“Good morning,” Suzette managed to say with a smile as she stumbled up the steps. When they got inside, Hallie turned to Suzette, “Well, now you know that I wasn’t seeing things.”
“I didn’t doubt you at all. What should we do now?”
“I’ll go ask the receptionist for Dr. Austin’s office number. You’d better stay here since she will think you are Dr. Austin and wonder why you are asking for your own office number.”
Suzette nodded, then turned toward the drinking fountain. As she went to push the button, she realized that her hands were shaking violently. “Cool it, Suz! There’s nothing to worry about.” After she finished getting her drink she began reading the notices on the bulletin board while she watched Hallie out of the corner of her eye.
The receptionist pointed up the left-hand staircase. Thanking her, Hallie started up, motioning with her head that Suzette was to follow. As Suzette started after her, the receptionist said, “Miss, miss. Dr. Austin is behind you.”
Smiling, Hallie turned and waited for ‘Dr. Austin’ to catch up with her. Talking softly, they continued up the stairs. “Dr. Austin’s office is on the fifth floor. The elevator isn’t working so we’ll just have to climb it.”
Suzette nodded without saying anything. Hallie reached over and grabbed her arm. “Are you okay?”
Suzette shrugged. “I don’t know. I kind of feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack Truck. I’ve wondered about my family for so long and now, well, I guess I might get some of my questions answered and it’s a rather spooky feeling.”
When they got to the 5th floor, Hallie led the way to the northeast corner. “Dr. Austin must be some kind of bigwig. These offices are big with floor to ceiling windows that overlook the ocean.”
Gently, Hallie tapped on 501.
“Come in.”
Hallie looked back at Suzette as she put her hand on the knob. “Ready?”
“Let’s do it.” Suzette stood up straight and smiled.
Hallie pushed open the door. A tall, slim woman with dark brown hair was standing by the window, looking at the clouds forming over the ocean. She turned, smiling, at Hallie. Her smile froze when she saw Suzette. “Who are you?” She asked breathlessly.
“My name is Suzette Bishop and I was hoping you could tell me who I am.”
“Why do you think I can tell you who you are?”
Suzette pointed to her face. “Because we share the same face. In fact, we could be twins.”
“Heavens, where are my manners? Come in and sit down.” She motioned to the chairs in front of her immaculate mahogany desk and then she looked at her watch. “I have a class in fifteen minutes.” She pressed her lips together. “Tell me about yourself.”
Suzette said tonelessly, “I’m an orphan. My parents were killed in a car accident. The driver of a gasoline truck fell asleep, crossed the center line and careened head-on into my parent’s car. Both the truck and the car exploded on impact. The fire was so hot that every identifying mark in the car was destroyed. My car seat was found about sixty feet away from the fire, upside down. The doctor at the scene said that it was a miracle that I wasn’t crushed from the weight of the seat. The doctor thought I was about a month old at that time.” She shrugged. “I’d lived all my life in foster homes until I was adopted by a family in Chicago. I am an independent insurance investigator. I’m here on a case. Can you help me?”
Hallie put her hand on Suzette’s arm, shaking her gently. “Suz, are you okay? You act like you are in shock.”
Gracefully, Dr. Austin got up, to look out the windows. “The clouds are building. We’re in for a rough storm.”
Neither Hallie nor Suzette said anything.
“This is rather a shock,” she said softly. “You see, my parents left me with my grandparents for a business trip. They took my baby sister with them because my mother was breast feeding her. All three of them disappeared off the face of the earth when I was four. I know my grandparents looked and looked for them. They even hired a private detective to trace them but he lost the trail just after Paducah, Kentucky.
“It about killed my grandparents. Even though my grandparents always said that my parents loved me, all my life, I wondered, deep down inside, why they abandoned me.”
Tears were streaming down Suzette’s face. “Now you know. They didn’t abandon you. They died in Dixon Springs.”
“Yes, it seems so.” A bell rang in the distance. “I’ve got to go. I have my graduate studies class that I can’t miss.”
