The present
Jake paced in front of the hotel room windows. The angry sky in Reston, Virginia, mirrored the dark, foreboding mood gripping him. Voluminous black storm clouds promised lightning and thunder, a phenomenon likely to occur inside the hotel room as well.
He rolled his head to the right and then to the left. Tension had built relentlessly in the twenty-seven hours since he’d arrived in Virginia. He wasn’t nervous, though. He was coiled, ready to strike. Holding his right hand splayed in front of him, he smiled. Steady as stone.
He glanced at his watch: 7:30 p.m. Still half an hour until showtime.
Had he thought of everything? Was he prepared to improvise? Was everything in place? Should he have taken more time, another day, before springing the trap?
He shook his head in answer to the last question. Already, it had been too long. Fifteen torturous days had passed since that last night with Angela.
Angela. She had mocked him in nightmares. She had seduced him in dreams.
She had not smiled at him from the photograph.
Last night, Jake had tossed and turned for hours, berating himself for his stupidity. He repeated his self-condemnation now as he waited. It didn’t console him that, without the last vital piece of information, he would not have been able to solve the puzzle. Identical twins. When he thought of all the people he’d spoken to, he couldn’t believe no one had ever mentioned it. But he was absolutely certain no one had. The impact of that one crucial fact was so overwhelming, there was no way he could’ve missed it.
And he found no comfort in knowing Burke had been just as shocked by the news. To convince himself that he and the detective hadn’t overlooked the significant clue, Jake had again reviewed every single item in Burke’s file on the rape. As he’d noticed before, Maleena was barely mentioned, and not once had anyone described her as Angela’s twin, much less her identical twin.
A hard knock on the door shattered his thoughts.
Smart girl. Come early, try to catch me off guard.
Pulling back his sport coat, he checked the Glock riding in the waistband at his side. Its inaccessibility would cost him a few seconds. He hoped it didn’t cost him his life.
He patted his chest and inhaled deeply. Showtime.
He peered through the peephole. A shiver raced down his spine.
Her hair was shorter and styled differently; otherwise, he would’ve sworn she was Angela. But then Maleena’s gaze fixed on the peephole. Jake jerked backward. Her eyes were the same color and shape, but the emotions they conveyed could never have come from Angela’s eyes.
With the pretense of a smile, Jake opened the door. They sized each other up for a long moment. Then he gestured for her to enter. After closing the door, he turned and raked her figure, sneering ever so slightly. “Good evening, Ms. Reardon. Or may I call you Maleena now that we’re going to be business partners?”
“Maleena is fine, although I don’t believe this simple transaction makes us business partners.” She returned his critical gaze, lingering on his crotch. “Well, I’m glad to see Angela was not screwing around with a piece of shit. We never had the same taste in men—or anything else, for that matter.” She laughed snidely.
“Angela also didn’t have a potty mouth.”
“I’m smart enough to control my language when necessary. A Senator’s wife needs to be very polished.” Her chin rose in an arrogant pose.
Jake detected underlying nervousness, but then he wasn’t doing so well himself. Talking to Angela’s twin was unnerving. His pulse was too fast, his focus dangerously distracted.
A door slammed, and they both jumped. At the sound of angry voices, two pairs of eyes darted to the door leading into an adjoining hotel room and then to the hallway door. When the voices quieted, he scolded himself. Shit, Stone, get a grip.
Earlier, he had rearranged the furniture to better suit his needs. He stepped around Maleena and offered her the armchair facing the two doors. After she gracefully settled herself, he sat down in the other chair a few feet in front but a little to her left.
“Let’s get this over with. I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary,” Maleena said, reaching into the large, leather purse resting on her lap. “I was glad you called me back to accept my offer. Ten grand should more than compensate you for your investigation of Angela’s suicide.” She pulled out a cashier’s check and extended it to him. “But it seems a waste of time and money for you to fly all the way to Virginia for this. I could easily have sent it overnight to you.”
Jake glanced at the check, folded it, and stuffed it into his coat pocket.
“Actually, when I called you, I wanted to discuss a business proposition. But I realized the proposal needed to be presented in person.”
Maleena scoffed. “I have no intention of doing business with you, Mr. Stone.”
“Ah, Maleena, let’s get cozier. Call me Jake.” His gaze dropped to her breasts and bounced back. “Don’t you even want to hear what I was going to propose?”
“No. I couldn’t care less.”
“I wonder if Senator Blackwell will feel the same way.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you talking about?”
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Now you’re interested?”
“Don’t screw with me.”
“You’re probably right. You’re far too dangerous for me.”
Maleena silently glared at him.
“You see, originally I wanted to talk to you about your drug addiction—”
“Bullshit. I don’t do drugs.”
“Not now, maybe, but I have several witnesses who say you did the hard stuff in LA.”
