Okay, maybe she was having trouble trusting people, but the shock she had seen in Bob’s eyes had been genuine. Rose had gone pale, almost the color that Amy would consider ghostlike. And then she had grown angry while the person had kept talking. If it had been real, where was Bob’s twin brother? Ricky, Amy had to swallow the vile taste that overcame her after remembering the name.
The letters that had been sent to her this week had talked about Kyle’s house. If she had checked her mail and read them, would Kyle’s housekeeper still be alive? If so, she fumed, she would have no one to blame except for herself for that death.
She picked up the latest letter from where Elaine had tossed it down on the table and frowned before allowing herself to read it. She reread all the hints. Engaged, dressed much like herself, long blond hair. The clues were being sent to her through the mail, and she had chosen to ignore them.
Rubbing her temples, the guilt settled before she noticed that hints were also placed at the bottom which from what she had remembered about Kyle’s sister, indicated that she was to be the next on the list.
Had she known the other women? Amy asked herself before she felt Kyle standing there watching her. She lifted her head and stared at him. “Maybe you should call Sonny.”
“Why? I’m sure we’d have heard something from him by now if Stephanie hasn’t made it home.”
“Just call him,” Amy slapped the letter down and stood. “Please.” She watched him walk towards the land line and shook her head. “Not on that phone.”
“Okay, Amy. Calm down.” Kyle frowned when he saw guilt and panic in her eyes. “I’ll make sure that Stephanie made it to Pop’s house.”
Amy nodded before realizing that Kyle had set the table and inhaled the aroma of freshly baking bread. She glanced at him, puzzled, wondering how much time she had been mulling over the letter.
Kyle smiled before ending his phone call. “Stephie is safe. Pop said that he talked her into spending the night. Hunter is thrilled.”
Amy nodded, but she didn’t smile. “He’s been sending me hints. I never saw that before in the other letters.”
“You weren’t looking for it, Amy.” Kyle placed the phone that Amy recognized as the prepaid phone in his pocket and walked over to where she was standing. “Look, I think that I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not true. You have nothing to do with what Ricky is doing. I want to know why you feel guilty.”
“Both Rose and Stephanie were described in one of the letters. The letter before this mentioned your house. If I read it then maybe your housekeeper would still be living. I still don’t understand why Randy had to die.”
“I don’t know what to tell you.” Kyle hesitated; wanting to hug her but unsure if she was over being upset with him. Deciding to call out for Elaine and Nate instead, he pointed Amy towards the table. “I think better when I cook.”
“And what were you thinking?” Amy asked without moving.
“I was thinking that it would be nice if you would drop being upset at me long enough to talk it out.” Kyle stepped around her and into the kitchen, opening the oven to check his bread. “I don’t know whether to hug you or run. It’s killing me.”
“You mean that you’re waiting for permission to touch me again.” Amy tilted her head while twisting her lips. “I don’t know. Why should I stop being upset at you when you purposely held information back from me?”
Kyle took the bread from the oven and placed the pan on the counter before turning towards her. “Maybe because I don’t wake up thinking about being creative and throwing around nonexistent ideas about a campaign that in no way interests me. I’ve never had an inkling of a thought dictating actions that might be taken out on some of Pop’s employees, and I don’t think I would have a say in who gets promoted for a position I know absolutely nothing about, nor do I care to have that say. It was just to keep Pop from losing his life’s work.” He watched Amy walk to the table and grinned. “However, I do think about a certain advertiser that I want to please in every meaning of the word.”
Amy pulled out a chair and sat, lowering her eyes knowing that Kyle would try to read what she was thinking. “Is that it?”
Kyle glanced down at the bread before stacking it on a plate. “Should there be more?” He asked, stepping over to the table with the plate.
“Well, if you’re talking about Della,” Amy glanced up and smirked before Kyle started laughing at her. “She’s already eating out of your hands.”
