The Second Sister

by Dani Sinclair

  “We may have to,” he agreed. “Let me go back over and have a look around first.”

  “I could call her, see if she answers her phone.”

  “I already tried that. Come on, Leigh.”

  “We should break a window or something,” Leigh said as they walked away. “The woman’s right. She could be lying in there hurt.”

  “Take it easy. We’ll try the doors and windows first. One of them might be unlocked.”

  While the neighbor stood on her porch watching nervously, they determined the front door was locked with an impressive dead bolt. Gavin couldn’t see in through the windows because of the heavy drapes, but he tested each window as they walked around the house. Near the back, he got lucky. One window slid upward with a little coaxing.

  He boosted himself up. “Mrs. Walsh?”

  Pushing aside the drape, he peered inside and swore. Instantly he dropped back down to the ground.

  “What is it?” Leigh demanded. “What did you see? What are you doing?” she added as Gavin pulled out his cell phone.

  “Calling the police.”

  “Is she dead?”

  “I don’t know, but either your housekeeper likes retirement so much she gave up all cleaning, or her house has been ransacked.”

  “We should go in there! She could be hurt!”

  Gavin shook his head as his call was answered by an emergency operator.

  Despite her agitation, Leigh agreed to wait for the police to arrive. When two officers did arrive, the neighbor joined them and watched while Gavin showed them his identification and explained the situation. The neighbor added that she, too, was worried.

  After ordering them to wait in the driveway away from the house, the younger officer climbed through the same window Gavin had used. A moment later, he stuck his head back out, said something to his companion, and disappeared from view again. The second officer hurried to the back of the house.

  Gavin rested his hand lightly on Leigh’s arm. Her body pulsed with tension as they waited in silence for the police to reappear. When they did, both men came from the back of the house.

  “Sir, the house was ransacked, but there is no evidence to suggest that Mrs. Walsh was inside at the time.”

  Gavin felt some of the tension leave Leigh.

  “There’s no sign of a struggle. The back door’s unlocked so it’s probably just a random break-in.”

  “We didn’t make it all the way around the house,” Gavin told him.

  The neighbor spoke up, obviously distraught. “I should have taken in her papers when I saw them lying there. It’s just an open invitation for thieves.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the officer agreed.

  “What about her car?” Leigh demanded.

  That sent the officers around to the detached garage where they found the door unlocked and the car gone.

  “It can’t be happening again,” Leigh whispered.

  “What can’t?” Gavin asked.

  Leigh peered up at him with stricken eyes. “My mother simply vanished, and now Mrs. Walsh has disappeared.”

  Gavin shook his head. “This isn’t like what happened to your mother, Leigh,” he told her firmly.

  “How do you know that? No one knows what happened to my mother.”

  “This is different,” he assured her.

  “Is it?”

  Gavin wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He could feel small tremors in her slight frame as she stared at the garage. He wished he could think of something more comforting to say. After a minute, she leaned against him, but remained tense until the officers returned and reported that her car was also missing.

  “But there’s no sign of violence or a struggle,” the older officer was quick to point out. “We’ll secure the house and start an investigation, but odds are Mrs. Walsh will turn up.”

  “You have my number,” Gavin said. “Make sure someone gives me a call when you do locate Mrs. Walsh.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  In the end, there was nothing they could do but leave.

  “We don’t even know how to find Kathy to tell her that her mother’s missing,” Leigh muttered, staring back at the house as Gavin drove away.

  “But we did learn that Kathy has a boyfriend.”

  The neighbor, whose name had proved to be Dee Mill-house, had offered that information.

  “But she didn’t know where to find Kathy or her boyfriend.”

  “No, but she did notice he drove a car with license plates that weren’t issued here in New York.”

  “How is that going to help? She didn’t even know which state they were from. And where are you going? You should have turned back there.”

  “There’s a good pasta place downtown.”

  “You want to eat? Now?”

  “You can sit there and wring your hands if you want,” he told her with deliberate calm, “but it isn’t going to help you or Mrs. Walsh.”

  Her head jerked up.

  “More than likely, the neighbor was right. Mrs. Walsh probably went somewhere with her daughter and they were gone longer than they expected. Or it’s possible that her other neighbor, Jane, forget to take in her mail and papers, and some kid passing by saw the newspapers, found the open window like we did and tore the place apart looking for cash.”

  “But I heard those officers say the television and VCR hadn’t been touched.”

  “Not every thief wants to lug a television around with him. It’s difficult to explain away if you’re seen.”

  He kept his eyes on the road, but was aware that she tilted her head to one side as she regarded him.

  “That sounds like the voice of experience talking.”

  His lips curved with humor. “Nope, but I knew a few guys who knew a few guys.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Leigh fell silent. Gavin cast a quick look in her direction and was relieved to see normal color returning to her face. Her mother’s disappearance obviously haunted her the same way the death of his family had haunted him. Watching them die had been horrific, but he wasn’t sure how he would have dealt with the situation if he’d never known what had happened to them. At least he’d had bodies to bury.

