Deadly Double

claimed that she did some research on the Internet and was able to find my bio.”

“Your biography mentioned your parents?”

She nodded. “And where I was from. So later when my father’s death made one of the papers, she figured it was the best opportunity to meet me.”

“It just fell into her lap. How convenient.” Disgust dripped from his voice.

“It seemed innocent enough, plus I’d just lost the last family member I had, so I guess I leapt at the possibility of discovering another one.” Josie shrugged as her gaze fell to her empty plate. “No one wants to be alone.”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the table, and Josie regretted sharing so much.

When he, at last, reached across the table and took her hand, she was surprised by the comfort his touch gave. So much so that she was humbled by it. “Don’t beat yourself up,” he said gently. “You did what anyone in your position would have done.” She wasn’t sure if she agreed. “Okay, so you met her at the funeral and then what?”

Josie removed her hand from his to reach for more bacon. “Well, both of us always knew that were adopted, but had no idea that we were twins or had been separated, so we tried to research our adoptions.” She shrugged again. “Who knows, maybe there were other siblings.”

William studied her over the rim of his coffee mug and pretended that his heart didn’t tug at her forlorn expression. “Were there?” “Our adoption records are sealed.” She reached for the biscuits. “Apparently our biological parents don’t want to be found.” He lowered his cup. “I’m sorry.” She refused to meet his eyes. “Josie, you know you didn’t do anything wrong?” She grew still. Too still.

William’s gaze narrowed. Is there something that she’s not telling me? The silence became deafening before he probed gently. “Josie?” A tear raced from her lashes, but she quickly wiped it away. “I know you,” he said. “You’re not to blame for any of this. You have to know that.” “I’ve got take something for my head,” she moaned.

He sighed with relief. She wasn’t keeping something from him; it was another migraine. “Let’s get you that shot first. It should also help with your headaches.” Josie shook her head. “I need some Tylenol or morphine. Something. I don’t feel too good.” He rushed back to her side. “Are you feeling nauseous?” Josie frowned and clutched her stomach again. “Yes…no….I don’t know. I-I think I just need to lie down.” “Sounds like you’re experience withdrawal symptoms. If you let me, I’ll help you upstairs.” She nodded and allowed him to loop an arm around her.

Minutes later, Josie sat still while William administered the methadone, then instructed her to lie down. When she was finally alone, guilt churned in her belly. She had to get out there…and soon.

Images she had long tried to suppress sharpened into focus. She saw Michelle’s boyfriend, Daniel, and could still feel the weight of a gun in her hand. He never looked at her. Never knew what she was about to do. Josie lifted the gun as if she was in a trance, aimed, and fired a single shot in the center of his chest. “Oh my God,” Josie turned and sobbed into her pillow. “What have I done?”

Chapter 20

Michelle spent the rest of the day tearing through boxed at the Ferrell Estate and looking for Josephine’s birth certificate or adoptions papers. However, after eight hours of digging all she had for her efforts was a splitting headache.

“I’m never going to find that damn thing,” she huffed, and stood up from the floor of what had once been Josephine’s old bedroom. “It’s probably in France somewhere.” She kicked a box in frustration.

Her anger quickly reached a boiling point. “This is all Ambrose’s fault,” she seethed. All his gifts and confessions of love meant nothing. She asked him to do one little thing. Like kill her sister, and he couldn’t even do that.

Michelle kicked another box, but then smiled with satisfaction. “I hope you rot at the bottom of that damn lake.”

Her thoughts raced to Detective Delaney, who was turning into a major pain in her backside.

They’re going to get you.

“They can’t prove a thing.” Her eyes darted to the room’s elegant splendor. “I’m not giving all this up without a fight.” She moved away from the boxes and paced along the plush carpet. “I need a new plan.”

It doesn’t matter. They’re going to get you.

“Not if I have something to say about it.”

What can you do? You let Josephine slip through your fingers.

She grounded her teeth.

If Josephine were out of the picture, then you wouldn’t have to leave town.

“But where in the hell is she?” Again, Michelle cursed Ambrose. If he’d just done what he was supposed to, she wouldn’t be in this situation.

You had a chance to kill her, too, you know.

“She was supposed to kill herself,” she corrected, then wondered again how Josie survived after losing so much blood. “Those slashes were deep. I saw them.”

The memory of Josephine lying so still in the sauna and staring at her slashed wrists flashed through Michelle’s head. Josie’s expression had looked amazingly composed and serene; but in her eyes, Michelle read horror.

At the time, Michelle laughed. It had been so simple, she thought. Well, with Daniel’s help anyway.

“I’m going to miss dear Danny,” she amused. “Having him around did have its benefits. After all, it’d been his idea to slip Michelle’s lithium to her twin sister. It sounded impossible until Michelle’s noticed Josie’s frequent migraines. Danny, in his infinite genius, had the lithium pills made to resemble Josie’s beloved Excedrin tablets.

However, the lithium had little to no effect. So, they upped the ante. The next pulls they transformed were Prozac and OxyContin.

They’d struck the jackpot.

Since all the pills were mixed together in Josie’s bottle and could be taken in any combination, Josie was putty in their hands.

Michelle was amazed how receptive Josie was to suggestion. But whereas Daniel wanted to simply extort money from Josie, Michelle wanted it all, and without splitting it down the center with him.

Even that plan almost blew up in your face.

“I handled it,” she retaliated, as she stormed out of the bedroom and down the long hall to the staircase.

It was still a close call.

“Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” She chuckled while she descended the spiral staircase. Minutes later, she reached the bar in the study and made herself a drink.

For the umpteenth time that day, she regretted having let go of the hired help. Of course, it was the third crew she’d fired since she’d been there.

Since Josie had initially returned to Georgia to bury her father and settle the estate, she’d given his employees a sizable severance package. She had no intentions of staying Stateside for long.

Michelle changed all of that.

She glanced around her opulent surroundings and snickered. “It’s like taking candy from a baby.”

Josie is still out there somewhere.

Michelle rolled her eyes, but conceded that the voice had a good point. “I have to find her.”

She’ll go to the police before you find her, then it’ll all be over.

Seething, Michelle turned to exit the room, but instead her attention was drawn to the stacks of paper crumpled under her feet. She started to kick them aside, but her gaze zeroed in on the title Deed of Property.

“Well, what do we have here?” she asked, kneeling. She scanned the paper. “More property,” she said under her breath and shook her head. “The rich just keep getting richer.”

In the past few months, Michelle was stunned to learn just how much land Josephine’s adoptive parents had owned in Georgia alone. There was the estate in which she was currently residing in Alpharetta, a cabin at Lake Lanier, a high-rise in Buckhead, and now this house in Pine Mountain.

Plenty of places to hide.