Light from Her Mirror (Mirrors Don't Lie Book 3)

by Becki Willis

Kenzie hung back as Makenna watched through a tiny slit. The silver Cadillac rolled to a stop just beyond the littered front porch.

  “What’s going on?” Kenzie hissed. “What’s she doing?”

  “She’s stopped the car.”

  “Is she still in the car? Is she alone?”

  “Yes. It’s only her, and she’s just looking around the yard. Uh-oh, now she’s looking this way.” Makenna moved back from the window, holding her breath as if it would make her somehow invisible.

  “Maybe she’ll go away. It looks like no one lives here.”

  Makenna dared another peak. “No, she’s getting out of her car.”

  “What do we do?”

  “Did you get the gun?”

  “No, I thought you did!”

  “I thought you had it. Go get it. But be quiet! She’s coming toward the porch now.”

  Kenzie slipped stealthily toward the dining room, where the pistol rested on the table. The gun felt heavy in her hand. As soon as she stopped trembling, she would retrace her steps to the living room. She hoped she would not shoot her foot off in the process.

  The blankets made the room dark, but she could see Makenna’s silhouette by the window. From the looks of it, she, too, was trembling. Sneaking back toward her sister, Kenzie stumped her toe on the end table beside the couch. She bit her lip to keep from crying out and almost lost her grip on the gun. Her grip on sanity was only slightly more secure.

  “Where is she?” Kenzie mouthed the words as she slipped up beside Makenna at the window.

  Using her finger to point, Kenzie motioned toward the door. Both women flattened themselves against the wall, daring not to breath, as they heard scraping sounds from the other side of the door. When the handle rattled and moved just a fraction, Kenzie could not stifle the sharp intake of her breath. Makenna jerked involuntarily, knocking the gun from her sister’s trembling hands. It clattered to the floor and landed with the barrel pointed haplessly toward the wall.

  Hearing the sound from inside, the startled woman on the porch jumped back and let out a slight squeal. Looking around her feet in fear, she retreated hastily and scurried back to her car.

  After a painfully long moment, Makenna dared another peak. “She’s leaving.”

  The sisters let out a collective sigh but did not breathe easily until the silver Cadillac disappeared through the overgrown lane. Another two minutes elapsed before they moved from the window and felt marginally safe.

  “She knows where the cabin is.” Makenna stated the obvious.

  “We have to get out of here.” Kenzie was surprised at how sad that thought made her, despite their restless night.

  Makenna nodded, blowing out a commiserating breath. She knew exactly how her sister felt. “I think we should hurry, in case she comes back. Let’s get packed and shut everything down.”

  Kenzie eyed the tub of pictures. “I wish we could take that tub with us. I wonder how I could convince them this was something we found on our cruise.” She tried to spin an explanation in her mind, but nothing sprang to mind.

  “Even you would have trouble with that one, sister dear. Let’s take what photos will fit in our suitcase. The others we could take out of their frames.”

  “That might take too long. I don’t want to be here if that woman decides to come back, especially if she decides to bring someone else with her.”

  “Okay, but on our way out of town, let’s stop back by the diner. Maybe that guy Mel will be back today and can shed some light on our past.”

  “Maybe,” Makenna sighed. “But right now I’d say it’s still looking pretty dark.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The noonday rush had given way to the relaxed lull of afternoon. With no hint of the silver Cadillac in sight, the sisters found a table easily enough and were greeted by the same waitress from the day before.

  “I hope Mel is better today.”

  “Oh yes, and back at work,” the waitress smiled.

  “Would you mind telling him we’d like to speak to him when he has a chance?” Makenna asked politely.

  The waitress tossed her head back and laughed unexpectedly. “I’ll tell Mel you’d like a word,” the woman agreed with a grin. “But I think you’re going to be in for one big surprise.”

  As she scampered off to the next table, Kenzie frowned. “What was all that about?”

  “No idea. But another waitress is coming this direction. Maybe she’ll make more sense.”

