The Girl Who Saw Too Much (The Firth Twins' Series Book 1)

by Athena Floras

  “Why do you say he is helping me with my case?” She was curious.

  “Because when you got off the elevator I heard Eric talking about someone not willing to talk and you using your behavioral analyst training to crack him.”

  She widened her eyes in surprise. “You heard all that from in front of my apartment door so far away?”

  “Yeah, I did.” He nodded.

  She shook her head. “Well, I never knew how far voices can carry on this floor. I’ll have to be careful what I say from now on.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t divulge what I overheard.” He leaned forward appearing keen and eager. “So how big is this case you and Eric are working on?”

  The case she had been referring to was actually one her supervisor had referred her to about a serial killer in Stanton Island. She was helping him profile several of the apparent suspects involved.

  She stared at Jason and for a moment wondered if she should confide in him what Eric and she were investigating. After all Jason knew about her horrid past, that her father had murdered her mother and older brother. It would be nice to talk to someone other than her brother about all this, to get support and advice from an outsider’s viewpoint.

  But upon further reflection she realized that would not be a good idea. She wanted them to go their separate ways. If she did tell him about this or anything else happening in her life that would be putting a wedge against the closing door, leaving it open for a long while longer. This chapter was over. It was time to move to the next one.

  Getting to her feet, she said, “I better get your tablet. It’s all packed and ready for you.”

  Jason furrowed his brows. “There’s no need to rush. Sit and let’s continue talking. I miss that.” He reached out for her hand, but she moved it behind her, out of his reach. “I miss you.” He fixed his dear-like dreamy green eyes upon her, melting her insides.

  Taking a deep breath, she tried to steel her emotions. A part of her still loved him and probably always would.

  Walking to the TV cabinet, she opened the drawer. “Jason, you have got to stop that. I already told you on the phone the other night. Things are over. You have to accept it and move on.”

  Her cell phone resting on the coffee table began to vibrate. She picked it up quickly, hoping Jason would back off and give her space while she spoke on the phone. An unknown number was calling. Curious as to whom it may be she answered, “Hello.”

  A deep familiar male voice replied, “Jessica, hi. It’s Vincent Archer. How are you?” A tingling sensation traveled through her to her stomach, making it flutter. “Vincent, hi.” Her voice was high. Coughing to correct its pitch, she then added, “I’m fine and how are you?”

  “I’m okay. I hope you don’t mind if I asked my father for your number.”

  “No, I don’t mind.” Her voice rose once again. She sounded like a dorky, shy teenager talking to the guy she had a crush on for the first time.

  “I was wondering if you’d be free this Saturday afternoon.”

  “I have nothing planned. Why?”

  “Well, I’ll be in New York then. It’s work related. I should be finished around eleven that morning and wanted to visit the big city. Maybe you could show me some sites?” His voice sounded nervous and hesitant, which reassured her. She didn’t feel so geeky or awkward anymore.

  Grinning and combing her hair out of her eyes, she replied, “Sure, I’d love to give you a tour on the city. Call me when your meeting is over and we will get together then.”

  “Sounds good. So see you Saturday. Bye.” Vincent hung up.

  “I see you already started to move on!” said an angry voice.

  Oh, damn!

  She had completely forgotten who was in the room with her. She turned to face two bright, glaring green eyes. Steam escaped his ears rising to the ceiling.

  The drama king Jason Thames’ jealous fit was just about to ensue.

  .

  Chapter 12

  It’s funny how your eyes play tricks on you.

  Eric could have sworn he saw a light figure walk right behind his car. But when he turned round he realized it was simply the reflection a car’s headlights made as it passed his area.

  He’d been waiting for over fifteen minutes for his sister to come down to the underground parking lot in her building. He rubbed his stinging, tired eyes. He had barely slept the night before.

