Twisted Whispers

by Sheri Lewis Wohl

  The ping of the doorbell made her jump and her eyes flew open. Her first thought was Alida. How she hoped God was answering her silent prayer. With her heart pounding, she ran to the front door and peered through the peephole. Her hopes crashed. It wasn’t Alida standing outside but a stranger.

  Slowly, she swung the door open to a policewoman. The woman standing in her doorway might be wearing plain clothes, but she screamed cop. Dark-blue cargo pants, a tan button-down shirt, and black leather boots were not the attire of the businesswomen she knew. Her dark hair brushed the collar of her shirt, the cut severe, but it worked with the sharp lines of her face. For at least a moment, Thea felt something besides fear, which wasn’t totally unwelcome even if her unexpected visitor was in law enforcement.

  “Theadora Lynch?” Her voice was low and a little deep, and it matched the rest of her in an interesting way that very much appealed to Thea. Her hopes ratcheted up just a little bit.

  She nodded. “Yes, I’m Thea.”

  The vision in cop chic stepped forward and held out her hand. “I’m Deputy Sheriff Katie Carlisle from the investigations unit of the Sheriff’s Department. I need to talk to you about your sister Alida. I’m sorry to bother you at home, but it’s quite important. I promise not to take up too much of your time.”

  A couple of others had come by right after the power company Alida worked for reported her missing. At the time she was so overwhelmed by the idea Alida was gone she barely remembered what she told them. What she did recall was her disenchantment with the two men. They obviously didn’t believe Alida was taken against her will. In fact, they implied she simply took off and following up on her was a waste of their time. She was glad someone else was here now—a different set of eyes and hopefully a mind more open than the last two.

  She accepted the offered hand and wrapped her fingers around a warm palm. The woman’s handshake was firm, confident. “Yes, please. Come on in and have a seat.” Up close her eyes were a warm brown that radiated strength. Yes indeed, she was really glad the Sheriff’s Department had sent someone else for this follow-up visit. Maybe she’d judged the first two unfairly when she felt they were blowing her off or not, considering they didn’t come themselves. No matter, someone was here and that’s what was important.

  In the living room, the woman sat on the edge of the cushion in one of the club chairs. “Thank you for giving me a little of your time.” She opened a small tablet she pulled from her pocket.

  “What can I do for you, Deputy?” Thea sat in the chair across from her. “The other two from your office didn’t seem very interested in any information I could offer that might help to find my sister.”

  An expression that might have been annoyance flashed quickly across the woman’s face before being replaced by a look far more sympathetic. “Please, call me Katie, and I want to hear about the day your sister disappeared. I’m sorry about your prior interview, and I apologize if my colleagues gave you the impression your assistance wasn’t important. I’m very interested in anything and everything you can tell me about her.”

  At the mention of Alida, tears pricked the back of Thea’s eyes and her foot started to tap. She still couldn’t fathom the reality that for three days no one had seen or heard from her. Alida just didn’t do things like that. She possessed quirks, as did everyone, but that didn’t mean she was a flake or that she ran away without a word to anyone, especially her. No one was ever going to convince her of that.

  Once more Thea pressed her fingers against closed eyes as she took a couple of deep breaths. The possibility that Alida could be dead darted through her mind. She reminded herself not to automatically jump to the worst-case scenario. Typically she was a glass-half-full kind of woman and embraced the positive in any situation. Alida probably wasn’t dead. Perhaps she was hurt and needed help. She didn’t have her cell phone; that was why she didn’t call for assistance. Just because three days had passed without a word didn’t mean she was dead.

  Except Thea couldn’t shake the dread that pooled in the pit of her stomach since the first moment she learned Alida was gone. No matter how she came at it, this was different. It felt dark and desolate.

  Thea opened her eyes, looked over, and met Katie’s eyes. “She’s just gone. One day she was there and then nothing. Her company truck was at her last stop with the doors open. She left her bag on the seat and keys in the ignition. All her stuff was there. Who walks away like that? I can tell you one thing without any doubt—not my sister.”

