The Unknown Twin. Kathryn Shay

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СКАЧАТЬ let me clarify that. I know somebody had been there.” She told him about the clues. “The policeman thought I was crazy. He said there were no signs of anyone breaking in.” She shrugged. “He finally suggested the landlord had come in without telling me.”

      “Did you ask the landlord?”

      “No, he wasn’t answering his phone last night or today.”

      “Does anybody else have a key?” Alex asked.

      “Hannah. She told me she wasn’t at my house last night.”

      Arching his brows, he couldn’t help flirting with her. “No guy has a key?”

      Her brown eyes twinkled. “No, no guy.”

      “I’m sorry.”

      “What, that there’s no man or about the break-in?”

      “Definitely about the break-in.”

      She shook her head, then turned, as if uncomfortable with the exchange. “Well, I’ve got to get back to this.” She nodded to the artwork. “I wanted to finish before the kids return from the assembly.”

      Her dismissal stung. “Sure.” He straightened. “Take care.”

      Feeling like a second-grader himself, he headed out to his car. This was dumb. The lady was definitely not interested. He tried to shrug off his pique as he strode to his Blazer and slid inside. He was tired, so he’d go home, sack out, then find something interesting to do tonight. For a minute, he stared at the school. Lauren was an enigma. And it looked as if she was going to stay that way.

      He caught sight of the morning’s paper that he’d tossed on the front seat. Hell. He picked it up and leafed through the pages. Sure enough, another Dee and Me.

      Frame One:

      The muscle-bound boy, still holding on to her arms, smiles at Lily. You okay?

      Lily is being shy. Oh, sure.

      Frame Two:

      They’re off the dock now. Lily peers up at the boy. Bubbles indicate her thoughts: Jeez, he’s so big. So handsome. Eyes the color of amber.

      Amber? Alex’s eyes were light brown. That was amber, wasn’t it? He read on.

      The boy has a goofy expression on his face. Wanna go get a soda with me? he asks.

      Frame Three:

      Um, no thanks.

      Oh, okay. Looking dejected, the boy walks away.

      Frame Four:

      Lily appears despondent.

      Deirdre is on the scene. You wanted to go out with him. Why didn’t you?

      He makes me uncomfortable.

      Frame Five:

      Deirdre shakes her head in disgust. Boys are supposed to do that to girls. It’s their job.

      Alex stared at the cartoon. If this wasn’t a message, he didn’t know what would be. Right then, he saw her exit the building. He got out of his truck as she walked toward her car, which, apparently, happened to be near his. Must be fate, he decided.

      She came up to him. “Something wrong?”

      His grin was cocky. He held up the newspaper. “Not that I can see. I read today’s Dee and Me.”

      Talk about being uncomfortable. She shifted on her feet. “Oh, did you, um, like it?”

      “Lauren, you really do want to go out with me, don’t you?”

      “I said I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

      He tapped the newspaper on his leg. “Then why did you write this?”

      “It’s a cartoon, Alex.” But he could see her blush. “And from the input on the Web site, readers like the hook of the muscle-bound boy.”

      “I think your unconscious mind knows you want to go out with me.”

      Her smile was dazzling. It gave the sun competition. “Are you always this persistent?”

      “I don’t usually have to be.” Never in his life had he pursued a woman so aggressively. Like jealousy, it just wasn’t in his dating repertoire.

      The arrogant comment drew a smile from her. “I don’t doubt that.” His phone rang. “Well,” she said, like a prisoner given a late pardon. “You’d better get that.”

      “I will.” He grasped her wrist, his fingers easily encircling it. “You are staying, however.” He dug out his phone and flipped it open. “Shields.”

      “Alex, this is Sam Prophet.” The arson investigator. “The cause of the fire at the newspaper office has been officially declared arson.”

      He saw Lauren’s quizzical look.

      “I see.”

      “We’ve already done interviews with everybody, but we’re going to talk to your men again, as well as the occupants of the building that night.”

      That would include Lauren. “Sam, hold on a second.” He covered the mouthpiece. “The fire was arson.”

      “Oh, dear.”

      “The investigator wants to talk to you again.”

      “Of course.”

      Sliding his fingers from her wrist to her hand, he spoke into the phone. “Sam, I’m with Lauren Conway. You should talk to her right away.”

      “I’m swamped this afternoon.”

      “I think you’ll want to do it soon. Her house was broken into last night.”

      The investigator muttered an expletive. “Do you think the incidents are connected?”

      “I wouldn’t rule it out.”

      “Can she come over right now?”

      Her face had paled when Alex told her about the arson. Now that he’d made a connection with the break-in, she was ashen. He felt an urge to protect her.

      “Lauren, can you talk to the investigator now?”

      She nodded.

      “I’ll bring her,” he told Prophet, and clicked off.

      She squared her slim shoulders and withdrew her hand from his. So she had some grit. That trait reminded him of Dana. Thoughts of his friend made him wonder if Lauren’s resemblance to Dana had any bearing here. He’d been…disconcerted by that right from the start. Was the fire somehow linked to her similarity to Dana? Was there something sinister in that СКАЧАТЬ