Mirror, Mirror on Her Wall (Mirrors Don't Lie Book 2)

by Becki Willis

  “It looks like the family could just come back at any minute,” Makenna marveled.

  Kenzie gave her sister a gently reproachful look. “Kenna, you were part of that family. This is your past, too.”

  Makenna had a slightly dazed expression on her face. She looked back over the room, eyes settling on the couch. “A big blue couch,” she whispered. “I remember this.”

  They moved together toward the kitchen, passing the dining table and the hutch filled with colorful dishes. Mail and assorted papers were scattered across the Formica counter top near the refrigerator. Dust coated the once-clean dishes left to dry on the rack. The few dirty pieces left in the sink documented the last meal the sisters had here in the house – two small bowls, two sippy cups. Yellowed with age and curled from heat, a calendar hung on the kitchen wall and boasted the date of May 1991.

  The hall led to two bedrooms, with a bath in between. The Rangers stepped into the larger of the rooms, while the sisters stepped cautiously into the front bedroom.

  “Oh my. Oh my.” Makenna could say little else as they stepped into the room that had obviously been theirs.

  Twin beds flanked a nightstand with a whimsical fairy lamp. One bed was dressed in lavender, the other in pale green. The log walls of the room were hand-painted, and to this day were an artistic delight. With swirling muted colors and tiny fairies hidden among bright blossoms, they wove a magical spell throughout the room. The fairy theme continued with tiny glass figurines on the shelves above the beds. Toys and clothes cluttered the floor in the far corner, where a miniature kitchen and a child-size table and chairs resided.

  “This is absolutely gorgeous,” Makenna breathed. “Even now. Imagine what it must have been like when we lived here.”

  “I can’t. And I can’t imagine our mother doing this.” Try as she might, Kenzie could not reconcile the delightful room she stood in with the memory of their cold, stiff mother.

  “Maybe she changed.”

  “You mean maybe at one time, she had a heart?”

  Makenna looked back over the room, so lovingly decorated. “Someone did.”

  Hardin stepped into the room and put his hands on his fiancé’s shoulders. As he nuzzled her neck and murmured low words for her ears only, Kenzie stepped behind them to peek into the other bedroom.

  “You alright?” Travis spoke near her ear, making her jump.

  “I-I don’t know,” she said honestly.

  He opened his arms and she stepped into them gratefully. She forgot all about being angry with him earlier. “I don’t remember this house,” she whispered, her tone tortured. “It looks like a family lived here. It looks happy. I remember dozens of other houses – the cold and empty ones – but not this one. Why can’t this be the house I remember?” she wailed.

  “I don’t know, darlin’. I don’t know. I’m sorry.” He played with a tendril of her dark hair, running it through his fingers before tucking it behind her ear.

  Feet shuffled in the hall as the other couple moved their way. “Sorry to interrupt,” Makenna said, a smile playing in her voice as she walked upon their tender moment. Instead of releasing Kenzie altogether, Travis snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her to his side.

  “Looks like some pictures are missing from the wall,” Hardin observed from the doorway, nodding to various vacant spots among the needlepoint quotes and framed diplomas.

  “I noticed there are no pictures anywhere,” Travis commented. “There was a picture frame in the living room, but the glass was gone and the picture missing.”

  “But why?” Kenzie gazed up at him in confusion.

  “I would guess your parents were protecting you. They didn’t want anyone to know what you looked like.”

  “This is all so confusing.” Kenzie sagged against him. “Our bedroom was decorated with obvious love and pride; this whole house is. Our mother destroyed photographs to protect us and left us clues to find something she felt was important. But I’m telling you, none of this fits her persona. My mother was cold and indifferent, and she abandoned Makenna in a church. None of this makes any sense to me.”

  “Obviously something happened to change her.” Hardin wrapped his arms around Makenna as he spoke. “Maybe she thought she was protecting her child by giving her away. And then maybe something in her broke and she couldn’t allow herself to care for the child she kept. Maybe she thought she couldn’t play favoritism.”

