by Anna Lewis
“No worries. I’m sure it’s hard being a pretty little thing in a room full of ogres. But you’re a good detective and smart as a whip. You’ll see; we’ll close this case and they’ll realize that they were wrong about you and things will get better.”
Lilly’s eyes were brimming with tears. This entire time, she’d liked Adam, but she’d been so aloof with him, engaging in the friendly banter just to pass the time and nothing more.
“I’m sorry I didn’t realize that you were in my corner,” she said, feeling like a complete ass.
He wrapped his arms around her.
“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, but I didn’t want you to think I was babying you. You’re a brave woman, Lilly. And a firecracker. You’re going to shake this department up in a good way. I’m just glad I get to see it from this side of things.”
He released her and walked quietly beside her as she headed to her car.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Home. I need some time to sort through all this.”
“See you tomorrow?”
“You bet,” she smiled. “Partner.”
***
When Jason woke up it was dark. He was tied to a chair and gagged, a single lamp in the corner of what once was his parent’s living room barely providing enough light to see. Was he dreaming? Head heavy and thoughts muddled, he looked around the room, trying to figure out where he was and how he’d gotten there.
Suddenly, he remembered.
He pulled at the ropes, desperate to get away. He had to warn Lilly, and he had to tell her that he had proof that he didn’t kill Leroy.
“Finally awake, I see,” a malevolent voice said from behind him.
He heard heavy footsteps, and he steeled himself for what was coming. The tall man circled around him, squatting down so he was eye level with Jason, but staying just out of his reach.
“This is a nice house,” the man said, carrying on a one-sided conversation with the gagged and bound Jason. “You were so lucky to grow up here. There’s so much room for a growing boy to run and play. It’s a shame that this place has gone to hell since Susan and Dave passed away.”
Jason pushed against the gag, trying to get enough space to speak, but it was no use, it was too tight.
The man leaned forward, staring into Jason’s eyes.
“Do you see it, Jason? Do you see who I am? Man, looking at you is like looking into a mirror. Well, except the part about the happy home life and the successful football career. I just wonder if you would have done so well for yourself if you had been the other twin.”
Jason’s eyes got wide and he shook his head. He didn’t have any siblings, let alone a twin.
“This conversation is boring when I’m the only one talking. I wonder what you’re thinking.”
The man stood, walking around behind Jason and untying the bandana that served as a gag. Jason spit it out as soon as it was loose, relieved to be able to swallow and wet his dry mouth.
There was the scraping of a chair being dragged on the hardwood floor behind Jason. The man set his chair in front of Jason, only a few feet away.
“This is better. Let’s talk. I know everything about your life, but I’m interested to know if you knew about me.”
“I don’t know who you are. Why am I here? Did you kill Leroy?”
“And Tom,” the man smiled. “You should have heard him, begging for his life like a little baby. It was something.”
“But why? I don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t. You’re Jason Hathaway. The football player. The lucky one.”
“I worked my ass off for what I have. There’s no luck about it.”
“Of course you would say that. But you don’t know how lucky you are. Did Susan and Dave ever tell you about your real mother? What a mess she was?”
“She was young and alone. You can’t blame a sixteen-year-old girl for putting her child up for adoption, and what does that have to do with you?”
“She put twins up for adoption. And she wasn’t as innocent as you claim. She was a drugged up runaway who was more worried about her next fix than the children she brought into the world. She didn’t put us up for adoption, she left us at the hospital and took off.”
“So, we were both abandoned? Does it matter now? We’re adults, not helpless children.”
“It doesn’t matter to you because you were the lucky one. Dave and Susan got the call when our mom went into labor. She walked into the hospital in labor, not knowing what was happening. When they told her that she was about to give birth, she cussed up a blue storm and told them she wasn’t keeping ‘it’. So, dear old Dave and his beautiful but sterile wife Susan hurried up here with everything they needed to take home one precious baby.”
The man took a deep breath, but Jason didn’t say a word. He sat there in stunned silence, trying to wrap his head around the story as it unfolded. This couldn’t be true, but there he was, Jason’s identical twin, sitting in front of him and telling their story.
“Of course you have nothing to say. How could you? So they came, all ready to take home one baby. But there were two of us. We were both born addicted, but I was worse off than you were. Almost an entire pound smaller, the nurses were sure I wouldn’t make it through the night. I guess they told Dave and Susan, because they picked you. They left the hospital soon after with their perfect, thriving baby. Meanwhile, I was hooked up to every machine imaginable, fighting for my life in a tiny incubator.”
“They would have taken you if they could.”
“Sure they would have. Because they were so great, right? Don’t fool yourself. They weren’t going to saddle themselves with that extra burden. They wanted to take a baby home right away. You only stayed in the NICU for a few days. But I was in the NICU for more than a month before the doctors were even sure that I was going to survive. They named me Jacob. Do you know what that means? ‘Heel grabber’. As in, I rode in on your coattails from birth, and I was destined to live in your shadow.”
