Deadly Image

by Tamelia Tumlin

  “Because she wasn’t adopted. We … we just took her in.”

  A strangled cry escaped Lexi’s lips. “What are you saying? You kidnapped me?”

  “No!” Shock flittered across her father’s features as the word exploded from him. “Nothing like that. We were your godparents. Your parents died when you were three years old. We raised you as our own. You were so little and had been through so much.” Peter shook his head. “We meant to tell you when you were older. We really did. But you kept having those anxiety attacks, and we were afraid telling you might do you more harm than good. We thought it didn’t matter.” Peter’s blue eyes pleaded for her to understand. “We loved you like our own child anyway.”

  “What happened to her parents?” Ace’s jaw tightened.

  “They perished in the fire.”

  “Fire?” Fear chilled her bones. Was this why she was a pyrophobe?

  “One night your house caught on fire. You were trapped in your room and your parents tried to reach you, but they couldn’t. The roof collapsed on their end of the house before they could get to you and they died. Thankfully, one of the firemen was able to get you out.”

  “My nightmares,” Lexi whispered hoarsely. “All this time, they were real. That’s why I’ve always been terrified of fire.” An image of another little girl crying in the flames seeped into her mind. A little girl calling her name over and over again. She hadn’t been alone in her room. Lexi trembled. “Who else was in the house?”

  Peter’s eyes brightened with unshed tears. “Lexi, don’t–”

  “Who, Dad? Who else was in the room with me?” Lexi choked on a sob as the images flashed before her. The screams. The flames. The smoke.

  Peter closed his eyes and rasped, “Your sister, Laura.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  “My sister?” Blood pounded in Lexi’s temples as the room began to swirl. She fought to maintain consciousness. “I have a sister? Where is she? Did she die in the fire too?”

  Peter shook his head. “By the time the firemen could get to her, though, she’d suffered third degree burns on her legs as well as carbon monoxide poisoning.”

  “Then where is she? Weren’t you her godparents too?”

  Peter looked away. “Laura’s injuries were extensive. We were told recovery would require years of surgeries and physical therapy. No one even knew the extent of her brain damage from lack of oxygen at the time.” Peter’s shoulders drooped. “Of course, we wanted to take her in as well, but the doctors convinced us she would be better off in a facility where she could get the care she needed.”

  Lexi gasped. “So you just left her there? In an institution?”

  Peter jerked his head around, pain and remorse, topped with trauma from the past few days, made him appear older and more fragile. He barely resembled the strong protective man she’d grown up with. “We didn’t have a choice. Your mother and I couldn’t provide the kind of care Laura needed. Not emotionally or physically. The best we could do for her was set up a discretionary trust fund to help with expenses.”

  “Then she’s still there?”

  Peter nodded. “The carbon monoxide was too much for her little body to handle. She’s not mentally stable enough to function outside the facility. Actually, it’s more of a group home.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us this earlier?” Ace demanded, steel lacing his voice. “This information could have been useful in the investigation.”

  “We wanted to, but we didn’t want Lexi to find out she wasn’t our flesh and blood. It happened so long ago, we didn’t see how it could be relevant to Anna’s disappearance. I tried to convince Victoria to at least tell the FBI, but she was afraid if we said anything, the whole horrible tragedy would come out and it would trigger another one of Lexi’s attacks.” Peter looked at his daughter. “Like Carl’s accident did. You were in such a dark place for so long we thought we’d lost you then.” He shook his head. “Victoria couldn’t bear the thought of risking it again, so she begged me not to say anything. Neither of us thought for one minute that Laura could be responsible for this. I still don’t. She’s under supervision in the group home and she’s never passed her mental evaluations. Besides, Lexi has a different last name and there aren’t any adoption papers to trace her. How would Laura ever find out she has a sister, much less be able to track her down?”

  “What group home is she in?” Ace pulled his notepad and pen from his pocket.

  “Shady Grove Care Facility in Ohio.”

