted a ball.”
“Right. So the police will come over soon with my sister E—” I cut off the rest of her name once I realized what I was doing.
“E?”
I shrugged. “A nickname.” Remembering to be Eve, I wedged my behind between the arm of the sofa and him. My hip rubbed his thigh, making heat spread across mine.
“Have you decided yet?” he asked.
I stared at him, thoughts scrambled.
“Do you know whether you want a burglar alarm installed? That’s why you asked me to come back here, right?”
“Yes. Absolutely. That’s why.” What would Eve want? She didn’t say for sure. I lifted the phone I still gripped.
Dave watched me. Oh great, what was I thinking? I couldn’t call her and ask. I set the phone on the end table that held a pistol sh
e had suggested I might need to point at this person. Was he a threat? I didn’t think so, but didn’t know threatening people, so I could barely judge one. Maybe I even knew Daria’s killer.
Dave’s gaze gripped me in place, making me excited, afraid.
I forced myself to break eye contact. “Tell you what. Let me think about it a little longer. I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
“Of course.” He pushed up to his feet. “But then I won’t be able to schedule you in for a couple of months. We have a full slate coming up. A job we were supposed to start tomorrow got postponed, so I was going to be able to work you in this week.” His boyish grin softened my heart.
I stood, my chest inches from his. “Yes, do it.” A chill scrambled through me.
“Great. I think it would be good for you.”
I nodded and closed my eyes, experiencing my breaths and his warmth.
“I’ll call my office and get started,” he said, walking away.
I wanted him close again. I jerked my head back. Good grief, Sunny, what’s going on? But I was supposed to be Eve, I told myself. She liked him. A lot, it seemed. Still, I found myself wanting to go with Dave. I should watch him and make certain he wouldn’t do anything wrong.
He stepped toward the shut door leading to Eve’s studio.
“Not in there,” I said, voice suddenly quivering.
He shoved the door open and stared at the ruined paintings and writing on the wall. Dave turned to me, his dark gaze piercing. Fear skittered through my chest, catching a tune in my throat. This stranger could be the person who broke into that room but hadn’t been able to get to what he wanted.
Yet.
Chapter 6
“Sorry,” he said. “I shoved on the door before I heard you say not to.”
Was that true? Being around him was supposed to make me forget death. It wasn’t happening. He stepped into Eve’s studio, scanned the damaged paintings and wall, and turned to me. “The glass can be changed, of course, but a sliding glass door won’t keep out a person who’s determined to get in.”
“I know, but neither will most windows or doors. One day I might close in that space.”
“Good because even our best system will only give a warning. It won’t stop a smart thief or worse.” He allowed me a minute to contemplate his words. “So you’ll want us to install the system we talked about?”
He and Eve must have discussed a certain one. “Yes.” I thrust out my hand, letting him know he should go first. He stepped into the den. I didn’t invite him to sit but mentally saw the pistol Eve set in the drawer and remembered how easy she said it was to shoot. Was he a bad guy or great one? I hadn’t decided.
“I’ll check the windows and exterior doors and the wiring in the attic,” he said.
I nodded. “Can you check the windows and doors from outside?”
He gave me a hard stare. With a brief nod, he proceeded out the front door. My breath relaxed. I would keep him in open spaces where other people would be near.
The phone rang, and I grabbed it.
“You’re okay,” Eve said.
“I am never switching roles again.”
“Fine. I saw him come out the front looking unhappy. I was afraid he hurt you and then searched for what was written on the wall but couldn’t find it and stormed outside.”
“Oh, terrific. Yep, I could be here in your house bleeding to death, and you’d be sitting in your plush car across the street.”
“Sunny, I’m sorry. He didn’t try to hurt you, did he?”
“No, but thanks for asking.” I calmed a pinch. “I’m still not totally comfortable about him.”
“But it is kind of exciting to have a man with a dark edge. It makes him rather mysterious.” Her tone hinted of a grin.
My anger flared. “How about if you come here with his dark edge?”
“Come on, Sis. He shouldn’t be there much longer.”
“I ordered the alarm system and asked him to go outside to check all the openings to your house.”
She didn’t respond right away. “Did you know it was drizzling when he got there?”
No, I hadn’t noticed. Maybe that was what made him annoyed. I opened the door and peeked at Eve parked across the street under a mossy branch of an oak. And saw the falling water had intensified beyond the range of a drizzle. “I’d better go,” I said and pressed the off button.
Dave was measuring the window on a spare bedroom and making notes when I hustled out to him. “Hi,” I said, cell phone in hand. “My sister just called again. She’ll be here soon. Would you like to come in until it stops raining?”
Fierce eyes peered at mine. “No, thank you. This is obviously where you’d prefer to have me.” He moved off to the next window.