Quickly, Suzette pulled a pen from her purse. “Here’s where I am staying in case you want to talk to me again.” She stood up and hurried out of the room, wiping her eyes as she went.
When they got back to the car, Hallie said, “I can’t understand why she acted the way she did. She didn’t even seem glad to see you.”
“I know. It could be that she was in a state of shock. After all, I’ve had a couple of days to get used to the idea of a double. She hasn’t or maybe she doesn’t want to have a sister.”
“Or maybe she has hated you all these years because she thought your parents liked you better than they liked her and now, all of a sudden, she finds out that they’re dead and she has no reason to hate you.”
Suzette nodded, “Yes that would seem to follow what she said. I’m just wondering about my grandparents, if they really are my grandparents. There is no proof that we are sisters except for the gut feeling I have and our twin faces.” Suzette continued, “Hallie, would you mind if I just went for a walk by myself? I’m feeling like I need some time alone,”
Hallie looked at her watch. “I’ve got a class in a few minutes. Why don’t I meet you back here in about an hour? Will that be enough time?”
“I don’t know. Is the beach that way?”
“There’s only one path down to the beach. I’ll show you.” Hallie led the way across the parking lot. “See that sidewalk just across the street? If you follow that, you’ll come to some steps. Follow them clear to the bottom. When you get to the beach turn north. It’s about six miles to Aunt Cordelia’s house. Those tiny pointed hills you’ll see when you reach the beach are the gantries at the Space Center. If you keep heading toward them, you’ll get to Aunt’s house. If you want a ride home, meet me at the car in an hour, okay?”
“I think I’ll walk back to the house. Six miles isn’t very long. Don’t wait for me.” She looked both ways then started across the street, when suddenly out of nowhere, a white car rushed straight at Suzette. At the last moment, she leaped out of the way, stumbling and falling against the curb.
“Suzette, are you alright?” Hallie cried as she ran across the road. Slowly Suzette got to her knees. Cautiously, she grabbed a parking meter base and got to her feet.
“I think I’m okay. Where did that car come from? I sure didn’t see it.”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see it either. It’s like it came out of time warp or something.”
As Suzette turned toward the sidewalk, Hallie said, “Are you sure you feel like walking six miles after what happened?”
“I’m okay. If I sit now, I’ll just stiffen up. See you at the house.”
Chapter 21
Deidre, parked under a palm tree a few cars away, smiled to herself as she waited for Suzette and Hallie to leave. “So that’s why he wants to know where she is and what she’s going to do. I wonder why he hates her as much as I do. This is really a delicious secret. Poor Suzette. She won’t stand a chance against two of us,” she whispered to herself, then she laughed wickedly. “I guess I don’t need to be jealous of her, if he only wants to see her dead.” She looked out the window and began planning what she’d wear for their date that night. It would need to be sexy and sultry–something that would reward him for his attempt on Suzette.
*********
Suzette reached the bottom of the steps and headed north. When she was clear of the campus, she kicked off her shoes and began wading in the surf, letting the water and the sand ooze through
her toes. Gradually she relaxed her stiff muscles but letting go of the interview with Dr. Austin was much harder.
She visualized the tall, slim, dark-haired woman in her mind. The woman with her face, her features, her figure. What had she been thinking when the bell rang? Suzette wondered. I don’t even know what her first name is? Will I ever know? Will I ever be part of a family? Are my grandparents still alive? Would they want to see me? Will she tell them about me?
As she walked steadily north, her mind boiled and bubbled, the surf churned at her feet and the clouds grew darker and more forbidding. Suzette was so involved in her thoughts that she didn’t notice that the wind was no longer a mild breeze until there was a bright flash of lightening, followed almost immediately by a loud clap of thunder.
Suzette jumped, then looked around. Looking behind her, she could no longer see the campus. Ahead, the two gantries looked much larger. She could see the cross pieces during the flashes of lightening. “I must have come four or five miles.” There was another bright flash of lightening. The storm was getting closer.
