Skeletons in the Mist (The McCall Twins)

by Jennifer Hayden

  “She’s a drama queen. She’s seventeen,” he said on a sigh.

  “I’m not a drama queen!”

  “You are, Luce. Get a grip. It’s only for a night, until I figure out what to do with her.”

  “What do you mean until you figure out what to do with me?” Roxy asked, annoyed. He made her sound like a stray dog or something, which after she thought about it, she realized she was, in a way.

  “She’s not a puppy, Chas. She’s a person!” Lucy said, taking the words right out of Roxy’s mouth. “And I’m not standing for this.”

  “You are. You don’t have a choice.”

  “Why in hell don’t you just have her stay at your place?” Luci asked irritably, after a moment of thought that evidently convinced her he was right—there likely wasn’t anything she could do about things.

  “Because that would be awkward—and a conflict of interest. It wouldn’t be right,” he finally finished. “She’s part of a case I’m working on.”

  “So! You screwed that freakin’ witch down at the police station and you work with her!”

  Roxy had no trouble placing the witch Luci was referring to. The desk Nazi came to mind immediately. She watched, as for the first time since she’d met him, Chas McCall’s eyes darkened with anger.

  “Watch it, Luci.”

  “Why?” she asked, her nerve deflating somewhat, yet still there enough to keep her in the fight.

  “Because you’re pissing me off, that’s why.” He glared at her a moment. “Go to bed.”

  “It’s not like I’m lying. Everybody knows about it.”

  “I said, go to bed.”

  “You are not my boss. You guys always come around when Mom and Dad are gone and try to tell me what to do. I don’t have to listen to you!”

  “Yes, you do.”

  Letting out a frustrated groan, Luci turned on her heel and headed for the stairs. “I hate you, Chas McCall!”

  “I love you too,” he called after her, then turned to Roxy. “She’ll be okay in the morning. She’s on the verge of womanhood or some other teenage female crisis.” He rolled his eyes, apparently not realizing that Roxy was annoyed with him as well. Either that or he didn’t particularly care.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t talk to her like she’s a child,” she suggested, setting her bag down on the living room carpet, now that she was fairly sure she was staying.

  “She is a child,” he reminded her and grimaced as his phone beeped. He read the window on the phone, then shoved it back into his pocket. “I have to go. There are several rooms available upstairs. Pick one and make yourself at home. There’s food in the kitchen. I don’t know what exactly. I gave Luci money this morning but she tends to buy clothes rather than groceries.”

  “I don’t need to eat your family’s food.”

  “My family isn’t around. And if they were, they would tell you to help yourself. They’re that way.”

  She found herself wondering if her family would have been this way, had things been different and her mother and sister lived.

  “I have to go,” he said again. “If you have a problem, my cell number’s on the business card I gave you. It’s also on the refrigerator. All of my brothers have numbers there too. Trace is my twin and Josh is the other one you met today. You know Brody, of course. Jared’s a doctor and is probably working tonight. And then there’s my sister Joely. She most likely won’t show up. If she does, call me.”

  Confused, she sorted through all of the names he mentioned. “Why should I call you if she shows up? Isn’t she supposed to be here?”

  “She doesn’t come around much,” he answered, shutting his phone off as it began chirping again. “She has a husband and a son. I love my nephew but I’ve had more than one run in with my brother-in-law, if you get my drift.”

  She raised a brow, but he refused to elaborate.

  “Just call me if she shows up.”

  “I think your sister’s right. None of your family is going to like me being here.” Suddenly her nerves got the better of her and she wanted nothing more than to be back in Seattle in her nice, comfy bed, with her broken down car and her hateful job.

  “It’s not a problem, okay? I wouldn’t have brought you here if I thought it was. I wasn’t lying earlier when I told Luci I talked to my mom. She was fine with it. Now do you need me to show you to a room or can you take it from here? I really have to get going. The station’s calling me.”