  A heavy-set woman with graying curls made her way toward their booth, laughing and talking over her shoulder as she swished down the pathway that seemed too narrow for her hips. As the first waitress passed and said something to her, the older woman looked their way. The smile faltered on her face and the laughter died on her lips. She was still smiling when she reached their table, but the sentiment never reached her eyes.

  “Hello, ladies, and welcome to Mel’s.”

  They each returned the greeting, although with a bit of hesitation.

  “What can I do for you?” the woman asked.

  “Thank you, but the other waitress took our order,” Makenna assured her with a smile. “We’re just having coffee.”

  “Heard you wanted to talk to me.” The smile did not quite cover her look of irritation.

  “We wanted to speak with Mel, the owner,” Kenzie explained, looking over the older woman’s shoulder for the man in question.

  Again, there was laughter. Slapping a beefy hand onto her ample chest, the woman’s eyes finally glimmered with amusement. “Little lady, I am Mel!”

  “Oh!”

  “Oh, we’re sorry, we just assumed…”

  “Happens all the time,” the woman assured them, waving a dismissive hand in the air. “Heard you’ve been in a couple of times asking for me. Do I know you ladies?”

  “No, but we understand you know most people in the community, past and present,” Makenna said. “We’re looking for some of our family that lived here in the early ‘90s and before. The Hannah family.”

  “Sure, Aaron and Anne. Knew them well. Fine people.”

  “Would you care to join us?” Kenzie offered, scooting over in her booth seat.

  Instead of sitting beside the younger woman, Mel took a chair from a nearby table and turned it around to face the booth. She settled her ample frame onto the rickety chair without batting an eye.

  “I understand they had several sons and one daughter,” Makenna continued.

  “That’s right.” Her words were cautious. The smile was gone from her eyes again, but she met Makenna’s gaze without wavering.

  “We’re interested in knowing more about their daughter.”

  “Why?”

  The blunt question took them by surprise. Kenzie recovered first. “We’re researching our family, but no one has been able to tell us anything about their daughter. We understand she married and moved away.”

  “That’s right.”

  “What can you tell us about her?” A seasoned interviewer, Makenna changed tactics. These one and two word answers were getting them nowhere.

  “Not much.”

  “Ah, but I was told you knew everyone in this town. From the way people talked, I was expecting to see you whip out entire history books from your apron! They said if there was anything we wanted to know, just ask Mel.”

  The flattery softened the unblinking gaze of her eyes, but did not loosen her tongue as Makenna had hoped. “Didn’t say I didn’t know much, just couldn’t tell you much.”

  “And why is that?” Kenzie prodded. “Has their daughter … passed?” Maybe people were reluctant to speak ill of the dead.

  Mel gave a short, unpleasant laugh. “Oh, she is very much alive.”

  “I understand she did not marry well, is that correct?” Makenna asked.

  “That’s a fair way of putting it.”

  “What was the problem, if you don’t mind me asking? Did he not support her and their children?”

  “He supporte
d her in grand style, as a matter of fact. Too grand, if you ask me,” Mel harrumphed.

  “Actually, we heard someone else say the same thing,” Kenzie lied.

  Her tactic worked. Mel did not want someone else getting more credit than she did for providing information. “He may have money and a fancy career, but some things are sacred. The old home place, for one. You don’t sell off the family farm, no matter how much money the power company dangles before your eyes!” She clucked her tongue in disapproval. “Especially since he was profiting from both sides. Everyone knows he arranged the whole thing.”

  “Her husband is in real estate?” Makenna guessed. She felt like she was prying the words out of Mel’s mouth, one syllable at a time.

  Mel’s eyes glittered a harsh light. “He has his finger in a dozen different things.”

  “What kinds of things?”

  “The kind that made him too good for little old Grafton County. Oh no, he had grander things in mind!” Mel tossed her gray curls and crossed her arms over her chest with censure.

  Kenzie asked the question they really wanted answered. “We understand they had a daughter. What can you tell us about her?”

  “Maggie?” The older woman’s face softened.