“It’s a name. It doesn’t define you.”
“Maybe it doesn’t define you. But for that tiny little baby in that incubator, it was the beginning of the end. I stayed in the nursery for weeks after I was discharged from the NICU, but no one claimed me, and Social Services had nowhere to put me. When a foster family finally became available, I was thrust into the system. I bounced from home to home until I was adopted by a ‘nice’ couple who treated me like dirt. There wasn’t a day that went by that they didn’t spend reminding me that I was the other twin; the leftovers from a drug filled night of passion that my own mother probably doesn’t remember.”
“That was horrible of them. That’s not your fault, Jacob. None of this is your fault, or mine.”
“Of course it’s not my fault. You know, I tried to please them. I tried to make them love me, but I was never able to.”
“I’m sure they love you. Maybe if you tell them how—”
“Oh, I told them when I turned eighteen. Then I bashed their heads in with a baseball bat, took everything I needed and ran away.”
Jason’s mouth dropped open.
“Why do you look so shocked, Brother? It’s better than they deserved. I’m surprised you don’t remember seeing it on the news. I know I do. I especially like the part where the newscaster said that they had no known living relatives. You see, what I didn’t know about them was that they never adopted me. Social Services didn’t even know that we moved out of the county and no one ever came to check on me. I just slipped through the cracks and no one noticed I was gone, and no one noticed that my foster parents basically kidnapped me.”
“So why the anger at me? And what about Leroy? What did he do?”
Jacob laughed.
“Oh Leroy. You see, I saw you on the news. You were featured on some sports special and as soon as I saw you, I knew. After I did some research and found out everything I could about you, I went to see you. But you weren’t there.
It was just Leroy, getting everything ready for training before the season started. When he found out that I wasn’t you, he told me to leave, that I couldn’t just be there. He rejected me, even though he didn’t know me. I told him that I thought it would be good for the team to have twins. Imagine the publicity the Railroaders would get from such a thing.”
“But he shut you down,” Jason said, knowing how Leroy could be.
“He did. And he paid the ultimate price for that mistake.”
Jason struggled to hold onto his composure, trying to keep his anger and his fear at bay. Jacob was insane, and Jason was tied to a chair and helpless.
Jacob looked at his watch and jumped up.
“Oh, would you look at the time? Lilly should be getting off work right about now, and I, I mean, Jason, needs to see her.”
“You stay away from her,” Jason hissed through clenched teeth.
“You know what’s funny? I saw her on the news when they were talking about Leroy’s death, and they interviewed her briefly. I thought she was so pretty, and I made a mental note to look her up after the case was over and you were convicted. But, then I followed you and realize that you had already made yourself cozy with the beautiful detective. And I felt a twinge of remorse. Wouldn’t it have a blast to share such a sweet fruit? I bet Lilly would love being with twins, don’t you think.”
“She’s not like that?”
“How would you know? You hardly know her.”
“I know enough to know that she wouldn’t fall for someone like you.”
“She fell for you, didn’t she? And I’m willing to bet that she’ll fall for me too. It should be an interesting experiment. Does she love you, or is it all physical? I’d love to stay and chat, but I have a plan to put forth, and I really don’t have time to chit chat. But hey, there’s food in the kitchen and I went ahead and turned the well and electricity on this morning, so feel free to make yourself at home.”
Jason watched Jacob stop and consider something.
“One last thing,” he said, heading into the other room and returning quickly. “Just so you don’t try anything else to ruin my life.”
“I didn’t ruin your life. I had nothing to—”
There was a sharp pain and a burning sensation in Jason’s neck. He instantly started to feel a little woozy and out of sorts.
“There you go,” Jacob said. “That should keep you from getting in my way again.”
He walked out, and Jason watched him go, the world swelling and shrinking cartoonishly as Jacob went. Jason held on as the world darkened around him. He couldn’t let the drugs over power him, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle.
He was helpless and Lilly was in trouble.
***
Lilly had just finished cooking dinner when there was a knock at the door. She wiped her hands on the dish towel hanging from a kitchen drawer and turned off the burner.
Looking through the peephole, she was shocked to see Jason. He smiled, obviously noticing the way the light changed when her eye covered the hole from her side.
Great, he knew she was home.
Groaning inwardly, she opened the door but left the chain engaged. She peered at him through the two-inch gap.
“What do you want?” she said curtly.
“I just want to talk, that’s all.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Lilly please. Innocent until proven guilty, right?”
“I don’t need you to be proven guilty, Jason. I saw you on that video with my own eyes. How did you even get out of jail?”
“I made bail.”
“That’s impressive. I didn’t think you were worth that much.”
“Can I come in, Lilly?”
“I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”
“I guess letting me sit outside your door until you change your mind is better? I mean, it would look pretty bad that you have an alleged killer on your stoop. Or you could let me in and I’ll leave as soon as I say what I have to say.”
“I want you to leave now.”