  When he had finished work he’d passed by Jamie’s for dinner. She’d made the most delicious veggie burgers and sweet potato fries he’d ever tasted. He wasn’t a fan of sweet potatoes. His grandmother used to make sweet potato and pumpkin pies. Both of which gave him gagging reflexes when he smelled them. He’d never dared taste them.

  But not wanting to hurt Jamie’s feelings, knowing she had worked hard on making this meal for him he’d tried one fry, then another and another until he’d finished all she’d put on his plate and the extras resting on the baking sheet on the oven. They’d been scrumptious.

  Jamie was a great cook. He had already put on five pounds since they’d started dating and he was pretty sure he’d gain much more as time passed by. He needed to intensify his daily work outs to avoid gaining anymore weight.

  What would happen when they moved in together? How would he be able to stop overeating? Her food was too good to resist.

  He cupped his cheeks. “Holy shit, Eric. Now you’re thinking about moving in with Jamie and you haven’t even told her about your past. Idiot!” he chastised while he stared at himself in the rear-view mirror.

  He looked like crap. Last night was the first time he’d slept over at Jamie’s. Having been exhausted from the stress at work and his investigation on his father, he’d had little sleep during this week. So once they’d laid on her super comfy bed after having made passionate love, he’d fallen right to sleep.

  She’d awakened him with a strong nudge around an hour later saying he’d been thrashing in his sleep screaming something about Jessica getting too close to him. Whomever the man was had an axe and was attacking his sister.

  He hadn’t realized he talked in his sleep. His father was wielding an axe and threatened to kill Jessica in his nightmare. Eric and his sister were once again seven years old reliving that horrible night their lives changed.

  He’d shrugged it off by saying it was a bad dream. He had seen Friday the 13th the other night and he had conjured the monster killer Jason in his sleep.

  Although Jamie had fallen back to sleep in his arms afterward, Eric had remained fully awake and alert, fearing that nightmare would returned if he closed his eyes and his dark, evil secrets would all seep out.

  It was a matter of time before the truth came out. It always did, no matter how hard someone tried to cover it up.

  Sooner or later Jamie would find out. He should be the one to tell her. Now he just had to plan exactly how, when, and where he’d do it. He prayed she wouldn’t dump him if he did.

  She was the best thing in his life and he couldn’t lose her.

  From the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a dark shadow moving. At first he thought his tired eyes deceived him once more, but as he took a closer look, he saw the shadow belonged to Jessica. She had exited the elevator and approached his car.

  He reprimanded her as soon as she opened the passenger door. “It’s about time!”

  She huffed. “What no good morning. How are you?”

  “Good morning. How are you? What took you so long?”

  “Jason called and we argued.” She slumped into the seat exhaling deeply with apparent exasperation.

  “Are you serious? First he stalks you yesterday in your apartment building and then this morning he calls you, hounding you.”

  He pulled up his sleeves. “That’s it. We’re heading over to his place and I’m going to make him stop.”

  She put her arm firmly on his arm. “Relax. I can handle him.”

  “That’s what you said yesterday. But you’re not.”

  She fr
owned, raising her voice. “Yes, I’m handling things. If Vincent hadn’t called yesterday when Jason was there—“

  “Whoa! Who’s Vincent?”

  “Vincent Archer.”

  Eric felt his face cracking into a smug smile. He couldn’t help it. “Vincent Archer, huh. What did he want?”

  “He said he’s going to be in New York on Saturday and asked if I’d show him the sites.”

  Eric snorted. “I’m sure he wants you to show him the sites.”

  She laughed, punching him in the arm. “Shut up!”

  He rubbed his sore arm. Damn, Jessica had a mean punch when she joked. Imagine how strong it would be if she were bringing down a perp. “So what did he say?” he asked.

  She glanced out the window. “I said yes.”

  Eric patted her shoulder encouragingly. “That a girl. Vincent seems nice. Plus he’s gorgeous.” He emphasized the word by making imaginary quotes in the air. It was what she’d blurted out when she fell into Vincent’s arms when they first met.

