“I was adopted and raised in Kansas City, Missouri.”
Grant keyed the information into a text and sent it to Swede. A moment later, his phone pinged with an incoming text. “Swede’s on it and will get back with whatever information he finds.”
Melissa shook her head. “You two could be twins. I mean, I completely mistook her,” she pointed to Bree, “for you.” She stared at Avery. “That’s cool and creepy all at once. Especially when you add the fact that the three victims all resemble you.”
“Who is the killer targeting in this scenario?” The sheriff frowned. “Agent Hart or Detective Lansing?”
Grant reached for Avery’s hand. “I get the feeling, it’s both.”
Avery had that same feeling. She reached for the necklace she’d worn all her life, the familiar metal between her fingers, grounding her when life was at its most difficult.
Bree’s brow dipped, and she leaned forward. “What’s that?”
Avery pulled the metal disk out far enough to show her. “It’s my necklace. I’ve had it as long as I can remember. Why?”
Bree reached inside her shirt and pulled out a matching silver necklace. “My mother told me I came to her with this necklace. It’s the reason she named me Bree. You see, mine is engraved with the letter B.”
Avery felt the blood drain from her face. “I always thought my adoptive mother gave it to me after naming me Avery. Mine has the letter A.”
They had matching necklaces. They looked like mirror images of each other.
The truth slammed into Avery, making her entire body quiver with the realization.
This woman had to be her twin.
Chapter 8
“Look,” Agent Bradley said, “I don’t like that Detective Lansing impersonated Agent Hart.”
Bree held up a hand. “Can we drop the formalities? Adding our titles to every conversation is exhausting. Please, call me Bree or Lansing.”
Agent Melissa Bradley gave Bree a narrow-eyed stare. “I’m not sure I want to be that familiar with someone who takes impersonating an agent so lightly.”
Bree shrugged. “Then arrest me and throw me in jail. I might be safer there than on the street.”
“However, you have been helpful on the investigation since the real Agent Hart was unavailable.”
Grant leaned forward. “What Bree did wasn’t cool, but she had to have the necessary skills and experience to become a detective in Omaha. There’s a killer loose and, if Agent Hart can let the impersonation slide for the moment, we could use all the help we can get to catch the guy before he claims his next victim.”
Turning to Avery, Grant gave her a moment to make up her mind.
She stared at her twin for a few seconds. “If we allow you to help us with the case, it will be as a consultant, not as a detective, since you’re not in your jurisdiction, much less your state. We have to follow the letter of the law when gathering evidence or risk losing this case when it makes it to court.”
Bree held up a hand as if swearing on a Bible. “I promise not to tamper with evidence or do anything that could jeopardize the case.”
Avery held her twin’s stare and then sighed. “I’m still not sure I can trust you.”
“But the stakes are high,” Bree said with a nod, “and he could already be lining up his next victim.”
“Based on what happened in front of your motel room, he could have been targeting you,” Grant said.
“Right.” Bree rubbed her arms. “If not for Dan, I could have been the next victim found lying in a grave of rose petals.” She shivered. “Not gonna happen.”
“Not on my watch,” Sheriff Taylor said.
“Melissa,” Grant said, purposely dropping titles and last names, “are you staying at the same motel as Bree?”
Melissa shook her head. “No. I’m in a hotel across town.”
