The Push

by J C Fuller

  “Ohhhh…I’m not much of a bowler.” Lane looked around the store, checking the close vicinity for Amy.

  “Phil could teach you. He’s a real good bowler.” Harry nudged Lane’s arm, giving her a playful smile. “Maybe the two of you, could make a date out of it?”

  “What did you just say?” Lane looked at Harry as if he’d sprouted horns and a long tail.

  “And then I could ask out the pretty new teller at the bank next door. We could make it a double date!”

  “Um, I suppose Amy isn’t working, is she?” Lane started to rubber neck the aisles, hoping to spot the young cashier.

  “Sure, she is. Had to stick the poor thing in the backroom. She’s been crying all day.” Harry spit on his rag and shined up the plaque a bit more. “She and Kody got into a fight, I guess.”

  “Do you mind if I visit with Amy back there? I need to talk to her about a few things.”

  “Not at all!” Harry found another spot needing a shine, “Hey, she’s not in trouble, is she?” He stopped buffing. “Because she does a good job around here and having her cover the mid-afternoon shift to closing has taken a huge weight off my shoulders. Especially with Hattie’s birthday party coming up.”

  The golden bell chimed, this time declaring Dub and Glen, who had come into the store for their afternoon coffee with Hattie.

  “Hey, Glen. Dub. Come check out my new trophy! Ain’t it something?” Harry welcomed them with open arms, steering them away from the picnic table.

  Seeing her opportunity, Lane started making her way down aisle one towards the back of the store. Passing the two-way mirror window, she slowed down as she approached the entrance, stopping in front of the swing doors leading to the storeroom and Harry’s office. She hesitated for a moment, tracing a bullet hole in the door with her finger, her heart skipping at the touch. This would be the first time she’d step foot in the storeroom since the incident last spring and though she wasn’t scared or superstitious, it was still a place of traumatic memories.

  With a quick inhale, she righted her shoulders and made her way through, standing just inside the doors. Little had changed. There were still piles of unbroken down cardboard boxes and pallets of product here and there. Racks of inventory stocked high to the ceiling with various products and unopened boxes left abandoned in the aisles. She could even see Harry’s office, a bright light under his closed door. Of course, there were some changes too. The room was brightly lit, better than it had been before and Harry had removed the empty, bullet ridden refrigerated cases.

  Gazing at the floor, she felt the slight movement of air behind her, the doors softly swinging back and forth, eventually slowing to a complete stop. And there, right at her feet, she could see the concrete. Now a shiny dark black, succeeding in thoroughly covering the large blood stain left six months before.

  “That you, Harry?” A croaking voice came from inside the rows of shelving. It sounded raw and sore from crying.

  Lane headed in the direction of the call and found Amy sitting on the storeroom floor. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, though most of it was falling out and she looked extremely tired, her eyes wet and red rimmed from crying. She was busy pulling out boxes of pasta from a large cardboard box, carefully pricing each one before placing them in a tidy row on the bottom shelf.

  “Hi, Amy. Can we talk?” Lane gave her an easy-going smile. “I wanted to discuss something with you.”

  Amy looked surprised to see her and got up from the floor, straightening her work smock.

  “I don’t know, Sheriff. I’ve had a really bad day and…Well, don’t take this the wrong way. But if you’re here wanting advice about my dad. I really don’t think I should get involved in his love life.” She nervously tugged on the end of her pony tail. “Angie told me you guys were fighting at the memorial.”

  Lane shook her head quickly. “No, this isn’t about your dad, Amy. I wanted to talk to you about Danie.”

  “You mean, Janie?” Amy lightly tossed the pricing gun into the large cardboard box scooting it aside with her foot.

  “I don’t know? Do I?” Lane asked, an edge to her voice.

  Amy suddenly looked wary and gave the sheriff a nervous look, fretting her bottom lip.

  “Tell me, Amy. When did you guess it was Janie who drowned last summer and not Danie, as everyone was led to believe?”

  Lane had taken a wild guess.