  She geared up to punch him again, but with his quick reflexes, he blocked it. “So Jason was at your apartment when Vincent called?” he said hoping to distract Jessica from delivering that punch she intended to gift him.

  “Yup.”

  “Let me guess, he got jealous.”

  “Uh-huh. Even though I ushered him out, he wasting no time calling me this morning, asking if I’d started dating.”

  “And what did you say?”

  “That it’s none of his business, but I’m not dating anyone. Vincent is a work colleague who is helping me on a case.”

  “But he’s not.” Eric pointed out.

  She rolled her eyes. “Obviously, but it shut Jason up.”

  “For now, but he’ll keep coming back. He wants what he lost. You are only postponing things you know.”

  “No, I’m not.” She sighed. “This is the easiest and bet way to fix things. He gets bored easily. He’ll get tired of chasing after me especially if he sees I’m busy working all the time and he can’t talk to me. A more challenging subject will come along.”

  “You mean another woman who will distract him?”

  “No, I mean many other women,” she said frowning.

  The fact that Jason had cheated on her while they were still engaged bothered her. He wished he could have shielded her from that pain. But he couldn’t. What he could do was help her keep busy and distracted.

  He turned the ignition. “So you ready for the long drive to Whitewater?”

  She extended her arms out in front of her and stretched. “Yep, let’s pay Sheriff Atkins a surprise visit.”

  Chapter 13

  “Here goes nothing.”

  Jessica took a deep breath as she rapped on the burgundy storm door.

  The outside of the Atkins’ home was modest but well-kept. The flowers on the window sill, the grassy landscape, and the numerous, cute, carved, painted bird houses decorating the front of the house gave it a homey and fun ambiance.

  A short, slightly overweight woman with short curly salt and pepper hair and thick red glasses answered the door. “Yes?”

  Jessica smiled amicable. “Hi. Is this Mr. Atkins’ residence?”

  The woman peered inquisitively at her, then at Eric. “Yes, it is. Do you know my husband?”

  Eric extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Atkins. I’m Eric and this is my sister Jessica.”

  She grinned, shaking his proffered hand. “Hello, please call me Rosemary.”

  “Rosemary, is your husband home?” Jessica asked.

  “He’s in the garage working.” She moved to the side giving them room to enter. “Why don’t you come in and have a seat in the kitchen. He’ll be in shortly for lunch.”

  “Thank you,” Eric said while they followed her into the kitchen. The furnishings were bulky and outdated but quite warm, cheery, and cozy.

  Jessica rubbed the beautiful intricate carving on the wooden chair before she sat down. “Wow, this is beautiful. It is custom made?”

  Rosemary grinned. “Thank you. Martin will be so happy to hear you love his handiwork.”

  Eric marvelled. “Mr. Atkins did this?”

  She nodded. “Why yes he did. Ever since he retired, he’s picked up carpentry and wood work as hobbies. Loves to keep himself busy.”

  Giving them a curious side glance, she asked, “How do you know Martin?”

  Eric gazed at Jessica before replying, “We don’t. We just want to talk to him about a case he worked on many years ago when he was sheriff.”

  It seemed Rosemary’s ears perked. “What case would that be?”

  Jessica noted the intrigued look in Rosemary’s eyes. She wondered if Martin Atkins had ever confided in his wife about work.

  Maybe if she made it personal, she’d tug at Rosemary’s emotional strings as a mother and grandmother. The many family portraits hanging in the hallway as they walked to the kitchen had caught Jessica’s attention. Rosemary was a proud and loving mother and grandmother.

  “The case of Elizabeth and Sam Firth.” She gazed at Eric. “Our mother and older brother.”

  Rosemary’s eyes saddened. She rested her hand over her chest as he her heart ached. “Oh, I didn’t realize. I’m so sorry. When I’d heard Beth and her son had been murdered and that she left two young kids behind it just broke my heart.”

  Eric’s eyes became sharp with apparent intrigue. “You knew our mother?”