  She should have given me away, too, Kenzie thought. I would have been happier.

  After a moment, they set out on their mission. Working in teams of two, the couples moved through the house, looking for anything that might be helpful. Items collected were piled into a large plastic tub found under the cabinet.

  After an hour, Hardin called a halt to their search. “I think we should call it a day, drive on up to the mountains, then go through every item with a fine tooth comb.”

  “I agree,” Makenna seconded the motion.

  “Me too,” her sister chimed.

  “You ladies go on out and start the car. We’ll lock up.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “I feel like a gypsy,” Kenzie grumbled as they pulled up to yet another hotel. She had lost count of how many different rooms she had stayed in over the course of the week. “And believe me, this feeling is all too familiar.”

  “It just seemed easier to come on up here, nearer to the Senator’s home, since you have to be here in the morning,” Hardin said.

  “Not to mention, we have rather fond memories of this place.” Makenna smiled at the man speaking. She had stayed at the same resort seven weeks ago, when she took Kenzie’s place on assignment. Not quite by chance, Hardin was booked at the same hotel. At the time, she thought it was a happy coincidence, not realizing the Rangers had placed him there deliberately. Still, the thought of returning to the same hotel had sentimental appeal.

  “Hello, we’re right here,” Kenzie teased, seeing the heated look that passed between the couple.

  “Not those kind of memories,” Makenna chided. “Perfectly G-rated.”

  “G?” Hardin pretended to fret. “I thought that kiss in the hall at least rated PG-13. And if you were viewing it from my perspective, it was definitely R.” He winked slowly, sending a delicious thrill through Makenna’s body. “Maybe even an X.”

  “Okay, you two, control yourselves.” This time, Travis admonished the lovesick couple. He opened the car door for Kenzie and surveyed the impressive establishment. “Up to your standards, I presume?”

  “I personally booked this resort for myself, two months ago,” she informed him. “I just wasn’t the one to stay here,” she added ruefully.

  After checking in, Hardin led the group up to the third floor and into a large two-bedroom suite. Without asking about sleeping arrangements, he carried his and Makenna’s luggage into the bedroom on the right. Travis silently carried his duffle and Kenzie’s overnight bag into the room on the left.

  “I’m anxious to see what pictures were on that roll of film,” Kenzie said as they gathered around the granite bar of the kitchen. They had picked the one-hour order up before leaving Hopkinton, but had yet to open it.

  “And what clues, if any, we found at the house,” Makenna agreed.

  “Here, you do the honors,” Travis said, handing Kenzie the unopened photos. “Your mother left these for you, after all.”

  Kenzie’s hands were unsteady as she tugged on the envelope’s flap to open it. The photos snagged in their folder, but her clumsy fingers finally got them free. Setting the folder and negatives aside, she angled the stack of photos so that everyone could see them. She and Makenna were seated on the bar stools. The men stood behind them, their hands on the women’s shoulders in silent support.

  “I-I don’t recognize any of these people,” Kenzie said as she fanned out the first three prints.

  “Looks like some of the quality has been sacrificed,” Hardin murmured. “Not surprising, after twenty-odd years.”
>
  “What are they looking at? They just seem to be standing around talking, looking at something in that man’s hands,” Makenna said.

  “The background looks familiar. I think that’s DC.” Travis interjected his opinion.

  “You can hardly see their faces, but I don’t know any of these men,” Kenzie repeated. She laid them down and fanned out three more photos. “Let’s see about these next ones.”

  Hardin pointed to a man in a coat and hat. “That man looks familiar.”

  “I think he was a Senator at one time,” Travis agreed. “Was his name Lundy? Or Landry?”

  “Do you mean Richard Lansbury, the Senator from Arkansas? I don’t think that’s him,” Kenzie disagreed.

  “Remember, this was taken over twenty years ago.”