  So far Katie hadn’t made notes on her tablet. Her eyes were on Thea. “I’ve seen both the pictures and the spot where her truck was located. Nothing jumped out at me. So, indulge me and walk me through your interactions that day. Let’s see if we can come up with anything together.”

  Thea thought back to the morning three days ago, focusing beyond the top of Katie’s head. She wanted to pick out what was different, anything that might now turn out to be a clue. The sad reality was nothing jumped out at her no matter how hard she concentrated on remembering that day. “Alida called me about two.” She brought her gaze back to Katie’s face. The good thing was, Katie appeared interested.

  “Was that unusual?”

  As much as she wanted to tell her yes, she shook her head. “No. She called me just about every day to share funny things that happened along the way. You see, I’m a graphic artist and spend so much of my time either hunched over a computer or helping one of my staff, I don’t get out much. It was different for her. Alida’s out all the time, every day. The things she sees are crazy, and the colorful way she describes them to me are just the adventures I need when I get wrapped up in a project.”

  “Nothing after that call?” Katie’s head was now bent as she made notes on her tablet.

  Thea’s heart ached as the despair of the last three days washed over her anew. She wanted to scream and cry at the same time. Not that she intended to succumb to crippling emotion. She planned to keep it together. “I haven’t heard a thing since that call. Something happened to her, Deputy. I feel it right here.” She tapped her chest. It was always hard to explain to non-twins how deep the connection was. Though they looked alike, they were two distinct individuals with their own likes, dislikes, and quirks. At the same time, they were, in many ways, two halves of a whole. That’s why they were so in tune with each other. That’s why she knew something was very wrong.

  Katie looked up from her tablet and studied her with those deep, dark eyes. “What do you think might have happened?”

  God, how she wished she knew. The gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach screamed for answers, yet she possessed not a shred of helpful information. Slowly she shook her head. “I don’t know, and to tell you the truth it hurts to even consider what it could be.”

  “What about her husband?”

  “Grant?” Thea’s thoughts shifted to the tall, good-looking man who worshipped his wife even if he had a wandering eye…which he did. “No way. Trust me, they had their problems, but they were the kind of couple who found a way to work things out. I don’t believe he would or could ever hurt her. Cheat on her, yes. Kill her, never. He’d take a bullet for her.”

  Katie nodded and made a couple more notes before looking over at her again. “Okay, so for the moment we’ll rule out her husband. How about other people who might have a grudge or be upset with her? Did she say anything to you in the days before she disappeared? Anything seem unusual or uncomfortable? Was somebody hanging around who made her uneasy?”

  She’d expected this question and had been thinking about it since Alida vanished. She nodded slowly as she recalled Alida’s concerns. “Not directly but she mentioned that it felt like someone was watching her when she was out in the field. She told me she’d never seen anyone and nothing ever happened. But it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.”

  She didn’t want Katie to think her sister was paranoid because she wasn’t. On the other hand, at the moment she was scared enough for Alid
a to throw out anything and everything to the attractive woman who was the first one who seemed to believe Alida might be in real danger. Besides, she was so emotionally involved she wasn’t rational. Sharing everything she could think of with this deputy was sure to help sort out the crap from the critical.

  Katie leaned toward Thea and held her eyes. “Trust me, you don’t ever want to discount feelings. Sometimes they’re the thread that leads us straight to the answers.”

  It was as if she listened to Thea’s thoughts. For the first time in three days she felt a flicker of something like hope. Someone was listening and, more importantly, seemed to care. She and Grant weren’t alone anymore. She almost let the tears threatening to fall burst forth.

  Chapter Two

  The Watcher hoped that helping the souls of the two wronged women reunite would clear his path to heaven. He was mistaken. While they’d found their way from this world and into the light, he was still here. That they were home at last pleased him. That he remained tethered to the earth made his heart heavy. All he could do was watch, wait, and hope his time would come.