  She nodded. “We went to high school together, Beth, Martin and I. Her left eyebrow perked forming soft wrinkles on her forehead. “Martin and Beth were engaged, you know, for a couple of years.”

  Jessica pretended to be surprized. “No, we didn’t.”

  “Yeah, they were planning on getting married the summer of seventy-five when your mother met your father and fell in love.” She stood. “Would you like a cup of coffee and cookies while you wait?”

  They both nodded.

  “How did Mr. Atkins take it?” Eric asked.

  Rosemary sighed while tilting her head to the side as she measured water in the coffee machine. “Not well you can imagine. Your father was a new resident in town. No one knew anything about him until Martin’s father decided to do a little investigating.”

  “Excuse me?” the twins uttered simultaneously.

  Not surprized at their reaction, as if she expected their shock, Rosemary continued her story. “Yeah, Martin’s father was sheriff before Martin was. He didn’t take it too kindly that your mother ended things with his son.”

  “What did he find out about our dad?” Jessica asked.

  Rosemary gazed at the ceiling. It seemed she was trying to recollect the events. “Martin said his father found out your father had legally changed his last name to Firth. His real name was Darthmore. His siblings, I think they were five brothers, all had criminal records.”

  “Do you know what they were?” Eric asked.

  “Small time stuff. I think unarmed robbery, disturbing the peace, and assault.”

  “Did Mr. Atkin’s father find out if our father had a criminal record, too?”

  Jessica asked for the sake of asking. But she’d seen in the files Jonathan Archer offered them that their father had only one charge on his record from the year before the murder and it was for drunk driving, although she hadn’t seen he’d changed his name legally years before that.

  Their father had had a huge drinking problem. That much she remembered. And a short temper. But she had never seen him strike their mother or any of them.

  “No, I don’t think at the time he had a record. Martin’s father hadn’t found anything on him, which didn’t sit well with him or with Martin.”

  She paused to place a plate full of homemade molasses cookies on the table, then continued, “I remember Martin telling me your father had claimed he changed his name and moved away because he wanted a clean start away from the stigma of being a Darthmore.”

  “Did you ever meet our father?” Eric inquire
d.

  Rosemary shook her head when she set two mugs on the table. “No, I never met him.”

  The sound of a door opening alerted them someone had entered the house.

  Rosemary’s eyes widened excitedly. “That’s Martin. He can tell you what your father was like.”

  A short balding man with a gray thick beard and moustache who was perhaps an inch or two taller than Rosemary strutted stiffly down the hallway. His head was bowed and there seemed to be a stiffness in his gait as if he were suffering from arthritis. He wore faded blue jeans and a shirt with a stained work apron covering them.

  “What’s for lunch, honey?” he asked as he entered the kitchen. His smile instantly morphed into an angry frown when he set his eyes on the Firth twins. “What are you doing here?”

  “Martin, that’s no way to greet our guests. These are Beth’s kids, Rosemary scolded.

  “I know who they are. I see the resemblance.” He pointed to Jessica. “You look exactly like Beth.”

  “Yes, you do, dear,” Rosemary remarked.

  Jessica knew she had her mom’s blue eyes and her raven black hair but hadn’t known how much she resembled her until they’d made the comment.

  “Hello, Mr. Atkins. I’m Eric and this is Jessica. We came by to ask you a few questions about—“

  Martin interrupted him by raising his open hand. “I’m not talking. Deputy Chief Carlson told you all you need to know.”

  “You heard we went to the station yesterday?” Jessica asked.

  He affirmed with a nod.

  “Can you please give us more details on the case, your investigation?” Eric urged.

  Martin sneered. “Unless I’m subpoenaed in a court of law to discuss my case, I’m not saying anything.”

  “But the case is closed. The court transcripts have been made public. You aren’t obliged to keep your oath of silence any longer.”

  He nodded. “True. But like you said it’s been made public. Anything you need to know you can find in the public records.”

  He pointed rudely at the door. “I’d like you to leave.”