Kyle watched Elaine and Nate sit down at the table, narrowed his eyes, and lowered his mouth right above Amy’s ear. “I guarantee that I’ve never thought of waking up with Della’s head resting on my chest.” He smiled when Amy blushed and shook his head. “Nor would I get so much pleasure of seeing her blush like you do.”
“I guess I’m over being mad at you,” Amy informed him, “but I want more time before deciding if I want to wake up with my head on your chest.”
Kyle placed a slice of bread on her plate and grinned. “I think that’s progress.” Glancing at the phone before sitting down, Kyle hoped that it wouldn’t ring before they finished eating. He watched Amy pick at the food and angled his head. “It’s hard to judge what you like.”
Amy placed the slice on her plate and stared at Elaine after spotting the ring on her finger. Grinning, she decided that she was done worrying about her problem. “Is there something that you want to share, Elaine? Nate? I’m willing to push everything else aside and celebrate.”
“Your brother asked me again a few nights ago.” Elaine placed her hand flat on the table. “I didn’t want to tell you until the ring was actually on my finger.”
Amy glanced at her brother and tried to smile while the letter nagged at her. “A few nights ago? Here?”
“Yes, here. Actually, right here in the kitchen. Why?” Nate asked, watching Amy knock her glass of water over before pushing away from the table, looking very upset. “I thought that would make you happy.”
“You asked her before you found the last camera. Here, in the kitchen where he was listening and watching.” Amy stood, ignoring the thud caused by the chair falling on the floor. “Rose was a test. He wrote recently engaged. Bob said that he has been engaged to Rose for six months.” Amy felt the tears sting her eyes before walking over to the table and grabbing the letter. “He would never hurt his brother by taking Rose.”
Kyle walked over to her and grabbed the letter before Amy could reread it. “Show me, Amy.”
Amy scanned the document and closed her eyes. “Eyes like emeralds. Rose has blue eyes, and her hair is more red than blonde. He was talking about Elaine.” Lowering herself on the couch, she placed her hands on her lap and stared at the door. “This is my fault.”
Kyle folded the letter and stared at Amy. “This isn’t your fault.”
“Yes, it is, Kyle. After Nash did what he did to me, I thought about Andie and Mama.” She continued to look at the door while she spoke. “I walked up to the house, changed out of the clothes he had ripped, and grabbed my grandmother’s pain pills. I wanted to die. I should’ve died.”
Kyle was about to speak when Elaine placed a hand on his arm and shook her head.
“I had a fist full of those pills in my hand when Granny came in and saw me. Gave me a lecture about how God would never forgive me for taking my own life. I stood there and watched her pick up my clothes and throw them away like nothing had happened. I couldn’t think. I could hear what she said, but it was foggy. Granny told me that I was a tease.” Amy turned her hand, palm up as if she could see something there. “I still had those pills in my hand. Fifteen of them. I thought about it for months after that. If I had taken those pills, this wouldn’t be happening now.”
Kyle sat beside her. “I’m glad you didn’t, Amy.”
Amy shrugged and then stood. “I still have them.”
Nate glanced at his sister, alarmed. “Where?”
Shaking her head, Amy stepped into the kitchen, glanced at the
chair she had knocked down, and walked to the sink.
“Where are the pills?” Nate asked again after following her.
“In a place where I can easily get to them,” Amy answered before turning on the water. “I won’t need them. He’ll kill me just like he did Randy and Kyle’s housekeeper.”
“If you won’t need them, then you shouldn’t have a problem handing them over to me.” Nate snapped, turning off the water.
“Don’t worry about me, Nate. You need to find Ricky before he manages to carry out his threat to Elaine. He’s doing everything in order to make us suffer. Elaine, then Stephanie, then me; I have no reason to think he’ll fluctuate and rearrange the order.” She turned and glanced at Kyle. “Tonight he tested us with Rose and your sister to see what we’d do, but he didn’t know that Sonny was here. We should call the police again.”