Abruptly, she broke into a fast jog. We’ll just see how in shape I am. Two miles or so should be a piece of cake. Her heart was pounding, she was gasping for breath and a charley horse was beginning to tighten in her left calf when she finally saw the elevated boardwalk that led to Cordelia’s house.
There was a bright flash, a loud boom, and the rain came, hard and heavy. There was another bright flash and a sizzle as the lightning struck a tall, thin palm standing just at the edge of the scrub. The hair on her head and on her arms stood straight up. With a sharp gasp, Suzette dove under the boardwalk. I’ll probably get eaten alive by no-see-ums but at least I’m protected from being the main course at a barbeque, she thought humorously.
As she crept along underneath the boardwalk, she discovered that there were so many cracks in the wood above her that the rain poured through and mosquitoes and gnats didn’t attack her. There was a bright flash and a loud boom that told her that the storm was immediately overhead. Then she saw a small, rectangular black box in the bushes a few feet away. Pushing aside the wet scrub oak, Suzette reached for the box. When she was back under the board walk, she examined her find.
“This must be Jeanette’s missing camera.” She looked from the camera to her small white purse. “It won’t fit into my purse so how am I going to sneak it into the house? Quickly, she stuck the camera insider her shirt, tightening her thin, brown belt a couple of notches to make sure that the camera wouldn’t fall out of the shirt. That should work, she thought to herself, but when she looked down she noticed that it was obvious she had something stuck up her shirt. “This isn’t working and I’m freezing,” she said to herself.
She shook her head. Nobody uses film any more. Why would she have a camera with film—then she remembered that Amy said that her boss had purchased a special night camera for his mother and she had given him the specification of what she wanted. Quickly, she rewound the film, opened the camera and stuck the film into the pocket of her khaki skirt. Then she hid the camera under the bottom step, covering it with a pile of branches.
As the rain came down harder and harder, she decided to make a run for the house. I can’t get any wetter than I already am.
As she dashed up the steps of the terrace, Mitch walked out to look at the ocean.
He looked at her sand-covered skirt, sopping wet hair and dripping blouse. He said mimicking an old Asian woman, “My wise old grandmother say, ‘if swimming in ocean wear swimsuit’.”
Suzette smiled, “I’ll remember that the next time I decide to jog along the beach. She reached into her pocket as Deidre came out onto the terrace. She was dressed in a deep blue top that was cut open to her belly button. The lacings across her chest showed deeply tanned skin and some kind of ornate, silver belly ornament.
“Suzette, you look like hell,” she drawled as she ran her hand up Mitch’s bare arm, stopping to squeeze his biceps.
Suzette’s lips tightened, but she said lightly, “I feel like it, too.” She looked up at Mitch. “I’m going up to change. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Sure.”
Suzette paused at the top of the stairs and looked back. Deirdre had both arms around Mitch’s neck and was standing on tip toe whispering something in his ear. He had both arms around her waist. She stumbled and dashed to her room. Dropping her clothes in the sink, she jumped into the shower, turning it on hot. “What is it with men?” She muttered, “Give a woman a set of equipment and a low cut, tight dress and the testosterone takes over and even the best of them can’t think of anything else.” She shook her head as she turned the heat down and washed the sand and bugs from her short, dark hair.
She was finishing dressing when there was a gentle tap on the door. “Come in,” Suzette called. Cordelia stuck her head around the door. “Hallie just got home. She was worried about you. She said you’d had a bad experience. I was just wondering if maybe you’d like to talk about it.”
“I don’t know,” Suzette said. “I’m pretty confused about everything right now.”
Cordelia said, “Sometimes talking helps, but it’s up to you.”
“What did Hallie tell you?” Suzette asked curiously.
“She didn’t tell me anything. She said that I would have to ask you what happened. She just said that you walked home along the beach and that she was afraid that you got caught in the storm.”
“I did get caught in the storm, but that isn’t important.” She swallowed back tears. “We went looking for my double and we found her.”
