The Missing Twin

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During the twenty-minute drive to Scorpion Ridge, Angela and Celia bargained. Celia agreed to give the clothing store in Scorpion Ridge a fair shot if Angela agreed to go to Tucson and do some mall shopping, too.

Especially since Celia was fairly certain that any small-town clothing store would not have what she wanted.

“Fair shot,” Angela reminded her niece.

At thirteen, Angela had gone shopping pretty much whenever and wherever she’d wanted. The mall had certainly been a favorite place, but more often she and her sister had shopped at luxury boutiques, never thinking about the cost.

Marena had been the clothes expert. Usually, Angela just got what Marena did but in a different color.

“This is cute,” Celia admitted after Angela parked the car. Betsy’s Bests, or BBs, was in a historic building that had always been a store. It had display windows on each side of the front door. One half was devoted to women—both Angela’s age and older. The other was devoted to kids.

Pushing open the door, Angela stepped inside and was immediately greeted by the owner. “Come in. I’m Betsy Madison. This is my store. How may I help you?”

“I start school Monday,” Celia said. “Mom says I can have a few new outfits.”

Funny how the number three had changed to “a few.”

Betsy was no dummy. Before Angela could add a word, the woman had her arm around Celia’s shoulder, was calling her by her first name and was leading her to the back of the room. Angela followed. Betsy’s Bests might be historic on the outside but it was glass-and-white and full-service on the inside. A white pillar was in the middle of the teen section. Mannequins sat on benches around the pillar, wearing jeans, shorts, crop tops and T-shirts.

“Most girls your age go for shorts,” Betsy said. “How long have you been here in Scorpion Ridge? I don’t think I’ve seen you before, and I know most everyone.”

“A little over a week,” Celia said.

Angela gave the barest nod of her head. She’d taught Celia to be careful, not to share much, and to stay as close to the truth as possible.

“What grade are you going into?”

“Eighth.”

An hour later Celia had five pairs of shorts, three new shirts and a backpack that looked more like a purse.

The only thing she couldn’t find at BBs was a pair of shoes she liked. “I’ve my mother’s feet,” Celia explained to Betsy. “Really narrow and sometimes we really have to shop before we find a pair I’ll wear.”

Betsy didn’t as much as blink. Instead she looked at Angela and said, “Are you thinking of a new outfit, too?”

Angela wasn’t, but rapport had built up between Celia and Betsy, and Angela wanted to sustain it.

“I could use a few new things. I’ll be looking for work soon.”

“We have business attire.” Betsy led Angela back to the ladies department and soon Angela was modeling a pair of black pants and a black-and-white shirt. She had three other shirts and a skirt on hangers, waiting for their turn.

“Do you have this in red?” Angela asked.

“I did but not in your size. I sold it a few months ago.”

“Too bad.”

Betsy followed her back to the dressing room, talking about what else she had in red. She waited while Angela changed into a different shirt.

“This one is too small,” Angela said, holding it over the top of the dressing room door. “Do you have it a size larger?”

“No, we’ve been out of size tens for a while now.”

Angela shook her head. “I’m not having any luck.”

Suddenly her luck changed.

“How odd,” Betsy said.

“What?”

“You have the exact same taste as the woman who bought the red and white. She bought this shirt, too. It’s why I don’t have a size ten. And, I believe the light green half jacket is one she tried on. Turns out, the color didn’t work for her.”

Angela held her breath for a moment, pursing her lips and trying not to hope. She always tried on green; it was so pretty. But it never looked good.

It made a crazy kind of sense. After all, she’d always followed Marena’s taste in clothes. She just hadn’t realized she did it even when Marena wasn’t there.

She’d had a lifetime of practice. They’d watched the same shows. Had crushes on the same boys. The day Marena went into labor with Celia, Angela’d had a stomachache.

Angela didn’t dare ask the woman’s name. That was too probing, not something you asked a salesclerk you didn’t know. Finally, Angela laughed and said, “If you tell me she had long, narrow feet, I’ll think it more than a coincidence.”

“I haven’t seen Abigail in quite a while,” Betsy continued. “I think she’s probably moved. She even had a purse a little like yours, maybe smaller.”

It was all Angela could do to hide her emotions. Abigail. She had to remember that Marena was Abigail. She wanted to whoop with joy and relief, but it was definitely too early for that. She also wanted to sit down, weep, pray. As for the purse being similar, Angela’s bag was designed for concealing a gun. Abigail probably had the same purse for the same reason.

“As for shoes? No, she didn’t buy them here.”

After Abigail had lost her leg, shoes had become a different kind of purchase.

“You know,” Angela said easily, “I’ve some cousins in the area. One of the reasons we moved here. I don’t even know all their names. What is Abigail’s last name?”