  “Ohio?” Lexi tightened her lips. “Why Ohio?”

  “That’s where your parents lived. Where you lived.”

  “I grew up in Dallas. If my parents were from Ohio, how did you know them?”

  “Your father and I were best friends in college – UCLA. We remained friends even after we graduated. I took a job in Dallas and he went to work for a company in Ohio, but we would get together a few times a year. When you and Laura were born, your parents asked us to be your godparents. Victoria and I agreed, but never dreamed something like this would happen.”

  “Who were my real parents? What were their names?”

  Peter flinched as she stressed the word real. “Steven and Diane Duncan.”

  “So Laura’s last name is Duncan?” Ace scribbled on the notepad.

  “Yes. Laura Elaine Duncan.”

  Ace fixed Peter with a hard stare. “If you didn’t adopt Lexi how did she legally get your last name?”

  A flush spread over Peter’s face. “A good friend of mine worked for the FBI at the time this happened. He was in the witness protection program division so he was able to get Lexi’s birth certificate changed and make her past disappear.” Peter reached for Lexi’s hand. “We never meant to hurt you or to deceive you. We just did what we thought was best at the time.”

  “What about grandparents or aunts and uncles? Didn’t I – we – have any?”

  Peter shook his head. “Both of your parents were only children. Your mother’s – Diane’s – parents were killed in a plane crash years before you and Laura were born. Your father, Steven, and his dad didn’t see eye to eye. They were estranged and hadn’t spoken in years. I tried to contact him after the accident, but he never returned my calls or even came to the funeral. He was a proud man, your grandfather. Apparently, he couldn’t bring himself to forgive your father for whatever falling out they’d had. Steven’s mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s while he was in college. She passed away a few years after Steven’s death. There weren’t any relatives to take you. That’s why Victoria and I agreed to be your godparents. If we hadn’t taken you, you’d have ended up in foster care. No way were we going to let that happen.”

  Ace shifted his weight to his left foot and continued to take notes. “How old is Laura now?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  Lexi’s hand flew to her mouth with a choked gasped. “Then she’s not just my sister … she’s my twin.”

  * * *

  Ace slammed his fist into the steering wheel of his SUV as he sat in the parking lot waiting for Lexi to finish her visit with her father. This latest piece of information would have been helpful days ago. How in the world could Lexi’s parents not think the fact she had a twin sister in a psychiatric hospital be relevant?

  His cell phone shrilled in his shirt pocket. Ace pulled it out and flipped it open. “Valdez.”

  “Laura Elaine Duncan disappeared from Shady Grove Care Facility about a year ago,” Sheriff Dawson told him in a quick breath. “No one has seen her since. Looks like she might be our kidnapper after all.”

  That’s what he was afraid of. “Anything else?”

  “Yes. Seems there was a warden at the home who was sweet on her. Flirted with her, made her feel special. The works. The nurse recalls overhearing him tell Laura about her trust fund once as well. She remembers because she said she fussed at him for it. Didn’t want him putting any ideas in her head.”

  “Sounds like it was her trust fund the warden was sweet on.
But with Laura’s impaired mental capacity, she wouldn’t be allowed to touch it. Who is the trustee, and do we know how much of the trust fund has been used since she left?”

  “The Carlisles’ attorney. He’s the one who handles her expenses. Apparently no one bothered to inform the attorney that she was missing. He’s still been making payments to Shady Grove for the past year.”

  “Somebody didn’t want the money train to end. We need to get someone out there to interview the warden.”

  “Can’t. We aren’t sure where he is either. He left Shady Grove almost a year ago. Got a job out of town or something.”

  “You think he and Laura are together?”

  “Possibly, and if she knows about the trust fund, then there’s a good chance she would have found out who set it up for her and why. The warden probably had access to her file and told her everything.”

  Ace gritted his teeth. “The trust fund can be traced back to Peter and Victoria Carlisle, which means Laura could have easily found out she had a sister. Especially if the warden is helping her put the pieces together.”