“That’s wonderful!” Cordelia saw the hurt look in Suzette’s eyes and her jaw tightened. “Or isn’t it?”
“Yes and no. Cordelia, she looks just like me. It’s like looking in a mirror and seeing a living ghost—one that looked just like me.
“Then Hallie was right. The woman is your twin?”
“If what she said was true, then she would be my older sister. She said that she was an orphan, that her parents left her with her grandparents while they went on a business trip. They took her little sister along. They never came back. I explained my history. Cordelia, she went all still and pale and quiet. Then the bell rang. She said she had graduate class she had to teach. I managed to give her my card. It has my cell number on it, but I wrote your address and phone number on it just in case I have to change the number again, but that was all. She just walked out, leaving Hallie and me standing there with our mouths open.”
Cordelia played with a lock of her hair. “Did she act angry?”
“I don’t think so, but I don’t know her, either. Maybe going still and quiet is her way of expressing extreme anger.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Right now, I don’t really know. I guess I’ll let her make the next move.” Suzette twisted her fingers together nervously.
“That was all that happened?”
“No,” Suzette said slowly. “As I started across the street, a white car shot out from nowhere and nearly ran over me.” She lifted her khaki skirt. “I’ve got the proof right here.” Both knees were scraped and raw.
“You ought to get some antiseptic and some bandages on those scrapes. They must hurt.”
“I’m all right,” Suzette said, impatiently. She sighed, “I feel so fragmented. I just can’t concentrate. Every time I turn around something else dumps on me. I can’t even think.” She yanked at her hair with both hands. “I’ve got to figure out who is trying to kill me, who killed Jeanette, who kidnaped Justin and now is this woman really my sister or not, and if she is, what can I do about it?”
There was a tap on the door. Before Suzette could say ‘come in’, Mike pushed the door so hard that it banged back against the stop. “Suzette, we need to talk now!” He pushed the door shut with a bang. He was still dressed in his undercover clothes.
“What’s wrong?” Mike had never been angry at her before. His rage made him seem larger, more stern, more like granite.
“You’re what’s wrong. Justin’s been missing ten days now and you aren’t doing anything to help find him. You said you’d help but so far, all you’ve done is contribute to the problem”
Suzette’s face flamed with embarrassment and anger. “I’ve been trying. I’m doing the best I can,” she snapped.
“No, you aren’t. I’ve seen how you work when you are really absorbed in a problem. You get your teeth into it and you never let go. You just keep tearing away at it until you get it solved. You haven’t done one darn thing to help Justin. You just flit here and there without telling anyone what you’re doing or where you’re going.” Although Mike didn’t raise his voice, the words stung like the arrows his ancestors had used.
“Thanks a lot,” Suzette snarled. “I don’t see you getting anywhere.”
“That’s enough,” Cordelia slammed a book down against the table. “Both of you should be ashamed of yourselves. You’ll never get anywhere if you are at each other’s throats.”
Suzette looked sad, “I’m sorry you feel that way, Mike. I take it that you didn’t have any luck.” He nodded. “Contrary to what you think, I have been working on this mess, but I haven’t been able to get a handle on this problem, or rather several problems. There are too many people, too many loose ends, too many unrelated problems. I do think I’ve found some evidence that may tie up a couple of them.”
“How?” His tone sounded like he didn’t believe her.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the roll of film. “I found what I think was Jeanette’s camera in the scrub. I hid it underneath the stairs of the boardwalk and covered it with branches because I didn’t want anyone to see it. I took the film out so it wouldn’t disappear. If you have one of your cop friends get it developed, it might tell us more of what’s going on.”
Deidre stood next to Suzette’s balcony window, her back pressed against the wall listening to their conversation. This isn’t good–I know that Jeanette had pictures of me and Derek in the gazebo. I wonder what else is on that film. I’ve got to get it.
Sun, Sand and Murder: A Suzette Bishop Mystery (Suzette Bishop Mysteries Book 3) Page 13