by J C Fuller
“But Janie still had a job? She was a freelance photographer, correct?” Lane took a sip from the delicate antique cup, her hand lightly shaking as she returned it to its dainty saucer. For all she knew, it was a few hundred years old and valued at ten times more than her annual salary.
“It was a hobby really. That’s not to say she wasn’t good at it or didn’t take it seriously. She was a very talented young lady. Enjoyed all the travel and activity of it. Excellent eye.”
“Deputy Pickens said you were surprised when Janie showed up on your door?”
“Yes!” Sue’s smile turned practically carnivorous, “By the way, how is dark and handsome Deputy Pickens? He wasn’t able to come today?”
“He’s quite well and very, very busy,” Lane hurried on, “So, you weren’t expecting her?”
“No! Not at all! There was a knock on my front door and there she was! Asked if she could stay with me till Friday at the latest. I, of course, told her yes. But that I was flying to Europe the next day.”
“Sue, we found a backpack with Janie, but it didn’t hold her daily clothes. Like underwear, socks, toiletries. Things she would need if she was going to stay a few days. Did she leave any bags behind?”
“No. When I got home, there was a load of her clothes still in the dryer. I folded them up and put them in the guestroom for her next visit. As far as cosmetics, she didn’t need to wear make-up. Natural beauty. And for hygiene, I keep plenty of extra toothbrushes and such in the guest bathroom. I so enjoy having guests spend the night.”
Philip cracked a goofy smile and raised his eyebrows up and down at Lane, taking a big bite of danish.
Ignoring his antics, Lane made a quick mark across her notepad, scratching the question off her list.
“Was Janie upset when you told her you were leaving?” Lane asked, decidedly changing the subject.
“Disappointed, but not upset. Still, we had a very nice dinner at the Royal Fork and then said our good-bye’s in the morning. When I came home, everything was in its place and the housekey in its hiding spot like it should be. I’d thought she’d gone back to Seattle…” Sue’s voice dwindled into a sniffle. “I’m sorry.” She grabbed a tissue from the box on the table, clutching it in her hand.
“When you went to dinner, did anyone stop at your table? Did Janie see anyone she knew?” Lane leaned forward, pen at the ready.
Sue dabbed at her eyes and tilted her head to the side in thought. “It was pretty slow for a Wednesday night and it was an early dinner. Pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. There was our waitress, Lacey. Oh, and she did have a short conversation with Kevin Givens. He’s a cook in the back. And then Doctor Hadley and his wife were at the table next to us. That’s all I can remember.”
“How did Janie get around town? Did she borrow your car?” Lane suddenly wondered, a sinking feeling of regret hitting her stomach. Maybe she should have put a call into Rowles’s Towing company already? She hated making the same mistake twice.
“I told her she could, though my car was parked in the garage when I came home.” Sue turned to Philip and offered, “Another danish?”
“Did she mention if she was getting a ride to the park?”
“No. Not that I can remember. We were trying to fit a whole year of visiting into one dinner. I had to take the five o’clock ferry to be at the airport by seven in the morning, so we called it an early night after dinner.”
“Do you know why Janie was being so secretive about her visit?” Lane noted Philip had loaded his plate up with two more danishes. Sue’s Pekinese watching his every move.
“Secretive? I wouldn’t use that word, Sheriff. I think it was just a last-minute assignment. I’m sure she visited with her friends the next day,” Sue admonished lightly.
“And who do you think she called?”
“Well, Brent. Though they’d had a bit of a falling out after... and um,” Sue hurried on, starting to tear up again. “She most likely would have reached out to Amy Holmes or Gabe Garent. Possibly Lucas Wilson.”
“Why just possibly Lucas?” Lane was intrigued by the slight separation.
“Well, Danie and Lucas were dating when she drowned,” Sue added in a confidential tone, “Though I don’t think it would have ultimately worked between them.” She took a dainty sip of tea. “And it might have been difficult for Lucas to see Janie. You know, looking so much like her sister,” Sue sighed, shaking her head. “I can’t believe both of them are now gone.”
“Did Danie also have an apartment over in Seattle?” Lane was suddenly curious. “Or did the two share an apartment?”
“No.” Sue shook her head. “Danie loved living in Pennsylvania. In fact, she was planning on going to the University of Pennsylvania that fall. She wanted to major in fine arts.”
“So, the girls were sort of going their separate ways? Did they still seem close?” Lane asked, picking at the top of her breakfast muffin.
“As two peas in a pod.” Sue smiled fondly, “Here, I’ll show you.” She patted Philip on the leg before getting up and making her way to a large antique credenza. She came back holding three thick photo albums placing them on the coffee table. Philip reached over and moved the silver platter out of the way.
Settling back onto the couch, she flopped the top one open on her lap. “That’s not to say they didn’t bump heads from time to time. I mean, who doesn’t fight with their sister? But overall, they were very tight. Even for being so different.”
“Different, how?” Lane scooted to the edge of her chair, trying to see the photo album on Sue’s lap as she flipped the pages, apparently looking for a particular photo.
