by Cindy Bell
“Why are you here, Eddy?”
“I had another hunch. You weren’t at your villa, so I figured I’d take a look around the outside of the community center to see if anything might have been overlooked. I didn’t expect to find you here. Were you in there alone?”
“Yes. Well, no.” She frowned.
“What’s wrong, Samantha? Did someone hurt you?” His eyes glowed despite the dark that surrounded them. She could see the hardness in his expression, as if he intended to protect her from anything and everything.
“No, no one hurt me. I’m just very, very, foolish.”
“I know that’s not true. What happened?”
Samantha heard a snap of a twig. She jumped again. Eddy wrapped his arm around her as he looked around in the direction of the twig.
“Not here. We need to find some place to talk.” She shivered at the thought that either person could be watching her. If the killer and his accomplice knew that she heard their conversation, she might be next on the list.
“Okay, let’s go back to your villa.” He kept his arm around her as he steered her across the street to the sidewalk that wound its way down through the villas. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she needed to tell Eddy everything. When they got inside her villa she gestured to the couch.
“Take a seat.”
He sat down on the couch and looked up at her. “What is it?”
“Before I tell you this, I want you to promise that you will remain calm.”
“Calm? I’m already stressed. Just tell me what it is.”
“I might have overheard something while I was in the community center.”
“Overheard who?”
“I’m not sure. I couldn’t tell who it was, because my ears are still ringing from the explosion. But I did hear a lot of what they said.”
“They?”
“A man, and a woman.”
“A couple?”
“That’s what it sounded like, yes. I can’t be sure, but I think they were discussing May’s murder.”
“Why didn’t you tell me right away?”
“Because I let them get away. I didn’t even get a good look at them. When I should have been waiting for the chance, I closed my eyes. What is wrong with me?”
“What is wrong with you? Nothing is wrong with you. We witnessed an explosion, a woman you considered a friend is dead, of course you’re a little shaken-up.”
“Still, if I had only paid attention, this murder could be solved right now.”
“Do you think it’s possible that it was Reynold and Valerie?”
“I can’t say that it wasn’t, but I can’t confidently say that it was. For all I know it could have been Daniel and Valerie, or Daniel and someone else. Or anyone, really.” She shook her head.
“If you think about it, you might be able to figure it out. Just try to rest tonight and in the morning we’ll meet up in the community center. Everything might become clearer then.”
“All right.” She yawned and shook her head. “I guess I could try to go back to sleep.” She shivered a little.
“Do you want me to stay, Samantha?” His eyes locked with hers. Samantha’s heart skipped a beat as she realized that she did. Never before had she felt the need to have someone else with her, but after the explosion and the conversation she overheard she felt like company.
“Well, you’re already here. You could stay if you want.”
He smiled a little. “That’s not exactly what I asked. I’ll stay.”
She stood up from the couch and grabbed him a blanket and pillow. When she returned he was already stretched out. As strange as it was to see him settled in, it was also quite comforting. When she laid down, she fell asleep easily.
Chapter 18
The next morning Samantha woke up to the smell of coffee. She dressed quickly and walked into the kitchen to find Eddy. He waved to her as he squinted at her computer screen.
“I hope you don’t mind. I couldn’t sleep last night, so I decided to do some hunting of my own.”
“On the computer?”
“I can do a thing or two with one of these. Chris has taught me a lot.”
“I don’t mind.” She poured herself a cup of coffee. “Did you find anything?”
“I think I might have. I managed to find two old articles from a fishing magazine that had been uploaded to the internet. Can I use the printer?”
“Of course.”
He picked up his own cup of coffee as the printer started up. “So, what did you find?” She sat down beside him.
“I’m not sure yet. I have a hunch, and it’s a crazy one, but I just have to check it out.” He stood up and retrieved the articles he had printed, and stared down at them. “It’s right there in front of my face, but I still don’t believe it.” He stumbled back as the paper trembled in his hand.
“Eddy? You okay?” Samantha stood up and put a hand on the small of his back to steady him. “What is it?”
“Look familiar?” He held up the article and pointed to the photograph so that she could see. Her eyes widened the moment that she looked at the faces of the two young men in the picture. The article was about a Mariner fishing competition. They were smiling and one of the men had a fish on the end of his line.
“Is that Reynold?”
“It is. And his brother, Jacob.”
“Jacob, who was killed?”
“Yes.” Eddy shook his head. “I don’t know how I could have missed this. It was right under our nose.”
“What do you mean? We know that Reynold was Jacob’s brother and that they looked very similar.”
“No, this.” He pointed to a scar above the eyebrow of one of the nearly identical men in the photograph. “See the scar.”
“Yes.”
“And this is a photograph of Reynold taken at the trivia night last month.” He held up another photograph.
“So? Reynold has a scar.”
“He does!” He held up another photograph that only had one of the brothers on it. He pointed to the picture. “I never noticed it, but look at his eyebrow.”
Samantha stared at the photograph. “There is a scar.”