  “Yes, that’s the one. Was she their only daughter?”

  “Yes. Three sons and little Maggie. What a precious child! Came every summer to stay with her grandparents. She even worked here in the cafe one summer, did you know that?”

  “No, we didn’t.” Kenzie looked around with new interest, trying to imagine a teen-aged version of the woman from her photographs in a waitress uniform, moving among the tables.

  “She was a natural, our Maggie girl,” Mel said with fondness. “Always thought she would wind up with Cal Larson. But she didn’t come one summer, and then he left for college. And the next time she came, she had another man on her arm and a ring on her finger.”

  “Who-Who did she marry?”

  “A handsome dark haired man she met at college with some foreign sounding name. Seemed like a nice enough fella, though,” Mel shrugged. “Doted on Maggie, but he had a far-away look in his eyes. Hard to talk to. She claimed it was because he was some sort of genius. Looked like one of those computer nerds, if you asked me. Needed a little hard work and sunshine to give him some color.”

  The bell above the cafe door jingled as a group of five came inside. Mel waved in greeting and called out, “Be right with you!” She shoved to her feet, even though the sisters were not through with their questions.

  “We heard Maggie was estranged from her father,” Kenzie said, hoping to hold the aging waitress there.

  “If you mean she was disowned, then say so.”

  “All right. Was she?”

  “Yes.” This, on a heavy sigh.

  “Why?”

  “That’s not my story to tell.”

  “We understand that Maggie is dead.” Makenna’s voice was gentle.

  Wrinkles puckered Mel’s forehead as she glanced between the two women. “That’s what we were told.”

  Kenzie heard the wariness in her answer. “You don’t believe that?”

  “We also were told the babies were with her. ‘Course, they wouldn’t be babies no more. They’d be about your age, in fact.” Mel eyed them with a shrewd look.

  “Did you- Did you ever see her children?” Makenna asked breathlessly.

  “Of course I did! They came in here at least once a week. Cute as two pearl buttons on a fuzzy pink sweater. Broke my heart, thinking they had died with Maggie.” She returned the chair to the correct table and offered a last thought. “Even if the town managed to forgive Maggie’s Daddy for his dirty deeds, we could never forget how he turned Maggie and her babies away. Their deaths made for some awfully hard hearts.” She eyed the sisters one last time, her gaze measured. “But maybe we’ve had it wrong all these years. Maybe the babies survived.” She gave a smart tap to the table and bustled away to greet the new customers.

  “She knows,” Kenzie murmured.

  “I wonder what dirty deeds she was talking about?”

  “Beats me. But one thing is clear. No one cares much for our grandparents.”

  ***

  Using the same evasive tricks her sister used the day before, Kenzie took a winding path out of town. Once they were certain no one followed, they turned south toward Boston.

  “Nice hotel,” Kenzie said with approval as they settled into their room near the cruise port.

  “Would you have it any other way?” Makenna teased with a smile.

  “Hey, I’m not a snob. I just have good taste.”

  “And high standards.”

  “Better to have high standards than to wallow in the gutter,” Kenzie assured her sister.

  “I still can’t believe you rented a storage unit for Yoko.”

  “If we left her in the parking lot, she would be impounded. If we paid someone to take her back to the cabin, we would be giving away its hidden location. Storing her seemed like the only solution,” Kenzie rationalized.

  “I can hardly wait to see Travis’s reaction when he sees your new car.” Makenna started laughing, just imagining the long-legged Ranger in the cramped vehicle.

  “I can hardly wait to see him, period.” Kenzie’s face was not nearly as jovial as her twin’s. “I hope he’s safe.” She closed her eyes, unwilling to imagine any other scenario.

  “I’m sure he is, Ken. He’s very good at what he does.”

  “I still worry. So much could go wrong undercover.” She blew out a deep breath and issued a quick, silent prayer for his safety. With a forced smile, she opened her eyes and changed the topic. “I know you’re excited about seeing Hardin tomorrow.”