“Oh, well. They were complete opposites. Janie was athletic, Danie was studious. Janie was outgoing, Danie was shy. Janie would rather hang with the boys and Danie… you get the idea.” Sue stopped flipping pages and angled the album towards Lane so she could see the page. Philip leaned over Sue’s shoulder so he could see as well. “Just to give you an idea, here is a picture of Janie as a little girl. She had won her first swim meet. She was an excellent swimmer.” She turned to Philip, her face close to his, “My sister use to send me pictures of them while they were in school over in Pennsylvania. She had Janie in swimming classes and Danie in tennis.” Sue lightly patted the picture. “Danie was afraid of the water as a little girl.”
Lane peered down at the album, spotting among the photos, a polaroid of a dripping wet little girl in a red swimsuit. She was holding a gold medal, a big smile on her face. By the missing two front teeth, Lane guessed the girl was roughly seven years of age. Sue flipped two more pages and pointed at another picture of Janie, now in her late teens. She had a shapely figure, wearing a school blue swimsuit and a red swimming cap. Her smile was just as wide as she held her gold medal.
“How did she get into photography?” Lane smiled and nodded as Sue flipped more pages.
“That was Danie’s influence.” Sue stopped and wiggled her fingers towards the large painting above the fireplace. “That painting was originally a photo Janie took. Danie painted an exact replica.” She looked at the picture proudly. “Danie used to ask Janie to take a few pictures while hiking, so she’d have some views to reference when doing her paintings. Janie instead started dragging Danie with her on her hikes and they’d take photos together. Danie would then drag Janie into the studio, teaching her art techniques. Janie decided to make a career of it. They were a good team.”
“How did Janie deal with Danie’s death?” Lane stood up, walking across to the fireplace for a closer look at the painting, resting her hand on the large mantle.
“Oh, she took it incredibly hard. Completely cut herself off from everyone, including myself. I’d offered to go back with her to Pennsylvania to clear out Danie’s apartment, but she declined my offer. Poor thing did it all by herself.” Sue inched over to make room for Sweetums on the couch. “And while she was back east, my youngest sister, her adopted mother, sadly lost her battle with cancer. I saw Janie at th
e funeral, of course. I had wondered if she was going to stay in Pennsylvania, but then a month later, she called to say she was back in Seattle. I like to think she came back to Washington to stay close to me.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your sister,” Lane said sincerely, and walked back to her chair. “I can imagine losing both so close together was beyond heartbreaking.”
“And now I’ve lost Janie too.” Sue suddenly looked very tiny and very frail.
“Sue…. It sounds as if the girls really enjoyed their time here on island.” Lane tapped the photo album still sitting on Sue’s lap, hoping to lighten the mood with better memories.
“Oh, they did! Henry and I looked forward to it every year as much as they did. We tried our best to make their summer vacations fun.”
“I’m sure you did. So, who was the oldest?” Lane watched as Sue started flipping album pages again.
“Danie, I believe. But not by much.” She suddenly let out a squeal. “OH! This was a good day!” Sue moved the scrapbook closer to Philip, pointing down at the photo. “Do you remember this?”
Philip tilted his head and chuckled. “They sure were covered head to toe in mud. The dog looks happy though!”
“Excuse me. What do you mean, not by much?” Lane asked, straining to see the photo, wanting to be included.
Sue looked up at Lane with a vacant smile, before returning to the album. “Oh...by like, five minutes?”
“Five minutes? Are you saying, the girls were twins?” Lane asked flabbergasted, bouncing back and forth between Sue and Philip, both looking at her in return with confused smiles.
“I thought you knew that?” Philip questioned, looking back down at the photo album, turning a page himself.
“No! Nobody mentioned it,” Lane said, with shocked annoyance.
“I’m sorry, Sheriff. I thought you knew.” Sue tore back the cellophane cover and pulled a photo off the sticky surface of the page, handing it over to Lane. “They were identical twins.”
Chapter 21
“I don’t see why you’re mad at me,” Philip complained, as they climbed back into his truck, having said their good-byes to Sue.
“You don’t?” Lane slammed the truck door and held up the photo Sue had leant her. It showed two twenty-something girls, arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders, both smiling prettily for the camera. The only difference between them was one was wearing a yellow top and the other a red one. “How could you forget to tell me they were identical twins?” Lane asked with a huff, slapping the photo down on the dash to clip on her seat belt.
“To my defense, it’s common knowledge—”
“Common knowledge to who, Phil? To anyone whose lived their whole life on Rockfish Island?” Lane shook her head and rolled down the window, muttering something about small town logic.
“Sorry-ee. If I’d known you didn’t know, I would have told you. It’s not like it was a capital secret.” Philip maneuvered the truck down the hedged driveway. “What does it even matter?”
Lane bit her tongue, shooting Philip an annoyed look, grabbing the photo off the dash. “They were very pretty girls,” she said instead, in an attempt to cool her temper. “I noticed in the other photos Sue shared, one of them always seems to be wearing something red and the other yellow. Were those their favorite colors?”
Philip shrugged his shoulders. “I guess so.” Reaching the end of the driveway, he looked both ways before pulling out onto the road. “Janie always wore red and Danie yellow. It was how you could tell them apart from a distance.”