“And you think that he knows that we haven’t?” Kyle asked while looking around the apartment.
“Yes, I do,” Amy answered before staring at her brother. “Nate, I keep those pills around to remind me that I’m strong enough not to need them. That there are people that would hurt if I ever made that commitment. I’m a survivor. That’s what I tell myself every morning when I wake, and I thank God. Granny- she knew exactly what Nash had done, but it hadn’t mattered to her.” Amy walked over to the chair and lifted it to where it was standing on all fours. “He was her son. She had the heart attack because,” Amy paused, wiped at her eyes, “I had those pills up to my mouth. That’s when she told me that if my mother had survived it, I could. It shocked me, and I think that when I blocked what happened, I blocked out that information. Granny collapsed right then.”
“Why are you telling us this now?” Nate asked, watching Kyle step over to Amy and hug her.
Amy sighed and placed a hand on Kyle’s. “I don’t know if I can be strong anymore, but I want to live. We have to find Ricky.”
Elaine walked into the kitchen, shaking her head while she looked at her friend. “Ricky doesn’t want to mess with me, Amy.”
Amy smiled, but her eyes were sad. “I hope not, Elaine.”
Kyle hadn’t said a word and was startled when Amy turned in his arms and placed a finger to his mouth. “Did that change the way you feel about me?”
“Were you worried that it would?” Kyle responded after kissing her finger. “Why?”
“Choosing to end one’s life is a sign of weakness.”
“But you chose to live, Amy,” Kyle glanced at the table and moaned. “I guess that we should clean that.”
Amy rolled her neck and glanced at the bread, grabbing a piece that hadn’t been affected by her spilt water, and bit into it. She watched Nate glance down at his phone before walking towards the front door, not realizing that she was holding her breath before Kyle goosed her.
Nate ushered Bob and Rose inside the apartment before shutting and locking the door again. “I thought that you were going to visit with Rose’s parents.”
“We were,” Bob answered with a frown, “but I wanted to take a shower first.”
Rose nodded while holding a manila envelope in her hand.
Amy watched Rose walk towards her and bit her lip while handing Kyle the unfinished slice of bread.
“Ricky left this in Bob’s room. It has your name written on it. I, um, I looked to see what it was.” Rose watched Amy reach for the envelope and sighed. “Amy, I didn’t want to show you this, but Bob said that we shouldn’t keep anything from. . .”
“Just hand it to me,” Amy interrupted.
“Okay, but,” Rose glanced at Kyle, “it’s a very shocking picture. Maybe Kyle shouldn’t see it.”
“Did Bob see it?” Kyle asked, dumbfounded.
“Absolutely not,” Rose responded. “I wish that I hadn’t seen it.”
Bob watched Rose relinquish the envelope. “Rose pretty much ordered me to dress and then send a text to Nate. There is something else that I should mention. Some of my personal belongings have disappeared along my company ID badge. I have a feeling that Ricky took them.”
Amy stared down at the envelope and scowled. “It can’t be any worse than what I’ve already seen,” she mumbled before handing the envelope to Kyle without looking at it.
“It’s a picture of you, Amy. I’m sure that he has doctored at it a little. How else would I have seen a picture of you. . .”
“After taking a shower,” Kyle finished while closing his eyes. “It’s labeled as an after shot, Amy.” He shoved the picture back into the envelope. “He probably froze a screen from where he had those cameras.”
“If that’s the case, then he has recorded everything that I’ve done.” Amy lowered her eyes. “It’s way past time that we’ve shared this recent information with the police. They didn’t do anything about this before he tampered with my phone.”
Bob stared at the group of his friends. “I’m guessing that Ricky might intercept any calls you make from here. He’s a freaking genius.”
Amy felt Kyle wrap his arms around her again, and she leaned back on him. “Are you saying that. . .”
“I’m merely suggesting that you should call from a place Ricky hasn’t been.” Bob answered.
“And involve more people?”