  “It seems like forever since I’ve seen those amazing blue eyes,” Makenna said, a wistful tone seeping into her voice. “I just hope he forgives me when he finds out what we’ve done.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t tell him right away.”

  “I can’t lie to him. Not anymore than I already have.” She nibbled on her lower lip worriedly.

  “I was hoping we would come home with enough answers that he and Travis would forget all about being angry with us. Instead, we’re just coming home with more questions.” Kenzie plopped down on the leather sofa overlooking the waterfront, but her mind was too full to appreciate the view.

  Makenna wandered over to the window and stared out at the twinkling lights of the harbor with an unseeing gaze. She murmured some of those questions aloud. “Who are our grandparents? Why would no one talk about them? Why wouldn’t they tell us about our past?”

  “Why did our grandfather disown his only daughter? Did he know our father was involved with the mafia?” Kenzie mused.

  “From what little people had to say about him, I would think he was the one more likely to be tangled with the mafia. No one seems to think very highly of him.”

  “Apparently they hold it against our grandmother for marrying a rich man from the city.”

  “I wish we could have learned more about them. But mostly I wish we had learned more about our mother. Everyone seemed to love her, no matter who her parents were.”

  “But what happened to her?” Kenzie whispered.

  That was the real question, the one that haunted them both.

  ***

  Kenzie and Makenna took a short cab ride to the port, where they slipped among the crowd, entered the terminal, and then emerged again from the other side. To the casual observer, they appeared to be exiting customs with the other returning passengers, suitcases in tow.

  “Makenna!”

  She heard Hardin’s voice above the crowd, long before she saw him. A delighted smile transformed her face as she searched for him among the sea of faces.

  “I can’t believe he came here to greet us!” she gushed, raising her hand and waving her location, even though she could not see him. She craned her neck and stood on tiptoe, until at last she saw his athletic form sprinting her way. “There he
is!” she said excitedly, clapping her hand on Kenzie’s arm. “Oh, lordy, I have missed that man! Look how wonderful he looks!”

  “I was thinking how furious he looks,” Kenzie muttered, picking up on the thunder in his expression.

  “Makenna! Where the hell have you been!” Hardin bellowed the words long before he reached her side.

  “Uh-oh.” Makenna’s face fell, right along with her heart.

  In spite of his angry outburst and dark expression, Hardin swept her into his arms, crushing her to him in a brutal kiss. Makenna clung to him, thinking the desperate intensity was merely Hardin’s passionate nature. He once told her he was often accused of being too intense - overzealous, even- but it was just one of the many things she loved about him. Hardin never did anything halfway; if there was something he wanted or something he believed in, he approached it with gusto. She was thankful she was one of those things, and that he had used that same method when romancing her. After all, he proposed only six short weeks after they met.

  His savage kiss gentled as his hands released her waist and came up to cradle her face. Holding her cheeks in his hands, he broke the kiss with a soft but vicious curse. “God, woman, where have you been? Do you know how worried I have been? What terrible things I imagined? My god, I thought they had gotten to you!”

  “Wh-” She started to ask who, but she knew the answer: the mafia. She changed her query to a warbled, “Wh-Why? Why did you th-think that?”

  “Because you weren’t on the ship! Where in the hell have you been?” The anger returned in full force as he dropped his hands. He stepped back from her, his intense blue eyes blazing.

  “I-I -”

  Kenzie could not bear to see her sister’s face, crushed beneath the weight of Hardin’s fury. Makenna stood there stammering, trying to work up the courage to pretend ignorance, trying to summon up another lie; a lie Kenzie had forced her into. Stepping in front of him, Kenzie grabbed Hardin’s arm. It was like an iron rail, hard and unyielding. However, iron never trembled with barely contained rage as the Ranger did now.

  “What are you talking about, Hardin?” she asked coolly, forcing his glaring eyes off her sister and onto herself. She felt the scorch of his gaze immediately. Maybe he was not so easy going, after all. She tried not to cringe, thinking about the trouble this meant for her sister’s relationship with the unrelenting man.