“Exactly. A scar. But look at the caption, this is Jacob not Reynold.”
“So, maybe they both had a scar?”
“In exactly the same spot? See how the hair of his eyebrow is thick everywhere, but over the scar?”
“Yes, you’re right.” She frowned. “So what does this mean?”
“It means that this.” He pointed to the man without the scar in the first picture of the brothers. “Is not Jacob.”
“But it can’t be Reynold. Reynold has the scar.” Her mouth grew dry. “Wait a minute.” Her mind spun as she tried to fit the pieces together.
“Yes. The Reynold that we know, the Reynold that lives in Sage Gardens, has a scar.”
“Does this mean what I think it means?”
“It means that it isn’t Jacob that drowned in the lake at all, it was Reynold. Jacob is still very much alive, and living in our neighborhood.”
Samantha’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding? How is that possible?”
“Remember how Walt turned up all of that information on Jacob’s financial issues. He was involved in the scam, broke, nearly bankrupt, and didn’t have much hope of a strong financial future?”
“Yes.” Samantha nodded. “So you think that when Reynold drowned, Jacob decided to take his name so he could have a new life?”
“Why not? No one needed to know that it was Reynold, not Jacob that died. As far as the police were concerned it was an accident, and there was no reason to investigate further. Maybe if they had, they would have noticed the scar. Then again, maybe not.”
“Maybe.” Samantha began to pace back and forth. “How is this even possible? Can a man lie that well? Can he just take over his brother’s life, and no one notices?”
“He likely moved away as soon as he could. With their parents already
being dead and neither of them having any other family, there was no one to contest it. Jacob saw his chance and seized it.”
“In a million years I never would have put that together. So Jacob and his brother Reynold go out on a boat together. Maybe they argue over Jacob’s finances. Maybe Reynold didn’t fall out of the boat, maybe Jacob pushed him out of anger, then saw his opportunity.”
“That might be what happened. I don’t know if we’ll ever know for sure what happened on the boat, but I am certain that the man we know as Reynold is not Reynold at all, it’s Jacob. Maybe Jacob went out there with the plan to murder his brother and steal his identity. If he did, he’s certainly malicious enough to murder May. Maybe she suspected him and that’s why she printed the article.”
“But there were no photographs in the article.”
“None that we saw. We don’t know if she burned more paper in the fire. Or maybe she printed the article for another reason. I suppose she could have known about it the whole time, and even helped him to cover it up.”
“No, I don’t think so.” Samantha stared down at the photograph of the man without the scar, the man she now knew was actually Reynold. “May wasn’t the type to hide a secret like that. I think she found him out, and she wanted to give him the chance to explain himself. Remember, she mentioned something about the scar to Daniel. Maybe she would have even forgiven him, that was the type of person that May was.” She sighed. “She cared.”
“So now, it’s very possible that we’re not just dealing with one murder, but two.”
“Yes, it is. But how can we prove any of it? All we have are guesses and hunches. Nothing solid. I doubt any officer will make an arrest based on a small scar.”
“Maybe, but I might be able to convince the police to do a DNA test.”
“I don’t think that’s going to work, Eddy. This was a very long time ago, there’s not going to be DNA on file for Reynold. They would have to exhume his body, and they’re not going to do that based on a hunch.”
“Ah, you’re right, I didn’t really think that through. So, how else can we get some proof? Should we search through Reynold’s house?”
“He’s too smart for that. Plus, there’s still the bomb to consider. I think we should tail him, and see where he goes. Maybe we’ll figure out whether he and Valerie are in on this together.”
“Good idea.”
“Although, if he is smart he won’t go anywhere near her,” Samantha said.
“Maybe not, but if Valerie is as determined as her past implies, then she’s going to demand his attention. We can find out by tailing her, or Reynold.”
“I think we’re better off tailing Reynold. Valerie is a social butterfly, and we might end up running around in circles for hours.”
“Okay, fair enough. We’ll tail Reynold, and see what he’s up to. That might give us a better clue as to what he plans to do next, too.”
“On a stake out together, this should be fun.” She laughed. “I guess I’d better make room for more taco wrappers.”
Eddy patted his stomach. “Owen said no more tacos. We’ll have to go by the burger place.”
“Oh good, they have those curly fries I like.”
“Woman after my own heart.” He winked at her.
“Wait, we’re supposed to meet Jo and Walt remember?”
“Yes, but not for a while. We’ll be back by then, we can fill them in then. They both looked like they needed the rest after yesterday.”
“Good point. Let’s catch Reynold before he leaves the house then.”
Once in the car Samantha drove towards Reynold’s villa. As she approached, she noticed that Valerie’s car was in the driveway of her villa. It was tempting to follow her instead, but Reynold was the one she was truly curious about. Could he really actually be Jacob? Before she could roll up to Reynold’s villa, his car backed out of the driveway. She applied the brakes and gave him a few minutes head start before she began following him.
“We’re in luck. If we hadn’t moved fast, we would have missed him.” Eddy scooted forward in his seat. “Let’s hope he leads us to something good.”