  “I’m sorry,” she said as he found a parking space close to the restaurant. “I know you’re probably right.”

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry about. You care and that’s a good thing. My guess is that Mrs. Walsh will turn up in a few days with a perfectly logical explanation for her absence.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “Lawyers are supposed to be right. That’s why we get the big bucks. Come on. I think you’ll enjoy this place.”

  “Is food all you think about?”

  He gave her a long, slow look. A pulse jumped in her throat. “Food is definitely not the only thing I think about.”

  The restaurant was crowded, but Leigh agreed that she didn’t mind a wait. She wasn’t the least bit hungry and Gavin’s sudden mood switch wasn’t helping. What was she supposed to think when he was all business one minute and flirtatious the next?

  “You okay?”

  She managed a nod.

  “Saratoga Springs is a pretty town, isn’t it?” Gavin asked as they stood in the restaurant’s foyer waiting along with several other couples. “I haven’t been here in a number of years, but I used to hang out some at Lake Lonely in my wilder days. The name appealed to me.”

  When he smiled at her like that, it was hard to concentrate on anything else. “Do you miss them?”

  “My wilder days? No, I can’t say that I do.”

  Leigh knew Gavin was trying to keep her from dwelling on Mrs. Walsh’s disappearance, and she did her best to go along with him as they waited. When they were finally led to their table, Leigh noticed a man in his fifties, dining alone. He stared hard at Leigh, then abruptly smiled as if in recognition, the way a casual acquaintance might do. Leigh inclined her head politely while she wracked her brain for some idea as to who he was. His rou
nd, friendly face and the steel-gray mustache rang no bells whatsoever with her. Gavin didn’t seem to notice the exchange, so she didn’t say anything, but she was aware of the man’s gaze as she studied the menu, and wondered if he was someone who knew her sister. They were often mistaken for one another.

  “I need to use the men’s room and check my messages,” Gavin told her after they placed their orders. “I’ll be right back.”

  Leigh nodded. The restaurant bustled with noise and people, but she barely noticed. She was still thinking about Mrs. Walsh. Even though Gavin was probably right and there was a simple explanation for what had happened to Mrs. Walsh, Leigh couldn’t help feeling worried. Lost in thought, she was startled when the man she’d noticed earlier suddenly appeared beside her table.

  “Hello, again. Matt Klineman,” he said. “We met the other day.”

  She stared at his weather-seamed face with absolutely no recognition. “I’m afraid—”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m not great with names and faces, either, but a lovely lady like yourself is hard to forget. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I wondered if you’d pass along a message to your friend, the vet, for me.”

  Leigh shook her head. “I’m sorry. I think you have me confused with someone else.”

  For a moment he look baffled. Then his drooping eyes lit in understanding. “Ah, you’d rather your vet friend doesn’t know you were here with this friend, huh? I understand. I’ll give the vet a call later then. You don’t have to worry. He won’t hear about your date from me.”

  “No, wait. You’re mistaken. I don’t have a friend who’s a vet. Maybe you met my sister.”

  He eyed her with obvious skepticism. “No problem, missy. Sorry to have bothered you.”

  Leigh watched him amble away. Normally, she wouldn’t have thought twice about such an event. She would have pulled out the picture she carried that proved she was a twin. But she let him go because this was different. Leigh was fairly certain Hayley didn’t have any friends who were vets, yet the man seemed so convinced that she was feeling distinctly uneasy.

  She drummed her fingers against the tablecloth before reaching for her cell phone. She hated people who used cell phones in restaurants so she peered around for a place to go as the waitress arrived with their drinks.

  “Where is the ladies’ room?”

  “Back there,” the woman said, pointing in the direction Gavin had taken.

  “Thank you. I didn’t want you to think we were running off, but I need to make a quick phone call.”

  The woman smiled. “No problem. I’ll have your salads out in a moment.”

  “Thank you.”

  Leigh stopped in the alcove short of the rest rooms and punched the button that would connect her to her sister’s cell phone.

  “Hayley? It’s Leigh,” she said when her sister answered. “Did I call at a bad time?”

  “Nope. We’re leaving the hospital right now, but I forgot to charge my phone, so if I cut off suddenly, it’s because the battery died.”

  “How’s Bram’s father?”

  “Conscious, thank heavens. Apparently, he had a severe reaction to one of his medications. He should make a full recovery, according to his doctor. Bram wants to introduce me to him tomorrow after they move him out of intensive care. If everything looks good, we’ll head back to Heartskeep after that. Is everything okay there?”

  “Not exactly. Mrs. Walsh is missing and I need to know if you have a friend who’s a vet.”

  “What do you mean, Mrs. Walsh is missing?”

  A familiar, prickly feeling lifted the hairs at the back of her neck. Her gaze swept the restaurant, searching faces while she sketched in what had happened. There was no sign of the man who’d approached her, yet the feeling that she was being watched persisted. Hayley was speaking when the phone went dead.

  “Nuts.” Leigh clicked off her phone and looked up to see Gavin standing there, watching her.

  “Was that Hayley?”

  “Yes.”