  She forced herself to hold up her chin. “I can handle it.”

  FIVE

  Roxy spent a restless night, tossing and turning, unable to find peaceful sleep, what with all of the turmoil going through her mind. By the time the clock hit five AM, she gave up on the idea of actually sleeping, and sat up in the double bed she’d fallen into nearly five hours earlier.

  The light in the room was on, just as she’d left it the night before. She’d chosen this room on purpose. It had been Chas’s. She’d figured he was the only McCall besides Luci who knew she was in the house. Let his be the space she invaded. And truth be told, he had her curiosity piqued. After identifying his room, by carefully observing his numerous sports trophies and awards that still adorned the walls, she’d set her bag down on the floor and looked around. The décor consisted of posters of sports heroes like Joe Montana and Edgar Martinez. On the closet door, there was a rather large pictorial of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. She found herself rolling her eyes at that. It only figured that he’d been into blondes with big boobs as a teenager. Of course what man wasn’t?

  Attached to his mirror, were a few more personal pictures—he and his twin brother, both laughing and acting silly. They looked to be around thirteen or fourteen in the photo. There was another of them both in football gear. A third showed them playing baseball together. A family photo was tucked into the mirror as well.

  Roxy viewed the McCall family with what could only be described as envy. They were a beautiful group, that was for sure. Chas’s mother was slim and attractive. She had the same light brown hair that he and his brothers had. Mr. McCall was darker, more like Luci. He was a large man with a friendly smile. He had such a proud look on his face as he stared into the camera. Roxy couldn’t help but wonder if her father had looked that way when he’d been with his own family. She couldn’t remember much about the times she’d shared with her family in its entirety. She’d been six when her mother and sister had been killed. By the time her father remarried, she’d been nearly thirteen and well down the path to destruction. She doubted that he’d looked on her with much pride at that point.

  Her gaze wandered the room again. Chas had to be in his early thirties and still his parents hadn’t changed his room. What was it like to be loved that much—to know that you always had a place to come home to, no matter what happened in your life, no matter what mistakes you made?

  Roxy’s chest tightened and she deliberately avoided looking at that mirror and its pictures a second time. What was the point in dragging out her wounds from the past?

  Sliding over the side of the bed, she ran her hands over her face. She was exhausted. Hell, she hadn’t slept in the past three days. Back home she’d been too busy tying up loose ends, and now she was too anxious. Maybe the McCalls had a coffee pot. She’d just about do anything for a nice, hot cup of java.

  Twenty minutes later, she was sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for the appliance to percolate. She’d taken a quick shower, but decided against trying to dry her hair. She didn’t want to risk waking Luci up. The girl obviously resented Roxy’s presence and she couldn’t exactly say she blamed her. Chas had dumped Roxy in his sister’s lap without even the slightest discussion. He’d been bossy and overbearing. And his sister had realized she had no choice but to go along with things. She was likely going to have a chip the size of the state of Texas on her shoulder this morning.

  Hopefully Chas would arrive to pick Roxy up before his sister got out of bed.

  While she waited for the coffee to f
inish brewing, she reached for her cell phone and dialed the phone number to Myles’s apartment. Who cared if it was only six in the morning? He’d caused her some serious irritation and he was going to get a piece of her mind before he headed off to work. He answered on the third ring and sounded surprisingly wide awake.

  “What do you think you’re doing, calling up that cop like that?”

  “Well, it’s about time you called. I figured you would get in touch with me last night.”

  “I would have. My phone was dead.”

  “I hope you aren’t going to get that turned off too. It’s the only means I have of contacting you.”

  “Quit with the snide remarks, Myles. You caused me problems when you called Chas McCall. I don’t understand why you thought you had the right to do that.”

  “I was worried. I knew things had gotten messy for you the minute you received his call. I naturally assumed your problems were connected to him. Clearly, I was right.”

  “You didn’t need to tell him my life story. He’s been sticking to me like glue ever since.”

