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“A little place in the Santa Ynez Valley. It was great, except being away from you,” he said with a deep frown. “I missed you like crazy, Lizzy.”
“I missed you too, Danny, every minute of every day, but Mom kept telling me it was for the best, and you and your mother were finally safe.”
“We were really scared for the first six months or so, then she met a great guy, a horse trainer of all things, and a couple of years later she married him and took his name. So, uh, here’s where you need to take a breath and remember the vow. No conclusions, no judgments, and don’t yell.”
“Okay, I’m ready. Let me hear it.”
“His last name was Miller.”
Watching Elizabeth’s brow crinkle in confusion, and the abrupt accusatory anger flood her eyes, Dan knew the information was almost impossible to process.
“No, no, no, no, no,” she muttered, shaking her head. “If you’re trying to tell me you were, you are Dan Miller—”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” he said, cutting her off.
“But he had long black hair and dark eyes and bushy eyebrows and an ugly mustache. You look nothing like him. And he was so tall.”
“A little while after we left, I sprouted. My mother said it was the clean air, but apparently it’s not uncommon.”
“But I would’ve known! I would have had some clue. Fuck! Twister! Oh, my God, why didn’t I realize? You used to do that thing with your body.”
“I’d managed to keep that under wraps for months, but I was exercising one day and I was seen. When word got out I was terrified it would flick a switch in your head and you’d see through my disguise. I was walking on eggshells for weeks. I’m still amazed you didn’t put two and two together.”
“I did flash back to you. I thought it was totally weird you and Danny could both do that weird body stuff and shared the same name, but I guess my brain refused to accept it. And you looked so different. You were so different. I still—no—this is too much to take in,” she said vehemently, dropping her head into her hands. “I can’t handle it. You can’t be Dan Miller. He’s a monster.”
“It was an act, Lizzy, a matter of life and death for us both,” he continued, keeping his voice steady. “Hey, you must stay true to our vow. I promised to tell you everything, and I will, but you can’t freak out. I risked my life coming here. You do realize that, don’t you?”
As she slowly raised her head, and her red-rimmed eyes stared back at him, he could see his comment sinking in.
“I’ve been trying to arrest you so I could hide you away and keep you out of danger,” he said earnestly. “I know Scott has your back, but he doesn’t know how Conchello thinks, and how many eyes and ears he has.”
“Danny, why did you have to be so mean to me at the mansion?”
“To protect you, and myself too. If Conchello had figured out we knew each other he would have started digging, and that would have ended badly… really badly. I swear, Lizzy,” he said adamantly, “everything I did as Dan Miller was to protect you.”
“But you killed Manny!” she shouted, glaring at him with hurt and anger.
“I didn’t!”
“You didn’t?” she demanded, grabbing his arms. “Look at me and swear it?”
“I swear it,” he said, staring back at her with an unwavering gaze, “on the Bible, on everything I hold dear, and no yelling, remember?”
“Why did you try to frame me?”
He could see she was struggling to keep her voice measured.
“Thank you for not shouting at me again,” he said softly. “I didn’t do that either. That was Jim Parker, your boss! He was the one who set you up, then started the rumor it was me.”
“What? No! Why?”
“I can’t say for sure, but I think he was worried you’d figure out he was working for Conchello, and he knew Conchello liked you, so he didn’t want to be fingered if the frame came to light.”
“He could have just pulled me out.”
“Um, Lizzy, from what I heard, he tried, but you and Manny insisted on staying.”
“Shit, you’re right,” she muttered. “Jim hounded me to give up that assignment. Hey, why did you shoot him when you escaped from that van? Scott had all the evidence he needed to put him away.”
