Dead Ringer (12 page)

"You
kinda remind me of Jackie," White said. "Not like she is now but back when she
and I met."

The
comparison didn't sit well but she managed a smile nonetheless. "I'm not sure
what to say about that."

White
shrugged.
"Nothing to say.
Just an
observation."

The camera pans across the icy James River.

In a voice-over, Kendall Shaw begins to speak. "Last Tuesday, construction
crews discovered the body of Jackie White not a hundred yards from where I'm
standing. Investigators have not named a suspect in the case. And Jackie
White's husband is desperate to find her killer."

The camera cuts to White sitting in his living room. He is holding his
and Jackie's wedding picture. They are somewhere tropical. White is wearing a
grin. Jackie is beaming.

"We honeymooned in Hawaii," says Phil White. "She'd never been on a
plane and I wanted to do something special for her. So I surprised her with a
trip to Hawaii."

Phil White turns away from the picture. Tears glisten in his eyes as he
stares into the camera. "It was a magical
time
.
She was one of the best people I ever knew.
Kind, loving.
I don't know who could have done this to
her."

There is a quick shot of Jacob Warwick and Zack Kier getting into their
car. "Police aren't releasing details and refused all requests for interviews.
But sources close to the case say that Phil White is a person of interest."

"It's easy to point the finger at me," White says. "The husband is
always the first to be suspected. But I didn't do it. And the longer the police
focus on me, the longer the real killer will be free."

Jacob
couldn't listen to any more of the broadcast. He hit
PAUSE
and turned to face Sergeant David Ayden in the
conference room. "She makes it sound like a damn witch hunt."

Ayden
sipped his soda and then grimaced at the flat taste. "It's all about the story with
her. Ratings are king in her business. What I want to know is how did she find
out about the victim's identity?"

None
of the photos White displayed for the interview had been visible when Jacob and
Zack had spoken to him. The whole scene was staged. "I don't know," Jacob said.

"And
he plays the grieving husband." Disgust dripped from Ayden's words.
"With a pregnant girlfriend itching to get married on the
sidelines.
Wonder why Ms. Shaw didn't mention that?"

Just
last night when Jacob had seen Kendall in the elevator all
pretense
had been dropped. It was just the two of them, and for a moment each had been
able to get a glimpse of the other.

And
he'd liked what he'd seen in Kendall. She had tremendous spirit and courage.
He'd felt a connection with her. But in a few seconds she'd managed to irritate
the shit out of him again.

"How
the hell did she get that interview with White?" Ayden asked again.

"From
what I understand, he called her," Jacob said.

Ayden
frowned. "There'll be hell to pay when I find out who leaked the information."

"I've
asked around. Everyone swears they didn't talk." Jacob would be damn sure to
keep his distance from Kendall.

"What
about White's story?" Ayden said.

"His
girlfriend backs him up. Says she was with him until eleven
P.M
. on Friday. She's also got two
neighbors who'll swear to the same." He recalled the facts he now knew so well.
"Phil White's cell phone records haven't revealed anything unusual. Bank
records were clean and showed no large cash withdrawals."

"So
there's nothing to link White to the case except circumstantial evidence?"

"So far.
Jackie White was seeing a therapist. Dr.
Herman Thompson. He's on vacation.
Won't be back until
Monday.
He might be able to give us some insight into his patient."

"Have
you tracked down Jackie White's parents?" Ayden asked.

"They
passed away fifteen years ago. They were older and she has no other relatives."

"What
else do you have?"

"Tess
has returned to the crime scene twice. She and a dozen uniformed officers have
walked the area several more times and have gone over the terrain inch by inch.
But nothing new has been found."

Ayden
rested his hands on his hips. "Who the hell else would have the motive for
killing Jackie White? She was a damn saint by all accounts."

"There's
another angle that's been eating at me." Jacob nodded toward the image on the
television screen. "Jackie White resembles Kendall Shaw."

Ayden
looked skeptical. "That's one hell of a long shot."

"Maybe.
Maybe not.
But I'd
like to poke around and see if Kendall has had any unwanted attention lately.
Maybe whoever tipped her off is behind the killings. She has a knack for
pissing people off."

"True.
But the look-alike connection is far-fetched."

"Doesn't hurt to ask the questions."

"Fine.
Tread carefully or she just might turn this
angle into her next story."

It
was past ten on Saturday night when Kendall climbed the back stairs of her
house, more exhausted than usual. Normally, stories like this left her jazzed,
but not this time. White's comment this morning still bothered her.
You
kinda remind me of Jackie.

The
offhand comment had been a brutal reminder that she didn't know anything about
her past. She had no idea where she came from. She could have relatives living
next door and she'd never know it.

She
opened the door
slowly,
unsure if there'd be drop
cloths or debris from the renovation. She flipped on the lights. What she found
was a neatly swept foyer, sawhorses butted against the walls, and a precisely
arranged set of tools in a nicked red toolbox. Todd was as good as her
architect had said.

Her
footsteps echoed as she walked into the kitchen. The cabinets had been stripped
off the walls. All the appliances had been removed except for the refrigerator,
which had been angled away from the wall but was still plugged in. The
microwave was set up on a makeshift table made of plywood and sawhorses. "Bless
you, Todd."