“Was it the only way?” Lane asked suddenly, bringing the photo up closer.
“Pretty much, from what I recall.”
Lane gave him a skeptical frown, her blue eyes doubtful.
“So, same laugh? Same walk? Same gestures?” Lane prompted, slipping the photo carefully into her notepad.
“Yeah, I suppose. I never really paid any attention.” Philip looked over at Lane. “What?”
“Identical twins are not THAT hard to tell apart…typically. There’s got to be some kind of attribute separating their identities. I mean, I went to school with twins. It was easy to tell them apart after you got to know them.”
“Yeah, but you have to keep in mind. We only saw these girls a couple of months and a whole year in between. Each year they came back looking a little different. A little taller, different haircut, wearing make-up. They grew up between visits.”
“Sure. I guess that makes sense.”
“I personally only saw them off and on during the summer. Didn’t spend any actual quality time with them. Was friendly with them though. You know, kept an eye on them when they were in the park, bumped into them downtown occasionally. Saw them at a few picnics and barbecues. They were nice girls. Polite, friendly, but they were playing with their friends. Enjoying their summer vacation.”
“As they got older though…” Lane paused, trying to form her question. “You didn’t notice more of a distinction between the two physically?”
“Well, um. They were both built…um…” Philip cleared his throat. “the same. Not that I ever looked at them in a sexual manner. They were just kids. But there was a point, where you couldn’t help but notice the awkward and geeky girls of a few summers ago, had returned to the island looking much more…” Philip cleared this throat again and glanced out his side window, “mature.”
Lane smirked at his explanation but understood what he was trying to convey.
Philip continued, “As they got older, Janie seemed more comfortable around the boys in a way Danie didn’t. Not…” Philip scrunched up his face, “Not in a bad way. I don’t want to give you the impression Janie was…uhh…”
“Loose?” Lane offered.
“I guess that’s as good of a word as any,” Philip agreed. “It was like Lucas had said. She was always hanging with the boys. Hiking, rock climbing, swimming, riding bikes through town. Where Danie was in the library reading, sitting with the girls over at Gelato Deli or jumping the ferry to go shopping. That sort of thing.”
“Did you think they were close?” Lane asked, giving Philip a questioning eyebrow.
“Very. Sure, they needed their time apart. But most of the time, they were inseparable.”
“I wonder how Danie felt about Janie and Brent getting together?” Lane pondered out loud.
“That you’d have to ask Brent…. or maybe, Amy Holmes would know? She and Danie were best friends.”
“Pull over, Phil.” Lane pointed to the side of the road.
“Something wrong? You not feeling good?” He maneuvered the truck over and put it into park.
“Just need to stop and think for a second.” Lane was still getting used to it only taking a few minutes to get anywhere on the island and she had a few thoughts she wanted to work out before they got back to her office. She took out her notepad and flipped a few pages. “We need to make a suspect list.”
“Oh, is that all.” Philip rolled his eyes and turned off the engine. They were going to be there for a while.
“Who would have a motive to kill Janie?” Lane asked, writing down the words ‘Suspect List’ on the notepad.
Before Philip could answer, she said slowly, “Brent… Allister” as she wrote down the name. “He admits to being the last person to see Janie alive and according to Sue, is the ex-boyfriend. Maybe he wasn’t happy about their break-up?” She peered over at Philip, seeing if he had a counterview. He usually did.
Philip made a face and shook his head. “Brent’s a good kid. I can’t see him doing anything to hurt anybody.”
“Uh-uh. Figured you’d say something like that.” Lane wrote another name. “Sue Carter.”
“Noooo. Sue?” Philip looked down at the notepad to make sure she’d really written the name. “She wasn’t even in the country!”
“Ranger, I’ve told you before. You have to look at these things objectively. Sue said both girls had money. Now let’s assume, when Danie died, her money went to her si
ster. So, what happens to all of the money when Janie dies? Who’s the next living relative? Could it be Sue? And as for her being out of the country? It could be a murder for hire.”
“Wait a second. Sue didn’t even know she was coming to the island,” Philip said smugly, mentally racking up a point for his side.
“We only have Sue’s word for that. She could be lying. Maybe she knew Janie was coming all along. When Janie arrived, Sue gives her a story about an emergency trip, and encourages her to stay at the house anyway.”
“Smarty pants.” Philip mentally erased his point.
“Which leads me to the third suspect, Jim Evans, her agent. He’s the one who reported her missing.”
“You think he ferried to the island, hiked up the hill, and tossed her over? Then went back to the mainland, waited a few days, and called it in?” Philip was skeptical. But then, it could have been done.
“It’s something I need to look into and cross off the list.” She wrote his name down, then added, “Now, on to number four.”
“Which is who?” Philip turned his head slightly, giving Lane a suspicious look out of the corner of his eye. “You better not say me or Kody.”
“A stranger,” Lane said loudly, giving him an irritated look. “Either a random person who saw an opportunity to push someone off the cliff or someone who was hired to kill her. Admittedly, it’s more likely to be a hired killer than some psycho. But as I’ve said before, I’m being—”
“Objective,” Philip said it with her. “Next? If there is a next?”
“There is. Angie Bennett.”