  Across the room, the waitress was setting salads on their table.

  “Is everything all right with Bram’s father?” he asked.

  “Yes. I’ll explain at the table.”

  Leigh scanned the room as they walked back together. No one appeared to be paying any special attention to her, but more than one pair of female eyes was busy checking out Gavin. She knew all too well how appealing his air of confidence could be. They weren’t the watchers that concerned her.

  When they reached the table, she leaned close to Gavin and told him about the man who’d approached her. “He must have thought I was Hayley. He thought I was pretending not to have met him because I was two-timing this vet person with you,” she concluded.

  Gavin sat back, looking more relaxed. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much if I were you. He obviously made a mistake.”

  “I know, but I’m sure Hayley doesn’t know any vets.”

  “Ask her when she calls you back,” he advised. “As long as no vet comes looking to challenge me while I’m having dinner with my biggest client, I’d say there’s nothing to worry about.”

  There he went again, running hot and cold. Biggest client indeed. She was tempted to tell him it wasn’t going to work. They were both guilty of sending mixed signals, but she was tired of games. They needed to find out whether this attraction was simply sex, or something more.

  Simple.

  Ha.

  Nothing about Gavin would ever be simple.

  He picked up his fork and his lips curved. “Maybe you and Hayley have a double.”

  “You don’t think two of us are enough?”

  “Actually,” he said, looking her straight in the eyes, “I think the world could use a lot more people like you and Hayley.”

  Chapter Eight

  Afterward, Leigh couldn’t have said if the meal was good or not. She ate automatically, caught up in thoughts of starting a relationship with Gavin. She could see where a casual affair would present all sorts of problems, but they couldn’t keep ignoring the situation.

  They were waiting for the waitress to return with his change when that prickly feeling at the back of her neck intensified. For a while, it had gone away. Now it was back with a vengeance. Her gaze slipped over the people sitting around them.

  “Something wrong?” Gavin asked.

  About to deny the charge, she found herself nodding instead.

  “We’re being watched,” she told him.

  His nod was so slight she might have imagined it. “I didn’t realize you’d spotted him. Let’s go.”

  “Spotted who? What about your change?”

  “Forget it.”

  Gavin rose. Leigh did the same. The restaurant was even more crowded now than it had been earlier. A line of people waited to be seated. Gavin hustled her past everyone.

  “Stay close,” he said softly against her hair.

  As if she had a choice. He had a grip on her arm that practically pinned her against his side. He hurried them to the door. Once there, he paused an instant to rake the busy street with an alert gaze. Again, the terse nod.

  “Go.”

  Leigh went. She all but ran to keep up with his longer stride, but she didn’t complain. His urgency fed her own.

  “When we reach the car, get inside and fasten your seat belt,” he ordered. “Stay low.”

  “Who did you see?”

  He didn’t answer.

  Her pulse leaped. “Nolan?”

  “No.”

  Even before they reached his car, she heard the door locks thunk as he pressed his key chain to undo them. Gavin didn’t waste time holding the door open as usual. He went immediately around the car and slipped behind the wheel.

  “Who did you see?” she demanded again as he started the engine.

  “Keith Earlwood.”

  It took her a minute to make the connection. A tall skinny youth with a serious overbite, he’d been one of Nolan’s friends. The one with the op
en leer and the irritating laugh. Her stomach crawled.

  “Where was he?”

  “Across the street while we were eating. I lost track of him when we stood up.”

  “The whole time? He was across the street the whole time?”

  “I didn’t see him arrive.”

  “Don’t split hairs. Why didn’t you say something?”

  Gavin pulled out into traffic. “He has as much right to be in Saratoga Springs as we do.”

  “Then why are we running away?”

  “Because he may not be here alone.”

  Her stomach lurched, heavy with the undigested pasta. “We filled out papers to keep Nolan away.”

  Gavin shot a quick glance her way. His expression was wry. “You knew he wasn’t going to pay attention to a piece of paper.”

  “Then why did we bother?”

  “So we’d have legal grounds to take action against him when he makes his move.”

  There was an almost feral satisfaction in his tone.

  Slowly, Leigh shook her head. “You picked the wrong form of law, you know. You should have been a prosecuting attorney.” Anything else was far too tame for a hunter like Gavin.

  “Think so?” he asked with a thread of humor.

  She knew so. She could practically see the waiting intensity humming inside him. He wasn’t concerned. She’d bet money Gavin was looking forward to another opportunity to pound Nolan into the ground.

  He drove, giving equal concentration to his mirrors. Leigh had to resist an urge to turn around and keep watch behind them.

  “Got him,” he said abruptly.

  “He’s following us?”

  “Someone is. Dark green sedan.”

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  He flashed her a look.

  “You will remember that you’re a lawyer now, not a street tough anymore. Won’t you?”

  His lips curved. “Don’t worry.”

  “Yeah, right. What are you going to do?”

  “Take him on a little tour of the area.”

  That sounded foreboding.

  “We could call the police.”

  He turned down a side street. “And tell them what? He hasn’t done anything illegal that I know about.”