  From the lengthening shadows, he studied the house on the bluff. Big and well-built, it had withstood the elements decade after decade while protecting those within from the ravages of Mother Nature. Tonight was no different. The wind howled and thick clouds tried to blot out the stars. The ocean waves pounding against the rocks at his back were a familiar lullaby. Cool ocean spray dampened his long black hair. It didn’t matter if he was cold and wet. All that concerned him were those who lived within the big old house, and as he stood vigil, lights came on inside, pushing away the darkness.

  Years ago this house was filled with sadness and death. Then she came and, together with the others, restored hope and light. But their work was not yet complete. He pinned his hopes on the other two women who were saved from limbo. However, now he understood his fate wasn’t tied to the two of a century past, but to the woman of this time and place whom God had gifted with the sight.

  She was reluctant. She was defiant. She was brilliant.

  The Watcher stood impossibly tall in the dimming light, his nearly seven-foot frame blending with the shadows as if they were one. His fall from grace happened so long ago, and in the intervening centuries he was filled with the desire to once again walk through the gates of heaven. He tried again and again to redeem his soul, hoping God would grant him mercy.

  Many times his heart was heavy and hope slipped away like the waves of the ocean that crashed against the rocks, only to then glide away into the massive eternity of the sea. Then a glimmer of something glorious would restore his faith, and he once again believed in the power of forgiveness. In her face now shone a ray of that indefinable something that swept over him like a lighthouse beacon. Together, he and this woman would right what was wrong, and one day he would leave this place and return to his home beyond the sky. She would push aside the darkness that had been his prison through the ages and open a world of light to him once more.

  Tonight, however, in his soul lingered a worrisome thread of danger. Something was wrong, and she once more was the key to making it right. His vision was blurred, but somewhere in the distance, the image struggled to clear itself. A faraway cry drifted on the night air, sending chills up his arms.

  At the big windows looking out over the ocean, her face suddenly appeared, pale and intent. Staring into the distance she stood motionless, searching as he did, for what exactly he did not know. Whatever it was, whoever it was, their spirit called to the two who heard the plea sighing on the wind. Neither could ignore it even if they wished to do so.

  Satisfied for the moment, he stepped back and farther into the shadows. He would ready himself for the task ahead and do his best to guide her to the awaiting destiny, so that she in turn could usher him to his. His head bowed, he moved his lips in a silent prayer, speaking in a language long since wiped from the earth.

  His body shook, his face blurred. Then he was gone.

  *

  Katie kicked off her boots, leaving them where they landed with a thud right outside the closet door, then threw her shirt on the bed and slithered out of her cargo pants. She replaced them with a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt with cut-off sleeves. Now, that was better. Nothing facilitated the thinking process like old, comfortable clothes. For about a millisecond she thought about picking everything up. Grandma used to always remark that cleanliness was next to godliness. For her money, a certain amount of disarray and clutter made her home feel lived in and cozy. In her book, that was plenty close enough to godliness.

  From the fridge she snagged a nice dark Porter and carried it to the living room. Usually she was good at leaving her work at work. Tonight wasn’t one of those times when she could walk away. Actually, more than the gorgeous Theadora Lynch made her mind whirl. And Thea was most assuredly gorgeous. With thick black hair that hung down her back and eyes the color of a summer sky, the woman made Katie want to just sit there and stare. What was it about the combination of black hair and blue eyes that sent her heart pounding? She was most definitely a sucker.

  Fortunately, Katie was still professional enough to keep her mind off Thea’s hotness and onto the issue of her missing twin sister. The case itself intrigued her. For the most part, missing adults didn’t garner a whole lot of resources, or even thought for that matter. The vast majority were people who simply didn’t want to be found. Some planned their escape with great detail, while others came across a chance to disappear and simply took it.