“Witnesses?” She fidgeted in the chair.
“Don’t worry. I’ve changed my mind about your drug problem. I discovered something that should be a lot more…profitable…to me.” He grinned slyly. “I know what happened to Angela.”
Maleena shook her head. “God, you’re back to that. Look, Jake, we all know what happened. By accepting the ten grand, you agreed to stop investigating. Maybe I should have my attorney write up an agreement to that effect.”
“Don’t bother with some legal crap because I’ve already finished my investigation.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
He dropped the fake smile and leaned forward, putting his hand on her thigh.
“You see, Maleena, I mean it when I say I know what happened to Angela. Should I elaborate?”
“Please do.” Angrily, she brushed off his hand.
Jake chuckled. “Someone was hired to kill Angela and make it look like a suicide.”
“Why would anyone want little Miss Perfect Angel killed?”
“Angela posed a risk to the person’s future because of a terrible incident that occurred four years ago.”
Maleena’s breath caught, and her eyes darkened.
“Yeah. I know all about that, too. Seems there was this crack-addict hooker, called herself Bad Angel. Seems she worked for a pimp by the name of J.J. Seems she had a regular john who was an LA city councilman. Seems Councilman Waterton had a fantasy about fucking identical twins. A sick fantasy he paid big bucks to make come true.”
Jake paused to let his words sink in. Maleena’s face blanched to a creamy white.
“Seems Bad Angel just happened to have an identical twin. One night, she and the councilman paid the sister a visit.”
“You’re full of shit. I don’t believe any of that.”
“Sure you do. You were there.”
“Bullshit. You have no proof of anything,” she snapped, her eyes growing wide.
“Really? I told you before that I’m a good PI. I don’t make accusations unless I’ve got proof to back them up. You see, I have a recording of a very interesting conversation with J.J. Good thing I was smart enough to record it, because during our little meeting, J.J. ended up dead. And an even stranger coincidence, three days later, while I was recording a far more fascinating conversation with Councilman Waterton, he was killed in a drive-by shooting, too. Odd, huh?”
He paused, unblinking, hardening his gaze to drill into hers.
“Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Becky Smelter had some not-so-fond memories of you. And most importantly, she was the only remaining eyewitness who saw the whore and Waterton leaving Angela’s place on the night of the rape. Guess what. She was shot last Tuesday also, but not before I’d taped a key conversation with her. Are you getting the picture, Maleena?”
“Even if any of that’s true, what does it have to do with Angela’s suicide?”
Jake rocketed out of the chair. He grabbed Maleena by the shoulders and shook her, hard.
“Let go of me,” she squealed.
His hands flexed with an all-consuming desire to silence her. Permanently. A little voice inside his head stopped him. This is the most important interrogation of your life. For Angela’s sake, don’t blow it. He wanted to strangle the little voice.
Gradually, reluctantly, he released her. With his hands on the arms of the chair, his face within inches of hers, his chest heaved with hot, ragged breaths that blew into Maleena’s face.
Stunned, Maleena blinked at him dazedly until he pushed off from the chair and straightened. Never taking his eyes off her, he backed away. God, he hated the woman. If anyone deserved to die, Maleena did.
Patience. Wait until the time is right. Get her confession first. That damn little voice again. Slowly, deliberately, he lowered himself into his chair.
“Don’t push me, bitch. You don’t know who you’re dealing with. That was the last time you’ll call Angela’s death a suicide. Understand?”
Maleena gulped and avoided his eyes. “Sure. Whatever.”
“I guess I should finish the story. Let’s see. Where was I? Oh yeah. After that night, Bad Angel disappeared. Neither J.J. nor Waterton saw her again. At first, I thought Waterton had Bad Angel killed. But actually, she skipped town the next morning with the huge payoff and flew home to mommy and daddy. Then she cleverly admitted herself to an exclusive drug rehab where even the police couldn’t question her without a lot of red tape.”
Maleena’s eyes, narrowed and focused, slowly slid back to his. Pure, unadulterated hate glowed in them. Her lips were pressed tightly into a thin line.
Jake’s glare never wavered.
“Let’s fast-forward a few years. That drug-addict whore cleans herself up—on the outside, at least—and is now engaged to a US Senator. I figure she’s afraid her twin might derail her future if she goes public with what happened in LA. So the whore decides to have her sister killed.” He paused to tamp down his rage. “I’m damn good, aren’t I, Bad Angel?”
A full minute of silence passed. The adversaries scrutinized each other, calculating their next moves like chess masters.