  “Looks that way. We’ll keep trying to track them down.”

  “What do we know about the warden?”

  “Not much. One of our guys in Ohio is on the way to talk to the staff at the hospital. Maybe he can find someone who knows something.”

  “Keep me posted.” Ace snapped the phone shut and slipped it back into his pocket. If the warden really was helping Laura track down her sister, then why? What could they possibly gain if they weren’t after money? No ransom calls had come in. No letters demanding cash. Nothing. So if it wasn’t money, then what was it Laura wanted?

  Assuming it was Laura who’d taken the child.

  Ace looked up to see Lexi waiting for the sliding glass doors to open. He started the SUV as she exited the building. She reached the vehicle, opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat. He heard her seatbelt click into place.

  “You okay?” Ace shifted into reverse and backed out.

  “No. But I’ll give the appropriate response of yes.”

  Dark gray bags under her eyes attested to the stress and shock of the past few days. In all honesty, Ace didn’t know why she hadn’t snapped by now with everything that had been going on. She had more strength than he’d originally thought. Good thing too. Because she was going to need it.

  “There’s nothing wrong with telling the truth. Nobody expects you to be the rock of Gibraltar through all of this.”

  “I know. I just can’t let myself fall completely apart. I’m afraid if I do, then I’ll never pick up the pieces again.”

  Keeping his eyes on the road, Ace took her hand in his. “You don’t have to face this alone. You have me, you know. If you fall apart, I’ll be there to help pick up the pieces.”

  Surprise registered in her eyes. “I’m very grateful for that too. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty on this case.”

  Ace pulled a face. “You’re not just a case anymore, Lexi. I–I care about you.”

  “You do?”

  “I do. I know we haven’t known each other long, but somewhere along the way I’ve come to realize how much you are starting to mean to me.”

  “Does that mean you think I’m innocent now?”

  “I never thought you weren’t.”

  “But, you – you said I was a suspect.”

  “You were.” Ace turned onto her road. “But, that didn’t mean I thought you did it. Call it a gut feeling if you will.”

  “I’m glad.” Lexi relaxed against the seat. “I’m glad you didn’t think I was capable of such a horrendous crime.” She bit her lip. “I–I have feelings for you too, Ace. But I have to be honest with you. With everything that’s happened this past week, I’m not sure I can sort them out. I don’t know what’s real anymore.”

  Ace stilled. There it was. The one thing he’d spent his whole life trying to avoid. He’d just told her how much she meant to him and she wasn’t sure how she felt about him.

  To be fair, he couldn’t really blame her. With all she’d been through, she probably didn’t know how she felt about him or anything else for that matter. It still stung all the same.

  Then again, maybe she really didn’t think he was good enough for her. He wasn’t rich by any stretch of the imagination. Comfortable, yes, but not wealthy by the Carlisles’ standards.

  With a sharp pain of regret, he realized he’d been right all along. She was out of his league.

  Ace pulled into her driveway and Lexi gasped.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Look!” She pointed to the front porch.

  Ace squinted. He didn’t see anything. Just a few potted plants, a porch swing with a tote bag in the seat, and a large vase by the door.

  “The bag.” Lexi paled. “It’s the one I always carried for Anna when I took her to daycare. Whoever took Anna picked up the bag and her other things that day too. How did it get on my porch?” Lexi jumped out of the SUV before Ace turned off the ignition and sprinted toward the porch.

  “Don’t touch it!” Ace rolled down his window and yelled.

  Lexi stopped in mid-run and whirled around to look at him. “What?”

  Ace hurried around to the vehicle’s hatch. He pulled out a pair of gloves, a large plastic bag and his explosives detector. “I said not to touch it. We need it for evidence. To check for fingerprints, DNA and such.” He joined her on the porch. “I also need you to move away from the area so I can check for explosives.”

  “Explosives?” Lexi’s eyes widened.