  Amy, of all of the friends, seemed to be closest to Danie and even though she was on good terms with Caleb. Not to mention, her dad was friends with Lane. Amy hadn’t asked either one of them about Danie’s death or the investigation. Lane thought she knew why.

  She watched as Amy’s shoulders drooped and her hands came up to cover her face, large sobs suddenly shaking her small frame. Taking the girl’s reaction as a positive answer, Lane gave her a moment before continuing, “Did you know it on the day she drowned?”

  Amy shook her head no, her hands still covering her face.

  “But you figured it out later?”

  Amy nodded yes, a large sobbing sigh bursting from her chest.

  “Did Danie know, you knew she was pretending to be her sister?” Lane asked gently, leaning up against the metal shelving.

  Amy dropped her hands, tears freely rolling down her cheeks, her mascara running. “No…” She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm herself, and then sniffled. “No, I never let on I knew.” She wiped at her eyes. “I was hoping someday she’d tell me, but I think she was too scared. I know I probably should have said something, but I was so—”

  Lane held her hand up, indicating for Amy to hold on and quickly walked through the shelved aisles. Spotting a stack of Kleenex boxes, she grabbed one, ripping the top open as she walked back.

  “Here. I’ll pay for it on my way out.”

  Amy took the box with a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

  “Let’s start at the beginning. Do you know why Janie was pretending to be Danie while you guys were out camping?”

  The young girl blew her nose and then pulled two more tissues out of the box.

  “I do. It started as, sort of a practical joke. The night before, Brent had made some smart mouth comment to Lucas. Bragging he could tell the twins apart. And Janie... That is, the real Janie. She wanted to see if he really could. Those two, the twins, they prided themselves on being exactly alike physically. Except for the whole red and yellow thing.” Amy took a deep breath, starting to calm down. “Janie also suspected Brent was going to propose and I think, she wanted to make sure he really did love HER and not a copy.” Amy suddenly shrugged, “I don’t know how to explain it.”

  “You’re doing fine. Keep going,” Lane encouraged.

  Amy nodded hurriedly, indicating she would continue, stuffing the used tissues in her smock pocket.

  “She really had to coax Danie into doing it.” Amy rubbed her nose with a new tissue and then chuckled. “Danie didn’t want to get stuck in an awkward moment, you know. In case Brent tried to kiss her or put his hands somewhere.”

  Lane nodded her understanding. That would have been expected, considering how everyone described Danie as being so extremely shy and uncomfortable around men, unlike her sister. The shy twin most likely would have been hesitant.

  “She only went along with it because Janie promised they’d switch back before lunch, so she wouldn’t have to pretend all day. They had swapped identities that night, sleeping in each other’s tents instead of their own.”

  “And do you think Brent figured it out?”

  “He was completely clueless.”

  “Janie must have been disappointed. Did she try to drop any helpful hints for the poor guy?”

  Amy nodded her head.

  “A few. She was acting more flirtatious than Danie would ever have dreamed of being. Hanging on Gabe. Rubbing his back or shoulders, holding his hand, being really cutesy. Oh, and she ate some watermelon. Danie didn’t like watermelon. The biggest hint though, was saying she wanted to
go for a swim. Danie was scared of the water. But…then again, it was a super-hot day. I think Brent assumed she was going to dip her toes by the shore.”

  “Amy, do you remember who found her floating in the ocean?” Lane reached for her pad, but kept her eyes on the weeping girl.

  Amy shook her head, “It was one of the guys, but I don’t recall which one. Maybe, Gabe?”

  “So, after she said she was going swimming, what happened next?”

  “I thought the swimming comment was code for them to switch back. I assumed they were going to sneak down to the water, quickly swap clothes and flip flops, and then return back to camp as their normal selves. That’s why I decided not to go with her.” Amy took a deep breath, trying to fight off the coming tears again. “Sorry, Sheriff. With Brent dying and losing Danie…again…on top of Kody and I getting into a huge fight this morning.” Amy started to play with the end of her ponytail. “I’m a bit of an emotional mess. Sorry.”

  “It’s alright. You’re allowed to be.” Lane gave the young woman another minute to compose herself. When she thought she was settled enough, she asked, “Did Danie love Lucas?”