Thirty minutes later Samantha rolled her eyes. “I think he’s leading us on a wild goose chase.”
“Where is he going?” Eddy stared through the windshield.
“I don’t know, but we’re getting further and further out of town. Something tells me he doesn’t want to be found.”
“Hang back a bit. You don’t want him to catch on that he’s being tailed.”
“I have done this before, you know.”
“I know, I know. I just wish I had some idea of where he was going.”
“Wait, look we’re going into a campsite. Maybe he has a cabin in here.”
“A cabin in the woods. It’s a perfect place to hide out until the investigation goes cold.”
“Or until the wrong suspect is convicted.”
“Yes, that too.” Eddy pointed to some brush along a group of cabins. “Pull in here so that he can’t see the car.”
Samantha did as he instructed. Although the car was well hidden, they still had a clear view of the cabin where Reynold parked. He opened the car door, glanced around, then closed it and headed into the cabin. Samantha sighed as she realized that they might have hit a dead end.
“What do you think, Eddy?”
“It’s a bit odd. It sure doesn’t look like he’s waiting for anyone.”
“Maybe he’s preparing to disappear.”
“Maybe.” Eddy narrowed his eyes.
“Well, I guess this might be a bust. Are we going to sit out here forever?”
“I didn’t think that you would mind the company.” He shifted in his seat and looked over at her.
Samantha blushed and looked down at her hands. “I don’t.”
“No?” He reached out and turned the radio on at a quiet level. “We haven’t had much of a chance to talk about life lately.”
“We’ve been too busy living it, that’s a good sign.”
“Sure it is, but I enjoy hearing your opinion on things.”
“That’s going to have to wait. Because here comes Valerie.” She pointed through the side window and ducked down nearly on to Eddy’s chest as the woman slid out of the backseat of Reynold’s car. “I don’t think he knew she was there.”
“Mmhm, and where does she think she’s going?” Eddy leaned forward as Samantha straightened up. While they watched Valerie walked right up the dirt driveway to the cabin.
“She’s a fool if she thinks that Reynold is going to care for her the way that she wants.” Eddy frowned.
“Maybe she’s not as involved as we thought. Maybe she’s just lovesick.”
Valerie paused in front of the door. She looked around for a moment, then raised her hand and knocked. A second later the door swung open and Valerie disappeared.
“We’re going to have to get closer if we want to hear what she’s saying.”
“Samantha, we need to be careful. You stay here, I’ll go.”
“I don’t think so.” She pushed her door open and stepped out. She was already halfway through the side yard when she realized Eddy was right behind her. They both paused beside some bushes near the living room window. Although it was closed, it was not snapped tight, so the voices drifted through the small space.
“Why would you come here? How many times do I have to tell you this?”
“Relax. No one has anything on you. I think you’re right we should disappear. Let’s leave tonight. I don’t want to wait around any longer. Let’s just go.”
“I told you, you’re not invited.”
“Don’t do this to me, Reynold. I’m the only one who understands you. I know why you did what you did. I forgive you for it. We can start a new life together.”
“You forgive me for it?” He laughed. “For which part?”
“You had no choice. May found out about your past, she figured it out, and you were going to end up in prison. It’s not l
ike you wanted her to die, but you had no choice.”
“You’re right about that. The last thing I wanted to do was kill her. But that nosy fool couldn’t just leave things alone. But, that doesn’t change anything, Valerie, life on the run is no place for a woman like you.”
“Let me decide that. Look what I did for you. I know, it didn’t exactly work out. But I did try. If only it was Daniel that opened that door instead of Samantha and her little crew. He would have been gone, too.”
“I never asked you to do that. It’s made things worse for me now. Before Daniel was the main suspect in May’s death. Now everyone is focused on me. Don’t you see how that caused me more problems?”
“Yes. But he was a threat to you. I couldn’t resist. I needed to protect you. That’s how much I love you.”
“Oh Valerie. I wish this was a different time, a different life, you’re such a good woman.”
“It can be different. Don’t you see? All you have to do is let it. Please, Reynold, let me be part of your life. I have nothing if I don’t have you.”
“Valerie, you’re asking for too much. I don’t have time for this now. Maybe if things blow over I can come back for you. Then we can figure some things out together. But for now, I have to handle this myself.”
“I can’t believe that you would betray me like this.”
“I am trying to protect you.”
“You’re a liar. You just used me, didn’t you? You were never going to marry me or take me away from here. You just wanted a way to get close to May and you figured it would be through me. How awful.”
“That’s not true. I love you, too, Valerie. But my life doesn’t allow for that. I’ve practically been on the run since I was in my twenties, and honestly I don’t know how not to be.”
“I can teach you. If you let me.”
Eddy looked over at Samantha and rolled his eyes. In that moment neither of them noticed the front door swing open. It wasn’t until Samantha felt something pressed against the back of her neck that she realized their mistake.
Chapter 19
“Eddy.” Samantha didn’t dare to take another breath. When he looked over at her his eyes widened.