  “Well, maybe. And this guy in this other picture looks familiar, but I can’t quite put a name to the face…”

  “That looks like they’re in some sort of alley,” Makenna murmured. “Clandestine meeting, you think? Do you think these photos are some sort of proof of the men involved in the scam?”

  “What are they proving? They’re not doing anything wrong, just standing around talking.”

  “Maybe it’s the fact that they are talking,” Hardin mused. “Maybe these are people who wouldn’t otherwise have good reason to know each other.”

  “You mean like if this guy here is a Senator, and this other guy is a member of the mafia?” Makenna asked.

  Hardin rewarded her intelligence with a kiss. “Exactly.”

  “This picture looks like they’re passing an envelope,” Kenzie said, examining the grainy photo more closely. “So maybe this guy is on the DOE, and this one is from Modern Power or something. Could be proof of a pay-off. Might explain how the government awarded all those contracts to non-existent companies.”

  “You’re right,” Travis said thoughtfully, peering over her shoulder for a better view.

  She gave him a cheeky smile. “So where’s my kiss?”

  Travis looked slightly embarrassed as the others laughed, but he dutifully dropped a kiss onto the top of her head.

  Kenzie rolled her eyes at the lack-luster response. “Guess my answer wasn’t as brilliant as Makenna’s.”

  “Sure it was, Sis.” Hardin leaned over to give her a noisy smack on the cheek.

  There were a few more similar photos, all shot from a distance and none of them crystal clear. It was the last few pictures that garnered the most attention.

  “Wait a second. Look at that man right there. Isn’t that former Vice-President Shelton? And who is he talking to?” Travis leaned down to look at the photo, crowding Kenzie’s senses with his nearness. She was momentarily sidetracked, more intrigued with the close-up view of his lean cheek than the poor quality photograph. He got her attention, however, when he said, “That looks like a young Senator Lawrence.”

  Snapping to attention, Kenzie leaned closer. “Where?”

  “Right there.”

  As the men picked up the photo and examined it carefully, Kenzie moved to the next picture. Her breath caught in her throat as she gasped softly.

  Intent on the first picture, the men did not notice Kenzie’s reaction, but Makenna immediately leaned over to see why her sister was suddenly so pale.

  This picture was nothing like the ones before it. This picture was of them.

  Two little curly haired girls smiled up at the camera. With chubby cheeks and twinkling green eyes, they looked like real-life cherubs. The photo could have passed for trick photography, mirror images blended into one frame; the colors were the only distinction between one side from the other. The sausage curls, the frilly dresses, the shining faces were the same; the angel with russet hair wore pale green, the raven-haired beauty was dressed in pale blue. Arms thrown around each other, the little girls held party whistles in their free hands. Between them was a cake, decorated with pink frosting roses and a candle in the shape of a three.

  “This is us,” Makenna whispered. Tears were already streaming down her face.

  “Our third birthday.” Kenzie didn’t bother wiping away the identical tears wetting her cheeks. “This was-this was right before they… before…”

  “Before they left me.” There was pure heartache in Makenna’s barely uttered words.

  “Our last birthday together.”

  Makenna put her arm around her sister and they leaned their heads together as they studied the photo.

  “We look so happy.”

  “We had a party.”

  “That’s- that’s in the log cabin. That’s the china cabinet we saw today.”

  “Look at all those presents.”

  “The cake is so pretty.”

  “I actually had a birthday cake.”

  Their words were whispered, their tones reverent.

  Behind them, the Rangers exchanged glances and stepped silently back, giving the sisters a moment of privacy.

  “I wonder who came to our party. Was it just us?”

  Kenzie pulled a picture from behind the one they held, the last of the stack.

  Makenna gasped. Her eyes were wide. “Is that- Is that him?” Her voice cracked. A dark haired man stood behind the girls, a hand on either shoulder. “Is that… our father?”

  Kenzie nodded, crying too hard to answer. She was transfixed by the smile on his face, the light she saw in his eyes. She had never seen him so happy.