  “Sort of. Both Lucas and Gabe were really into her, but she was planning on going to college back east, so she didn’t take either one of them very seriously.”

  “But she did prefer one over the other, didn’t she?” Lane asked, a knowing smile crossing her face.

  “She liked Lucas more than she did Gabe. He made her laugh and Danie was so shy most of the time. I think it made her feel less self-conscious, you know?” Amy stared down at the floor, a lost look on her face.

  “But she did like Gabe too?” Lane asked, wanting to clarify if both boys had the young woman’s attention or if it was only one-sided.

  Amy simply nodded her head, still staring at the floor.

  “What do you think she liked about Gabe?” Lane gently moved a piece of fallen hair from Amy’s face, tucking it behind her ear.

  “Um, I think she liked the fact he was striving for a future. Going to medical school really impressed her. She told me Gabe had even talked to her about maybe switching his credits to the Perleman School of Medicine at Penn State and getting his medical degree there.”

  “Did she like the idea?” Lane asked, surprised Gabe would follow her all the way to Pennsylvania.

  “I don’t really know. Though, she probably thought it might be nice to have a friend close by. She only brought it up the once.”

  “Lucas and Gabe, they both knew they were going after the same girl?”

  “Yeah, but it didn’t seem to affect their friendship. Besides, Lucas didn’t think he had a chance in hell and Gabe, he’s always such a gentleman. I think if Danie had flat out picked Lucas over him, he probably would have stayed silently devoted.” Amy’s eyes got weepy. “He tried so hard to save her…”

  “And why did Lucas think—” Lane tugged on the girl’s smock collar, trying to keep her on subject.

  “That he didn’t have a shot in hell? Oh, that’s because Lucas isn’t brainy. He’d rather play video games or go climbing, or boating. Anything else other than stick his nose in a book. Danie was an intellectual. She enjoyed literature, art galleries, documentaries. Stuff like that. She and Gabe had way more in common than she and Lucas in that area.”

  “Well, they do say opposites attract.” Lane gave a small smile, a flickering image of Philip popping into her head. “So, um… you’re sure the two never argued over her?”

  “No, don’t think so.” Amy daubed at her eyes, smearing black mascara across the white tissue.

  “What about Brent or Kevin? Could they of had a secret thing for Danie?”

  “Mmmmm.” Amy’s eyes looked doubtful. “All the boys liked one of the twins at some point over the years, but I don’t think so.”

  “What about you? You liked Gabe, didn’t you? You weren’t jealous of Danie, since Gabe had such strong feelings for her?”

  Amy shrugged her shoulders, along with a sniffle. “Maybe a little, but nothing I couldn’t get over,” she said, somewhat defensively. “Besides, once Danie left back east, who knows what would have happened.”

  “Janie…Sorry, who we thought to be Janie. She told someone Lucas was stalking her while she was in Seattle. Know anything about that?”

  “Really?” Amy looked honestly surprised. “Lucas never leaves the island. I mean, if he’s not climbing, he’s plopped in front of his tv playing video games or down at Piper’s Place drinking with the boys. He’ll go boating with his dad from time to time, but he stays put, for the most part. He’s a lounger.”

  “Let’s move onto Angie. Did she get along with Danie?”

  “Yeah, really well. They both had a love for horses.”

  Lane frowned, realizing the loan from “Janie” to Angie made sense now.

  “The loan to buy the Arabian horse. It really came from Danie. But then, that went sour, didn’t it?”

  “I suppose no one likes feeling they’ve been taken advantage of…. even Danie.”

  Lane agreed. No one likes being played the fool. She took a deep breath and gave Amy a hard look, wondering if that was exactly what she was being taken for.

  “Amy, are you telling me everything? You sure you don’t know who wanted to kill Danie?”

  “No!” Amy flung her hands to her side helplessly, “We all loved her!” She took another tissue from the box.

  “When did you suspect it was Janie who actually drowned?”

  Amy looked up at the ceiling as if the answer was floating above, her shoulders heaving in a long sigh.