Maybe Angela had gone too far with the questions. Betsy’s eyebrow raised and she asked, “Who are you related to?”

Not a question that Angela had anticipated, but she did the best she could and named her landlord. “Bernice Holliday.”

Betsy smiled. “Bernice has a pack of family. She’s in Florida, right?”

Stay as close to the truth as possible.

“Yes, Orlando.” That had been the address Angela had seen on the rental agreement.

“Abigail never said anything about having family nearby,” Betsy remarked. “Would you like me to ring you up now?”

She made it perfectly clear that no personal information would be given. Angela didn’t want to push it. She’d come shopping more often, build a rapport. Then she’d delve deeper.

“I imagine the women in town flock to your store,” Angela said. “I’m certainly impressed.”

Betsy laughed. “Believe it or not, most of my business is from tourists. They like that they might actually get to buy an outfit that their friends can’t find at a big box store.”

Angela held out her hand and introduced herself, irritated because she wanted to know more about Abigail, but didn’t want to push her luck.

“Why, you’re the woman who helped save Jake’s life. How incredibly brave.”

Angela deflected the attention from herself. “It was mostly our other neighbor Ted.”

“I’m not sure I’ve met him. But I don’t know everyone.”

“How well do you know Jake?” Angela asked.

“Quite well. My brother’s a ranger up at the Grand Canyon. They worked together a few months ago when Jake was up there. They have a lot in common. I don’t think either of them will ever settle down.”

That was something Angela hadn’t asked the sheriff about: Jake’s family.

“I’m surprised he’s not married. He’s—”

“Good-looking,” Betsy agreed.

“Does Jake have family nearby?” Angela queried, surprised that the thought of him being alone bothered her.

“I’m not sure.”

Celia cleared her throat. “Mom, we still need to go to Tucson for shoes.”

Angela headed for the counter, took her wallet from her purse and waited for Betsy to calculate the amount. Angela fingered the black-and-white outfit and even though she’d told herself to take it slow, she took a chance. “So, I might see this outfit in red if I’m in town long enough?”

“I really don’t think so,” Betsy said. “Abigail Tetterman is what I call a professional shopper. She knows as much about thread count and quality as I do. She came in at least once a week, but I haven’t seen her in about three months, so I’m pretty sure she moved on.”

The bell on the front door tinkled as another customer came in. Betsy pointed out a purse that would go perfectly with Angela’s new black-and-white outfit, then moved to greet her next customer.

It had only been just over a week and Angela had a name. Abigail Tetterman. No wonder the Feds were so strict about following protocol.

Looking down at the outfit draped over her arm, Angela could almost hear her sister’s voice. “You don’t have to worry about me. Worry about Celia.”

In Angela’s world, worry was a bit like love.

There was enough for everyone.

CHAPTER FIVE (#ulink_9e741a0f-5521-511e-8342-a6bb724d8370)

“WHO’S ABIGAIL AND why did you ask so many questions about her?” Celia asked.

Angela thought Celia had been too involved in her shopping to overhear, but apparently not.

From the time Celia was old enough, she’d known Marena as Aunt Lorraine. It was easier than trying to explain name changes to a child. Telling Celia that Abigail—Angela had a name!—was her aunt Lorraine didn’t seem a good idea since Abigail was missing. Sometimes sticking close to the truth seemed impossible.

“Abigail’s someone I used to hang around with. I was hoping she was still in this area.”

“Really?”

“What do you mean really?” Angela knew how to turn one question into another.

“Well,” Celia said, “you’ve never talked about anyone named Abigail. You never talk about the people you used to know at all.”

“It might be time to change that,” Angela said. “But Abigail lived here a long time ago, so I’m not expecting much.”

Luckily, Celia didn’t ask anything else. Soon they left Interstate 10 and drove toward the heart of Tucson, a vibrant, good-sized city with a rich history that seemed to meld with the present. Tiny bungalows lined the streets. Then came the University of Arizona. School must be starting soon. Everywhere she looked young people waved to each other from bicycles, sat around outdoor restaurant tables and walked in groups. Celia pressed herself against the window.

She’d been hearing about college since she started kindergarten. Her eyes held the hopefulness of youth. Angela remembered feeling the same way. But Celia’s dream wasn’t just college; it was staying in the same place for four years and making friends.

Angela held back a sigh. Celia always picked up on her moods. No way could Angela explain how she was feeling right now. One mention of Abigail had inspired Angela to want to find out more without delay.

Abigail had been in Scorpion Ridge, just as she’d told Angela, just as Buck Topher had reiterated. The Feds hadn’t sent her anywhere else. No, they were pretty well done with the Erickson girls. They’d already helped them relocate, find jobs, start a new life.