  A fair number of legitimate missing persons’ cases did exist, where something went terribly wrong and harm occurred to the one who disappeared. In a great many of those cases, family or acquaintances were involved with said harm. Precisely why, despite what she told Thea, Alida’s husband Grant was very high on her list of people to investigate. Law enforcement looked first to professed loved ones for a very good reason.

  There was a weird feeling to this case, and Katie wanted to know why. Traditional odds were on the husband, yet her gut instinct was to look way outside the box to find the truth behind Alida’s disappearance. Vanishing in broad daylight didn’t feel right for this particular woman.

  She wasn’t about to say that to any of the other deputies. She’d earned her shield and was damn proud of it. The fact that her grandfather, father, and brother were all in law enforcement before her only meant that she had great teachers, not that they opened the door for her. Not everyone saw it that way. Escaping the “you’re only here because of your family” was nearly impossible. Just because no one said it to her face didn’t mean it wasn’t out there. The only thing she could do was prove herself over and over. It wasn’t fair but it was her reality. Slowly she was winning the battle with the guys, even though it sure as hell got old.

  So in this instance, she was damn well going to keep her gut instincts to herself. At least until she could prove she was right on the money. As far as she was concerned, the family of Alida Lynch Canwell wasn’t involved with her disappearance. Grant Canwell was clearly distraught, and if he was acting he should be up for an Academy Award. Even if he was still on her list of possible suspects, she didn’t believe he was that good an actor. Men didn’t fake the kind of emotion he displayed during her interview with him earlier today.

  The sister was, like Alida’s husband, so full of worry it glared from her eyes. The fact the two women were twins made Katie feel even stronger that Alida didn’t simply walk away from her life. Something else had happened out there at the isolated power station, and a bad feeling the ending wasn’t going to be a happy one lingered. Sometimes she really hated the knowledge that came with this job. It was hard to remain optimistic when the statistics pointed in the opposite direction. Still, she intended to give a good try.

  Opening her tablet, she pulled up the electronic file. In it were jpgs of every angle of the last place Alida was seen. There was her truck, with the doors open and the bag sitting undisturbed on the seat. She didn’t care
how anyone came at it, this wasn’t a typical disappearance, and Katie was going to find out what went wrong and why.

  After a long pull of the beer, she rested her head against the sofa back and closed her eyes. She was given the case because no one thought it could be solved. No witnesses, no suspects, no motive. If the good old boys wanted to prove she had no business being a deputy, this could be the case that would give them the evidence they wanted to back up their belief.

  Well, fuck the good old boys. Her relatives didn’t get her this job. She earned it all on her own. At the same time, she wasn’t stupid. She was determined to use her family’s shared knowledge from decades of experience to find Alida Canwell. And when she did, all the backbiters, women haters, and chauvinists would have to shut the hell up once and for all.

  *

  “Do you ever have the feeling you’re being watched?” Lorna stood in the living room staring out the big windows at the inky black night. Few stars shone through the cloud-shrouded sky though for a change it wasn’t raining, yet. All day she’d sensed eyes on her, though as far as she could tell nobody was around. The sensation was so strong she couldn’t ignore it.

  “I watch you all the time,” Renee said cheerfully.

  Lorna turned and smiled at her. Renee lounged on the sofa. Dressed in yoga pants and a bright-pink jersey shirt a couple sizes too big, her long hair loose and flowing, she was stretched out and obviously comfortable. She was also beautiful. Just looking at her took Lorna’s breath away, and for the hundredth time she wondered how she ever got lucky enough to meet someone like her. Or that someone like Renee loved her back. It was a miracle.

  “I don’t mean you.” Besides Lorna and Renee, there was Renee’s mother Jolene, who’d been the housekeeper here for decades, Lorna’s brother Jeremy, and his fiancée Merry. She wasn’t referring to any of them. Whoever, or whatever, watched her today, it wasn’t one of her peeps.