  “When Gabe was trying to save her, I was holding on to who I thought was Janie. But when the medics showed up and pronounced Danie dead… the look on her face…it wasn’t sorrow. It was fear. She looked absolutely petrified!” Amy shook her head as she continued, “And then, at the funeral, I noticed she kept as far away from Brent and the rest of the guys as she could. She even seemed distant to Angie and me, which was really odd,” Amy’s voice cracked, “And I suddenly had this crazy idea flash through my head. What if they hadn’t switched back? What if the sister, who loved to swim and who knew better then to go jumping off Shallow Point, was the one who actually drowned? And…and that’s when, I think I realized, they hadn’t gotten a chance to switch back.”

  “And you kept Danie’s secret? You let her pretend to be her dead sister. To keep her safe?”

  Amy slowly nodded, her hands wringing the used tissues.

  “Did you tell anyone else your suspicions?” Lane tilted her head, trying to catch her eye.

  Amy shook her head no, giving her shoulders a light shrug.

  “No one? Not even Angie?”

  “No…nobody. To be honest, the idea freaked me out. It’s why I moved to my mom’s after it happened. I didn’t know what to think! All I knew, is I didn’t want to be around my friends anymore… any of them. You know, just in case.”

  “So, when you left. Did you see Danie or visit her when you lived in Seattle?”

  “No,” Amy frowned, “I tried to meet up with her a couple of times. We made plans, but she always blew me off. I reasoned she was either scared I’d realize she wasn’t really Janie… or…” Amy shuddered, “Or she was scared of me. Maybe, she thought I did it? I don’t know.”

  “Amy, you wandered off that afternoon, before she was found. Where did you go?” Lane tried to ask the question gently, but knew it would sting all the same.

  Amy’s mouth twisted into a sour smile. “I know you have to ask. It’s okay.” She straightened up and pulled down tight on her smock, “I went to find Brent, so I could tell him what the twins were doing. I thought it was a lousy trick to play on him.”

  “And did you find him?” Lane asked, curiously. Possibly Brent had an alibi for Danie’s death after all?

  “No. I’d called his name a few times, but I never spotted him. I’d given up and was heading back to camp, when I heard the yelling. I just followed everyone to the point.”<
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  “I see.” Lane believed the girl. “Amy, it’s very likely, whoever accidentally killed Janie, discovered their mistake and to rectify it, they pushed Danie off the cliff. You’re a smart girl. I’m pretty sure you’ve already pieced that together?”

  Amy looked down at her feet and gave no reply.

  “Amy, who killed the twins?”

  The young woman closed her eyes as if she was trying to wish away the question.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know which one of them did it.”

  Chapter 37

  Philip looked at his cell phone for the fifth time, finding still no response to his text message. Annoyed, he shoved the phone back into his pants pocket and settled into the park bench stationed in front of the sheriff’s office.

  When he had arrived, there had been an ‘Out to Lunch’ sign hung on the door and neither patrol vehicle was parked in front of the building. It looked as if both the sheriff and deputy were gone and eager to speak with Lane in person, he’d been forced to wait. That had been thirty minutes ago…and counting.

  Philip sighed, glanced at his watch, then sighed again. He had planned on showing up much earlier in the day, eager to tell her about his conversation with Doctor Hadley the night before. But when he’d strolled into the ranger’s office that morning, he was confronted with a distraught Kody. The young man, after much coaxing from Philip, had finally divulged he and Amy had gotten into a fight.

  Apparently, Deputy Pickens had been foolishly trying to poach Kody’s girl. Kody was upset Amy hadn’t discouraged his actions more thoroughly and Amy was convinced he was trying to break up with her. It all boiled down to the fact Kody was going off to college soon and she was staying behind on the island. Philip did his best to give what advice he could.

  Deciding he might as well wait out the full lunch hour, Philip watched traffic as it slowly meandered down main street. Occasionally there was a honk, as his fellow islanders came and went, which he responded to with a wave or nod of the head. As the lunch hour dwindled down, less traffic drove by. He found himself stifling a yawn.