  “Just as a precaution.” He flipped a switch on the device and scanned the bag as Lexi stood several feet away in the yard.

  Nothing set the detector off. Relief settled over him. Thank goodness. He set the device down and put on the gloves. Gingerly, he opened the bag. Again nothing. No white powder. No ticking bomb. Nothing.

  The bag was empty. He turned to Lexi. “All clear. You can come back now.”

  “Why would the kidnapper leave Anna’s bag on my porch?” Her eyes darted around the yard, then her lip trembled.

  Ace’s jaw pulsed. “It means whoever took Anna is taunting you.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. To show you they can? To torture you? I just don’t know.” Ace carefully placed the tote in the large plastic bag and sealed it. “We’ll get this to the lab to see if they can pull anything off of it.” He took the evidence bag to the SUV and placed it in the back.

  He shut the door in time to see Lexi’s features harden. “I’ve had enough! I can’t take it anymore!” She stormed down the steps and stood in the middle of the yard, arms wide. “What do you want from me! What do you want! I’m right here! Come on!”

  “Lexi.”

  Either she didn’t hear him or she was ignoring him. “I said come on! I’m right here! It’s me you want! Leave my family alone!” She sank to the ground and pounded the ground with her fist. Within seconds her screams dissolved into hoarse sobs. “Bring my baby back. Bring her back to me.”

  Ace knelt down and gathered her in his arms. Holding her tight, he whispered, “We’ll find her, Lexi. We’ll find her. I know this is hard, but one thing is for sure. The kidnapper is still in town so there is a good chance Anna is too.”

  Tears streaming down her cheeks, Lexi buried her face in his chest. “I can’t take it anymore.” She hiccupped another sob. “I just can’t.”

  “I know, baby. I know,” Ace soothed, stroking her hair. Even if she didn’t feel the same way about him as he did her, the gut-wrenching pain in her voice tugged on his heartstrings. He wanted to protect her from the pain. He also wanted to bash the head in of the person responsible for it. “We’ll find her. If it’s the last thing I do, I promise we’ll find Anna.”

  Ace closed his eyes to pray as her shaking sobs subsided. Lord, please help us find the child soon and keep her safe until we do. And please help me control myself when we find the person responsible for this. />
  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “I’m going to take the evidence bag down to the station now,” Ace told her a few minutes later as she seated herself on the edge of her couch in the living room. He frowned. “You’ll be alright while I’m gone?”

  “Of course.” Lexi nodded. “Somebody will be here.”

  “You have your phone?”

  Lexi patted her front jean pocket. “Right here.”

  “Good. I’ll be back before the next ICU visitation at the hospital so I can go with you. In the meantime, try to get some rest.”

  “Alright,” Lexi agreed. “You’ll let me know if you hear anything else about Anna?”

  “Of course.” He flashed her an encouraging smile. “Something will turn up. You’ll see.” At least he hoped so.

  Ace craned his head around to look into the den. It was empty except for Deputy Owens who sat by the scanner, feet propped up on the chair next to him while he read a book. Everyone else was either out with the voluntary search party or back at the station.

  Ace wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of leaving her with a rookie, but he supposed it was better than leaving her alone. Surely the man knew how to protect her?

  Not necessarily, he realized ruefully. Owens somehow had missed whoever had left the tote bag in the swing. Didn’t see or hear a thing, he’d told them. How could he, Ace thought irritably, with his nose stuck in a book, oblivious to his surroundings?

  Ace shook his head. Rookies…

  How long had Sheriff Dawson said Owens had been on the force? A month? Maybe two? Not exactly the officer he’d put his vote of confidence in, but he would have to do. Dragging Lexi back to the police station while he worked on the latest evidence wouldn’t give her the rest she desperately needed.

  “Owens!” Ace barked, more irritated with himself because he had to leave her safety in the hands of a rookie cop than with the fact the man seemed a little too relaxed in the den to be of any use.