“We both know that you don’t, Lilly. I can see it in those pretty eyes of yours. At the very least, you want a chance to tell me how you feel about me being a suspect. It’s up to you, but I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
“What, that you’ve been framed?”
“Is it impossible? Couldn’t someone have tampered with the video?”
“It would take a lot of work, and who would have the means, motive and opportunity to do that?”
He shrugged.
“It might be a shot in the dark, but I’d say the real killer has all those things, and then some. Lilly, come on. You’re smart and you’re a great detective. If I were the killer, you would have known right away. Your initial hunch is correct. It’s not me. I didn’t do it. You believe me, don’t you?”
Lilly closed the door in his face. He didn’t move, smiling smugly when the metal sound came, signaling that she was opening the door to him.
“We’ll talk,” she said. “But when I say ‘leave’, you better walk out that door.”
“Of course,” he said. “I wouldn’t dream of overstaying my welcome.”
“Just get in here, Jason,” she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him into her house.
He smiled at her.
“I’ve missed you.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. I’m only willing to talk.”
“I gotcha. What are you cooking?”
“I didn’t cook for you. Didn’t they feed you ‘three squares’ in jail?”
“I wasn’t in there long, so no. It smells delicious, but it’s fine. I’ll just watch you eat so your food doesn’t get cold.”
“You won’t be here that long.”
“Lilly, please. You know me. I didn’t do this,”
“I don’t know what to think. The evidence is there, and I have to trust the evidence.”
“But you know as well as I do that video evidence can be faked. Look at the video of the skier and the bear. Until the woman in the video came out and said it was her video and that there was never a bear in the video, even the most skeptical people believed she was oblivious to a bear chasing her while she snowboarded down the mountain.”
Lilly rolled her eyes.
“So what, now you’re like the woman with the bear and someone is just out to prove they can make a believable video?”
“I think their motivation was more than just proving that they were good with video editing software.”
Lilly dished up a plate for herself, handing him a plate and sitting down at her table.
“You’re going to feed me now?” he asked, a little surprised.
“It’s obvious that you’re not going anywhere until you say what you’re here to say. You might as well eat, and I’m starving.”
Hook, line and sinker, he thought.
“I have to wash my hands first. Where is your bathroom?”
“You can wash them in the kitchen sink.”
He wrinkled his nose.
“Do people do that? I don’t want whatever I picked up in jail in your kitchen.”
Lilly rolled her eyes.
“The bathroom is down the hall to your left.”
“Thanks.”
He was gone and back in just a few minutes, scooping up the plate with hands that were obviously freshly washed and still a little damp.
Jacob smiled at her and went to the stove. Homemade cream sauce with mushrooms, asparagus and chicken simmered on low in a flat pan to keep a skin from forming on the top. He opened the lid on the pot, expecting the typical, flat noodles. He was surprised that Lilly obviously favored the more traditional fettuccini, happily piling his plate high with the spinach pasta and topping it with the cream sauce and loads of shredded parmesan cheese.
He sat down across from Lilly, carefully twirling his fork and taking a bite. He closed his eyes and moaned appreciatively.
“I think you
missed your calling. You’re an amazing cook.”
“It’s not hard. You just follow the instructions. Are you going to tell me why I should believe that someone is framing you?”
“Because I didn’t do it.”
“That’s it? How is that supposed to convince me?”
“You already know it’s true. I can see it in your eyes. Short of killing someone right in front of you, I don’t think there’s anything that will convince you that I actually did this. Because in your heart, you know I didn’t.”
Blushing furiously, Lilly took a bite of her food, trying to find the words that would prove to him that she did think he was the killer.
But first, she’d have to find the words to prove it to herself.
He reached out across the narrow, two-seater table and grabbed her hand in his. She tried to pull away, but he held fast until she quit fighting.
“Lilly. I’m counting on you. I didn’t do this; I swear it to you from the depths of my soul. You’re the only one who doesn’t think I did it. Don’t let the real criminal get away with it. Please, Lilly. I’m begging you.”
“I’ll try, Jason. I just don’t know. It would be so stupid of me to look at the facts and then discount them all because my gut tells me otherwise. That’s not how this works.”
“At least give me a chance to prove it to you. Have you gotten the DNA back yet?”
“No. I am supposed to get it soon, but I get the brush off every time I call. It’s frustrating.”
“I’m sure it is. Maybe you need something to take your mind off of things.”
“Stop it, Jason. This is not the time. Even if I thought you were innocent-which I’m still on the fence about-I can’t risk my job.”
“So you’re putting our relationship on hold until after the trial?”
“We don’t have a relationship, Jason. We had sex.”
“It was good, wasn’t it?”
“It was great. But that’s not the point. We don’t have a relationship.”
“What if I want to have a relationship? Lilly, I’m in love with you. Is that so wrong?”
Lilly looked at him, startled by his declaration and trying to figure out how sincere he was. Was he really in love with her, or was he trying to throw her off his track?