  “Lucky you. He sounds pretty dreamy. Am I right?”

  She rolled her eyes and groaned. “Myles, that is not the point. I appreciate your concern but you need to let me handle this situation myself.”

  “What is this situation ? I couldn’t get word one out of the cop.”

  Point one for Chas McCall, she declared to herself. “There’s no need for me to explain everything to you right now. Just know that I’m fine and I’ll be back in a few days, maybe a week. I’m not sure yet.”

  “Are you in some kind of danger? Is that why you’re involved with the police and hiding things from me?”

  “I’m not in danger. You’re being dramatic again. I’ll call you in a few days.” She disconnected the call, just as the back door opened. She recognized Chas immediately. He kicked the door shut with his foot, then jumped when he saw her sitting at the table.

  “God, you scared the crap out of me. I didn’t think you’d be up yet.” He set a paper bag he was carrying down on the counter and pulled the zipper on his police issued windbreaker loose. He was more casual today, wearing jeans and a t-shirt as opposed to the suit pants and dress shirt he’d been wearing the night before. She decided she liked this casual look better. He was more relaxed, more approachable—until he took the jacket off and his shoulder holster came into view.

  “Sorry,” she finally muttered. “I couldn’t sleep. I hope it’s okay that I made some coffee.”

  “How do you know I’m not Trace?” he asked, his brow narrowed with sudden amusement.

  She looked at him strangely, then shook her head. “Because he doesn’t seem the type to wear jeans that borderline sloppy and his holster is on the left side.” She watched the surprise cross his face. “I also noticed you’re an inch or two taller and your hair is longer,” she added, getting up and heading for the coffee pot. She poured herself a mug and then turned around and glanced up at him. He now looked more impressed than surprised.

  He tossed his jacket on a kitchen chair and reached for the coffee pot. “That’s a lot of observing you’ve done there, Ms. Tavish. And in a rather short amount of time.”

  “I was a twin once. I notice things like that. Besides, my sister and I had some of those same traits. She was right handed, I’m left. She was two inches taller than me. And, she liked her things neat…” Her voice broke off and she shrugged, not particularly comfortable talking about Rachel. In fact, this was the first time she’d mentioned her sister in a very long time.

  “Ah, so you are a slob,” he said, a grin on his face. “We have a lot in common.”

  “Are you trying to scare me?”

  He laughed and she felt the tension in her shoulders ease a little.

  “I genuinely irritate the hell out of my brother. He finds my housekeeping revolting. It’s nearly caused us to quit sharing a house several times.”

  “You live with your brother?”

  “We share a place on the other side of town. We rarely cross paths though. He has a girlfriend named Willow that he stays with off and on. Good thing too. His neatness drives me just as crazy as my tendency to be a slob drives him.” He took a long sip of coffee. “There are bagels in the bag. I didn’t know what you normally eat for breakfast but it didn’t look like you ate any dinner last night so I figured you must be hungry.”

  “I love bagels. I wasn’t real hungry last night.”

  “You took in a lot of bad news. That would affect anyone’s appetite.” He reached for the paper bag and pulled out several bagels. “Luci didn’t give you a hard time after I left, did she?”

  “I haven’t seen her since she told you she hated you and stomped up the stairs.”

  “She should be getting up. She has cheer practice at eight at the high school all summer long.” He checked his watch, then popped two bagels into the toaster. “There’s cream cheese in the bag. I’m going to go drag her out of bed. She’s not much of a morning person so steer clear.” He disappeared around the corner. She felt a pang of anxiety, wondering if he would notice she had picked his old bedroom to sleep in the night before. Chances were that he wouldn’t take the time to check.

  She lifted the small tub of cream cheese out of the paper sack and opened it up while she waited for the bagels to pop up. Chas returned a moment later. He didn’t look particularly worried about anything so she assumed Luci must have cooperated. He dove back into his coffee, taking a huge sip.