I couldn’t deny his statement. Running inside, I stashed the phone in my pocket, grabbed an umbrella from a stand in the foyer, and ran back out. He stood near a bathroom window and shifted his pad under the soffit, trying to keep his paper dry.
I thrust the open umbrella over him. Within seconds, rain soaked me. I realized he was already drenched. Giving him a weak smile, I offered the umbrella.
He looked at it. At me. At my breasts, outlined through my wet T-shirt. With a sigh, he stamped off to the next window.
Shivering from his gaze or a chill, I wasn’t sure what to do but spied his black dress shoes in what was now a mud puddle. If any shoeprints had remained around Eve’s house, his shoes would cover them. Somebody broke into this house and wanted more from it.
Him?
I snagged a sane thought. I was the one who urged him outside. He was a great-looking guy—a terrific combination of little boy and rugged male—quite possibly my sister’s soul mate, the one she’s been looking for all along.
Rushing behind him, I thrust myself under the roof’s overhang and held the umbrella over his head. He threw me a solemn glance. When he stepped father along the house, I followed with my raised umbrella. At the plywood-covered sliding door, he stopped. “Do you want to wait on this one? Or if you have the glass changed soon, we can install a sensor for it.”
“That would be fine.”
“I don’t want the umbrella, thanks. I’m already wet.” He did look nice with his shirt and slacks clinging to that body with well-defined muscles. “If you want to stay out here to check on what I’m doing, that’s okay, but keep the umbrella to yourself.”
“Check on you? I’m sure you’re doing everything right. I’ll go back inside and get out of your way.”
“I’ll let you know when I’m finished.”
I rushed in the house. Even wet and chilled I felt a warm blush. Okay, I told myself, the only reason I cared about the man was to make sure he wouldn’t try to harm Eve. I got her on the phone. “Are you watching your guy get soaked?”
“I can’t believe he’s out there like that. Why didn’t you make him stay inside?”
“Grrr.” I wandered through rooms, scanning almost-bare closets in guest bedrooms and opening drawers. What might an intruder have wanted?
“He’s moving to the window on the side of my bedroom,” she reported, keeping me up on his whereabouts. “Maybe he’ll go in there and stay.”
“Sis, I hate to interrupt your musing about a man, but you do remember someone murdered a woman across town? And you recall that somebody broke into your house?”
“Yes, Sunny.” She used her stern voice.
“The man outside is a stranger, no matter how good he looks.”
“Okay, Momma.”
“I’m only trying to protect you.” Heat swelled up behind my eyes, clouding my vision. Giving me a fuzzy picture of the person I hadn’t been able to protect.
“I’m sorry.” Eve spoke in a quiet tone. “Oh, he’s heading for the front door.”
The doorbell chimed. I disconnected with Eve and pulled the door open. Water dripped from Dave’s black hair to his wet face. He swatted a large drop off his
ear. “I have what I need for now. I’m too wet to go in the attic today.”
Sadly, I viewed a man soaked from his scalp to his probably ruined shoes. “I’ll get you a towel.”
The skin between his eyes creased. “No, thanks. I’ll be back.” Sliding into his truck, he drove off without hesitation. The rain was only trickling now, too late for him.
Before he turned the corner, Eve left her parking space and drove over.
I went inside, ready to meet her the second she parked in the garage and walked through the connecting door to her kitchen. “Don’t ever ask me to be you again.”
She lifted both hands. “I won’t.”
“You were so wrong to ask me to do that. Suppose he had been a killer?”
“I know. I’m sorry, Sunny.” She grabbed mail from her table.
“I don’t think you are. I think you were being selfish and inconsiderate.”
Her phone rang. She looked relieved to have a reprieve from my gripes. Grabbing the phone, she carried it toward her bedroom. I fumed. Needing the reminder that she was in trouble, I stepped into her studio and glared at her former artwork and words on the wall.
“Detective Wilet wants to see us.” Eve entered the room, lips tightening when she looked at her ruined paintings. She wrenched her gaze away from them toward me. “We need to go to the police station at three. There’s new information in the Daria Snelling case. That’s all he’d tell me.”
In the den, we both checked the frameless clock. Twelve-forty.
“We need to eat. I have tuna in the fridge,” she said. “I’ll make sandwiches.”
“While you’re doing that, I’ll go grab my estimate for Anna’s window.” I walked out, spied her nosy neighbor’s son Royce driving away in his mother’s five-year-old sedan, and scurried between the fences to the rear, wishing they were down so I could see into both yards. Could a burglar have hidden in either one?
On my street, Miss Hawthorne stepped out her front door and thrust on her floppy straw hat. Trowel in hand, she descended her porch steps, more light-footed than I would have imagined. Was she wearing her girdle? Even the thought made me aware of the moist heat now that the sun came blaring out.