“We could go to Pop’s house,” Kyle mumbled before Amy jerked away from him “What?”
“Do you really think that’s safe? What about Stephanie?”
Elaine glanced at Nate. “My mother’s house. I doubt that Ricky has a clue where that is, and Mom isn’t at home right now. They went on a cruise. It’s also closer, Kyle. I think it’s the best idea.”
Bob nodded while he watched them. “Take my car. He won’t follow it if he’s watching the apartment for you.” He turned towards Rose while he handed Nate his favorite baseball cap and noticed that she was taking off her jacket. After Elaine wriggled into the coat, he looked at Nate. “I’m hoping that he won’t notice anything but the clothes and not take a closer look.”
Elaine nodded, “Amy, I think it’s time to gather up all the materials that Ricky has been sending you.” She walked over to the front door and waited on Nate who had stopped to hug his sister.
Kyle studied Amy after her brother had left. “It’s going to be alright.”
“I agree; everything is going to be fine.” Amy responded before grabbing her sketchbook. “Bob doesn’t have a scar on his neck. The scar is very noticeable, but easily overlooked.”
“Ricky received that scar in a car accident. You noticed it?” Bob watched while Amy busied herself with a pencil.
Amy stilled the pencil and stared up at him. “It was something that my mother started me on as therapy. Details became important.” Amy walked away from the sketch she had been drawing and stepped over to a cabinet, opening a door to reveal several other books. She grabbed the one on top, flipped to the middle of the book, and stared at the picture before glancing up at Bob. “You and Ricky are mirror twins?”
“Yes, and that’s a very good observation, Amy.”
Amy tossed the book down on the counter and frowned. “But you’re enough alike to confuse a lot of people.” Amy focused on Kyle while organizing her thoughts and turned to Bob curiously. “My parents used to dress me and my sister identically. We even had the same totes and sunglasses. Did your parents feel the need to do that with you and Ricky?”
“Up until we were ten. I wanted to be different. I was also a serious Blue Devil fan so I begged them to get certain team memorabilia including duffels and the like. Ricky stuck with the red that they had been buying us all along. Ever since, he’s gotten red, and I’ve gotten blue.”
Kyle glanced at Bob after realizing why Amy had been focused on the duffels. “You never switched up with your brother?”
“No way, I always have mine with me.” Bob answered. “I have it right now, or at least it’s in my car.”
Amy frowned. “I feel really stupid right now.”
“Why?” Kyle asked. “You didn’t know that Bob
had a twin. None of us did.”
“Bob doesn’t volunteer the information either,” Rose stated. “And I can’t say as I blame him. I have a hard time being around Ricky because I don’t trust him. Bob has a sweeter disposition. I’m still trying to figure out Melody.”
Amy twisted her lips while glancing at Kyle.
Chapter 22
Nate and Elaine entered the apartment five minutes before a pair of detectives knocked on the door.
Amy was silent while handing the letters and envelopes to one of the detectives and then walked back to the table. Listening to the questions while she scrapped food from the plates, she only glanced up after noticing that it had become quiet. “I’m sorry. Am I making too much noise? I can. . .”
“Miss Brannan, why don’t you join us?” Detective Mark Norman lowered one of the letters, noting that Amy was hesitating.
“Amy, please,” Kyle watched her with worry. “You wanted to get somebody involved.”
“I want it over,” Amy responded. “That’s what I want. I want to be able to walk out my door and go to work without worrying if he’s following or watching me. I want to jog again. Go out to dinner. See my father and . . .”
“Go out to dinner?” Kyle asked with amusement.
Amy glowered at him. “You know what I mean. I don’t want to feel like I have to look over my shoulder if I so much as I think that I want to try to have a normal day.”
“Then may I suggest that we all sit down and discuss what you have here. It has been mentioned,” Mark pointed to the empty spot beside Kyle, “that what you have is connected to a case that I’m currently investigating. My question is why you haven’t thought that this was important enough to contact us earlier.”
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