  “Does she still hate you?” she couldn’t help asking.

  “Nah. She loves me. I’m her favorite brother. She was just mad is all. She gets over things quick.”

  “That’s what you think, big brother.” Luci McCall glided into the room, giving her brother a smack on his behind as she passed him. She tossed an embarrassed smile at Roxy. “You’ll have to excuse me for freaking out last night. I was tired and I had a fight with my boyfriend.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I felt bad for barging in on you.” Roxy smiled, deciding she liked Luci after all.

  “My mother would have skinned me if she’d heard the tantrum I threw. There are times when my brothers get on my last nerve. Chas wasn’t the first one to stop by yesterday. Brody and Trace were both here, yelling at me about spending their money on shoes.” She looked down at her feet, which were enclosed in a pair of very trendy and very cute flip flops. Then she shrugged her shoulders and went to work spreading cream cheese on her bagel.

  Chas grinned at Roxy over his coffee cup, but didn’t comment. It was obvious that he enjoyed giving his little sister a hard time. It was also obvious that he cared for her a great deal.

  “So what are you two up to today?” Luci asked, looking curiously from Roxy to Chas. It was evident that she had the wrong idea about what was going on here. Roxy opened her mouth to speak but Chas beat her to the punch.

  “Nothing that concerns you,” he informed his sister, now serious. “Worry about getting yourself to practice.”

  “It’s not like I’m gossiping,” she said incredulously.

  “Sure you are. And by the way, there’s nothing to gossip about here anyway. I’m in the middle of a case and Roxy’s a part of that case. Do you get me?” He gave her a stern look.

  She rolled her eyes. “I get you. Calm down.”

  He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Don’t you dare buy clothes with this, Luci. I’m not kidding this time.”

  Luci smiled as she took the twenty-dollar-bill her brother offered her. “Thanks, big bro. Love you!” She smiled and winked at Roxy as she grabbed the other half of her bagel and disappeared from the room.

  Roxy couldn’t help but smile back. “She’s nice.”

  He shoved his wallet back into his pocket and picked his coffee mug up. “She’s a good kid. Smart mouth and extremely high maintenance, but good.”

  “I suppose you aren’t high maintenance?” She raised a brow at him.

  “Do I look high ma
intenance to you?”

  He had a point.

  “Give me a ratty pair of Levis and a t-shirt and I’m happy. Toss a broken in pair of old work boots into the mix and I’m ecstatic.” He grinned at her as he reached for a bagel. “You don’t impress me as the fashion conscious type either.”

  She let that mull over in her brain for a moment, then frowned. “I think I’ve just been insulted.”

  He laughed, then shook his head. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just saying that you seem to appreciate the simple things in life. I’m used to the women around me being pretty high maintenance. Even the women I work with.”

  “Yes, I suppose you are.”

  “You’re taking my words out of context.”

  “I don’t think so, Detective.”

  It was his turn to frown. “I don’t think we need the formality anymore. Apparently you’ve slept in my bed.”

  Heat climbed up her neck before she could stop it. Of course he had checked! She shrugged her shoulders, trying to act nonchalant. “I didn’t want one of your siblings to come home, not expecting me to be here, and climb into bed with me.”

  He raised a brow, lifting his coffee cup to his lips. She hated when he was silent. It spoke louder than any of the words the man spoke.

  “So, what? You think I picked your bed for some other reason?”

  His smile never faltered. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

  “You are an egomaniac.” Avoiding his gaze, she went to work covering her bagel with cheese spread.

  “Roxy, I’m kidding.” He cleared his throat, now sounding a little uncomfortable himself. “And for the record, I’m not an egomaniac.”

  “Of course you are,” she said, feeling a little stupid for making such a big deal out of his teasing.

  “You’re wrong, but suit yourself and think what you want. Just do me a favor and call me Chas.”

  She was quiet a moment. “That’s an interesting name. I heard Luci call you Chase last night. Is that your real name?”