I never wanted for love. Mom always gave plenty of that.

“I had to get an after-school job as soon as I was old enough. We needed the money.”

He met her gaze. “I’m truly sorry.”

She swallowed and looked away. “You might be wrong. This could all be a mistake.”

“It could be, but I don’t think it is. I have something to show you.” He pulled out his cell phone and touched the screen. “This is a picture of Kacey.” He held out the phone.

Ava eyed the phone. From her angle she could see a picture of a woman with dark hair. She was terrified to look closer and squeezed her hands in a death hold under the table. He moved the phone closer to her.

“Take it,” he directed.

She wrenched her hands apart and took the phone. Kacey had her eyes. Hers and Jayne’s. Her face was more oval, and her nose and mouth were different, but the eyes were the same dark blue with dense lashes. Ava blinked and enlarged the image, searching for differences.

There was no denying the eyes. Or, according to David, the voice.

“Do you understand why you caught my attention on the news? And why I had to find out more?”

She nodded. “What does your son look like?” she asked softly. He reached over and swiped the screen. A blond man with two toddlers appeared. He was the spitting image of David. Ava understood how her mother must have been swayed if David had been as good-looking as his son when he was younger.

“Now tell me where Jayne went.” She was exhausted and still craved a large glass of wine. She handed back the phone.

David looked at Glen and gave a small nod. “She and Brady Shurr flew to Costa Rica,” said Glen.

“Costa Rica? Seriously?” Anger surged through her and she wanted to hit something. She was working a huge serial killer case and trying not to worry about her missing twin only to discover she’d taken a vacation with her new married boyfriend? “I’m going to kill her,” she muttered. She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes until she saw white spots. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Not surprised?” asked David.

“Nope. Jayne has always done whatever strikes her fancy without thinking twice about how it affects anyone else.”

“Surely her taking a trip doesn’t affect you,” said Glen.

“In all your investigating, did you find out the cost of that treatment center she’d been in? Who do you think was paying for that? I wanted her to get well!” Her voice rose an octave. “You bet it affects me. Every stupid thing she does affects me because I have to pick up the pieces. I’ve distanced myself as far away from her as possible, but then she pulls a stunt like this?” She stood, more than done with the conversation and the haunting image of the woman who resembled her.

The past should stay in the past.

“I have a bunch of dead police officers on my hands. I’m not going to waste my time thinking about my twin as she lays on a sunny beach in Central America.” She held back the expletives she wanted to call her sister. “You’ll understand if I don’t care to see either of you again? Sorry about that, Dad.” Red anger blurred her vision as she pushed out of her chair and headed toward her car.

Screw Jayne.

Screw David claiming to be my father.

In her car she paused long enough to send a very brief email to Jayne.

What the fuck did you do?

She put her phone away, started her car, and threw it in reverse. Sweat had cropped up under her arms, and she cursed as she realized she had on a silk blouse. She counted to ten and focused on the road.

She had a killer to find.

29

“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry, but I’ m not feeling well today.”

His mother rested her head in her hands at the breakfast table. He’d known she wouldn’t be able to make it to his basketball game, but he’d asked anyway. Hoping . . .

“I understand. Maybe next time.”

“Of course, darling. I love to watch you play. You’re sooo good! But as you can see, my eyes are swollen and I look like a mess today. I shouldn’t go out in public.”

“You look great, Mom. You always look great.”

She beamed at him.

He gave a weak smile. It made no sense to him that she needed to hear his eighth grade opinion on her looks, but it always cheered her up. He’d noticed she’d been very down since the last man hadn’t fulfilled his six-month agreement. He’d stopped hoping for one of the mentors to last longer than the six months they signed up for. Over and over the men had proved that they were unreliable. Maybe it was part of their profession.

Deep down he’d prayed one of them would fill a need for his mother. But they had all left. Some after the first week or two. Clearly they didn’t know how to fulfill a commitment. His mother needed someone stronger than the losers who’d been assigned to him.

Last week he’d told his mother that a friend’s father was interested in meeting her. She’d asked what he did for work and then refused when she found out he worked at Macy’s department store. “Boring,” she’d said. “Retail sales, really?”

“Maybe he can get you a discount?” he’d suggested.

She’d looked interested for a brief second and then refused again.

For some reason she was drawn to cops.

He thought cops were cool, too. When he asked, they’d always show him their weapons. One had let him hold an empty gun after showing him how to remove all the ammunition. Most of them said they’d never had to fire their weapon. One of them had said his words and his voice were his best weapons.