  “He-He’s so handsome.”

  Again, Kenzie nodded. In this photo, he did look handsome, nothing like the haggard man she remembered.

  “We have his smile.” Makenna traced the man’s face with a trembling finger. “Lucky you, you have his coloring. I guess I got mine from our mother?”

  Frowning, Kenzie tried to recall what their mother’s true hair color might be. She had worn so many styles, so many colors. Even their father had dyed his hair to change his appearance.

  Finally Kenzie spoke, in a small, uncertain voice. “We look happy. Don’t we?” There was no mistaking the desperation in her words.

  “Oh Kenzie!” The sisters fell into each other’s arms and sobbed. Their tears were for moments shared, moments lost. This had been stolen from them: shared parties and holidays, sisters’ secrets, a life together. Family. It was nothing less than a miracle that they had found each other and been reunited.

  For long moments, they sat on the barstools and cried. When one would finally manage a semblance of control, the other would whisper something and the tears would start fresh again. They managed a few laughs, a few shaky smiles, and more sniffles than either deserved. With tears finally spent, they sat back and dried the other’s face.

  “I love you, Kenzie,” Makenna whispered.

  “I love you, too, Makenna.”

  “I guess I should say Tressa.”

  “Tamara.”

  Hardin stepped up to the sisters, moisture glistening in his intense blue eyes. He put an arm around both their shoulders and hugged them. “And I love you both.” He dropped a kiss onto each of their heads, his lips lingering in Makenna’s fiery hair. “It’s been a long day. I think we should call it a night.”

  “I think you’re right,” Kenzie said. She moved off the stool as Hardin gathered Makenna into his arms and fresh tears flowed from her sister’s eyes.

  Kenzie carefully avoided Travis’s eyes as she turned away. She and Travis were not officially dating, were not officially in love. She could not expect him to cuddle her and whisper the same words to her.

  Feeling more alone than she had since moving out of her parents’ home, Kenzie’s heart was breaking in the awkward silence. There was only one thing she could do. Squaring her shoulders, she walked stiffly into the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

  ***

  A long, hot bath made her feel marginally better. By the time she left the bathroom, face scrubbed and tears dried, the lights in the bedroom were dim. There was just enough illumination to allow safe navigation around the two queen beds.

/>   Her eyes fell to the first bed, still tucked in and perfectly made. Her heart swelled when she saw the other bed, the covers turned back with one tall, lanky Texan propped up among its pillows. His chest was bare, scarred but perfect in her eyes, his long legs encased in pajama pants but tucked beneath the covers. He lifted the sheet and silently invited her to join him.

  There were no words, no kisses, no sex.

  But tucked safely against his warm chest, she was no longer alone.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Dressed for her interview in the black slacks and emerald green silk blouse Makenna had packed, Kenzie left her raven curls long and loose as she ventured out into the kitchen. The men were already at the table, looking over clues and the items brought from the cabin.

  “Find anything?” she asked, pouring herself a cup of the strong coffee.

  “’Fraid not,” Travis sighed. “We’ve looked through all the receipts and bills and other papers we found, but nothing looks suspicious.”

  “We did discover that the cabin was apparently a second residence or maybe a week-end home,” Hardin said. “Officially, your family lived in the town of Conrad.”

  “The cabin’s address was written on a slip of paper at Esterbrook. Maybe that’s because it was a secret. Maybe no one else knew about the cabin,” Kenzie mused.

  “Makes sense,” Hardin agreed. “If the mafia had known about it, I’m sure they would have torn the place apart, looking for information your parents hid.”

  “Where’s Makenna?” Her twin was noticeably absent.

  “Sleeping in. She had a pretty rough night. You?”

  Kenzie slipped a glance at Travis over her coffee mug. “I slept surprisingly well. Good pillow.” Her quietly spoken words brought a faint stain to the tall Ranger’s cheeks as he averted his gaze.

  “So what now?” she asked the men.