Nicole's
footsteps sounded on the steps as she descended from the second floor. She
appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Her
dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders and she wore a blue robe tied
loosely over her protruded belly. Fuzzy slippers peaked out from the hem. Her
face looked pale.

"I
was wondering where you were," Nicole said.

Kendall
shrugged off her coat and hung it in the kitchen closet. "Why aren't you
asleep?"

"Just
can't get comfortable. The baby's doing a dance on my bladder."

Kendall
was accustomed to tossing her purse onto her mother's old kitchen table but it
was gone. She felt a jolt of panic. "What did Todd do with the table?"

"Basement."

"Good."
Relieved, she put her purse in the hall closet and made a mental note to
remember it was there. "So did Todd put in a full day?"

"I
saw him late this afternoon. He was cleaning things up for the day. Seems like
a nice guy."

Kendall
placed her hands in the small of her back and stretched. The tight muscles
eased and the tension was released. "Let's hope he continues to work hard. I'd
hate to see him lose steam and give up on us."

Nicole
absently rubbed her tummy. "You always do that?"

"What?"

"Expect
people to quit on you?"

That
hit a nerve. "Not people.
Contractors.
There's a
difference."

Nicole
lifted a brow.
"If you say so."

Kendall
didn't like the direction of the conversation. "So why are you really up?"

"I've
been going through the adoptive family profiles. I just gave up about a half
hour ago. I've read them so much my eyes are crossing. I think I'm driving
Carnie nuts."

"How so?"

"Asking her a million questions.
The woman has the patience of Job."

Kendall
followed Nicole into the living room. On the coffee table was a large
three-ringed binder stuffed full of pages. She felt an odd tightening in her
chest. "
Those the
families?"

"Hmmm.
There are dozens in there and they all really
want a baby."

They
sat on the couch. Kendall flipped through the pages. Each page came with basic
stats: ages, years married, children, jobs, etc. Along with the pictures of the
couples were photos of their houses, their family pets, and their
children--anything that would entice an adoptive mother to choose them.

She
wondered if an adoption agency had carried a similar profile on Irene and Henry
Shaw. Had her birth mother filed through the pages of a book like this and
chosen them?

She
was careful to keep emotion out of her voice. "See anyone you like?"

"They
all seem great. But it's all overwhelming." Her eyes widened and she pressed
her hand to her belly. "This kid never rests. Sometimes I think she senses my
stress."

Kendall
turned one of the pages to the profile featuring a thirty-something couple with
bright smiles. With their golden retriever, they stood in front of a gray
clapboard house. The leaves were green and daffodils filled the flower beds.
"I've heard babies do sense their mother's emotions."

"I
hope not. She shouldn't have to worry. That's my job." She rubbed a protective
hand on her belly.

"You
don't have to opt for adoption right away." Kendall wasn't sure where the
comment came from.

Nicole
frowned. "Carnie said that as well. But I'm so afraid I won't love her. I'm
scared I'll see Richard and I'll end up hating the baby. That would be the
greatest tragedy of all." She glanced at the "Waiting Family" profile. "And
they want a baby so much."

Kendall
closed the book. Not telling Nicole about her own adoption suddenly felt selfish.
"There's something you don't know about me. In fact, I don't think anyone
does." Disloyalty, nerves, and a need to talk all collided in her mind. No
doubt White's comment was fueling some of this.
You kinda remind me of
Jackie.

Nicole
lifted a brow. "What? Are you an international arms dealer?"

A
smile tugged at the edge of her lips but she felt no mirth. "I'm adopted."

Nicole's
mouth dropped open and her cheeks reddened as if she'd bumped into a china
display and nearly knocked it over. "Wow. You never said a word about that."

It
felt good to say the words. "My mom, my adoptive mom, never wanted me to talk
about it. She always treated it like a big secret."

"Why?"

"I've
no idea." She relaxed back against the cushions. "I guess it was just a sign of
the times. People weren't that open about it twenty-five years ago."

Nicole's
gaze sharpened.
"Still, not to tell anyone.
You're so
open about most things."

"I
know, I know. But I learned from an early age not to talk about it. Like
telling was somehow bad. I tried to ask Mom and Dad about it a couple of times.
Mom avoided the topic and her eyes got all hurt looking and Dad said it was
best to leave well enough alone." Kendall had trouble holding Nicole's gaze.

Nicole
looked baffled. "I've never known you to let an unanswered question go."

"This
is the only one I ever have. I guess I loved them so much I didn't want to
disappoint them. So I dropped it."

"Your
mom has been dead over a year? And your dad's been gone how long?"

"Ten
years." She sighed. "After Mom died I was really grieving. I missed her so
much. So I became hell-bent on getting out of Richmond and making the big time.
Last summer changed all that. Lying in the hospital with all those tubes hooked
up to
me
made me think about what was important. I
didn't want to leave behind what little roots I have."

A
frown knitted Nicole's forehead. "But don't you want to know about
her?
"

"Her"
was Kendall's birth mother. "I can miss her and hate her in the blink of an
eye." She smiled, hoping to soften the comment. "It's just complicated and hard
to explain. I'm so curious about her. I was six inches taller than Mom. And my
olive skin didn't match Mom's pale Irish skin and freckles. I don't even know
who I look like."

"But
you never went searching." There was sadness in Nicole's voice.

"No."

Nicole
swallowed. "Do you know
anything
about her?"