Maleena spoke first, shaking her head in disbelief, her gaze fixed on the floor. “One mistake. One goddamn mistake that night caused all of this.” She seemed to slip into the past. “I showed up at Angela’s place with a bottle of wine and crushed sleeping pills. She only let me in because I told her I was going back to Virginia to straighten out my life. She was such a goddamn, bleeding heart that I knew she’d fall for my lie. Later, I slipped the sleeping pill powder into her wine. She was almost asleep when I left so I made a point of reminding her to lock the door. Of course, she didn’t know I’d kept a duplicate key when she’d kicked me out a year earlier.” Maleena smiled wickedly.
Jake gripped the arms of his chair.
“Leonard had been waiting in the car down the block. We sat there for another hour snorting coke. When I let us in, Angela was passed out on her bed. We blindfolded and gagged her. Put earplugs in her ears so she wouldn’t recognize my voice. Leonard dressed both of us in stupid matching outfits. Then we tied Angela down on the bed.”
She paused. Grimaced.
“Leonard did all his usual shit—to both of us. Angela woke up in the middle of it. She was struggling, trying to fight him off. Of course, it was useless. Then he went completely crazy and beat her up bad. I think he was pissed Angela wasn’t enjoying his fantasy. God, he was an animal. Total sadist. Maybe finally fucking real identical twins put him over the edge.”
Her hands clenched into fists.
“The bastard decided he wanted some lesbian action. He threatened Angela with the pistol he always carried. She didn’t make a peep when he took off the gag. The things he made us do to each other were sick. That’s when the mistake happened. When I was climbing off her, I accidentally pushed the blindfold away. Angela’s eyes popped open and connected with mine for only a second before Leonard slapped her and repositioned the blindfold. But I knew she had recognized me.” Maleena stopped and gulped. “Leonard insisted on carving ‘J.J.’ into her ass with his pocketknife. We left shortly afterward. You want any more titillating details?”
“No, I’m good. I can’t believe you did that to your own sister, your own flesh and blood,” he said incredulously.
Her hate-filled eyes glinted.
“And I would’ve gotten away with it if not for that one stupid mistake,” she said proudly. “Well, what do you want? Sex? Money? Job?”
“We’ll talk payment in a minute. First, I want to hear you explain why you wanted Angela dead.” Maleena continued to glare at him, but her lips didn’t move. “Or I could go to the police,” he added.
Fear flickered in her eyes. “You’re a bastard.”
“Don’t throw stones.”
Maleena clutched her purse. “Okay, you’re right. I needed her dead. The perfect angel would’ve screwed up my life to pay me back. She’d been holding onto this, waiting for just the right time when she could inflict the most pain and damage. Everything always went her way. I wasn’t going to let her win this time.”
Jake snickered at the irony. “God, what a waste. The trauma of the rape screwed up Angela’s mind. Amnesia blocked out the entire event—even your visit earlier that night. The cops and doctors had to tell her what had happened. She had no memory of it. All Angela had was a scarred butt and a ruined life. You didn’t need to kill her.”
“Well, shit. Mother and I thought she was lying about the amnesia. Of course, Mother thought Angela was protecting some loser guy.”
“And the others. Why have them killed?”
“Sooner or later, J.J. or Leonard would’ve seen a picture on TV, in a newspaper, or on the Internet of Bad Angel with her Senator husband. Those assholes would’ve blackmailed me in a heartbeat.”
“Why did Becky Smelter have to die? She was a sweet, harmless old lady who’d never consider blackmail.”
“True. But when I got out of rehab, my parents had told me what the cops reported about that night, including the mysterious couple seen by the elderly neighbors. I couldn’t take a chance Becky would eventually figure out it was me she saw leaving, not Angela. You’re right. She wouldn’t have blackmailed me. The old witch would’ve gone straight to the cops. Any more questions?”
“Nope. I think we’re done.”
Maleena opened her purse. “I’m going to pay you $15,000 now, to hold you over until you figure out how much you want to go away forever.” While her hand rummaged in the purse, she abruptly looked up at him with a puzzled expression. “When you learned all the shit about the rape from J.J. and Leonard, why didn’t you think maybe Angela had suddenly remembered that night and committed suicide because of it? How did you find out about the contract?”
“Because I’m a damn good PI—” His left hand firmly covered the microphone and transmitter taped under his shirt. He hoped it had caught every word up to that point, but what he said next was for Maleena’s ears only. He pulled the red-dress photo from his shirt pocket and held it out for her to see. Then he leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “—and because I’m the hitman you hired to kill her.” With barely controlled fury, he crushed the picture of Maleena into a tiny ball.
She gasped, and her eyes widened with fear, but she recovered quickly.
Jake’s fingers dropped to her thigh. “Now, about that payment.”
Maleena’s hand emerged from the purse, clutching a pistol. “Get your fucking hand off me, asshole.” She shoved Jake backward into his chair as she sprang up.
“Whoa, lady, that gun doesn’t look like a checkbook,” he shouted.
The adjoining-room door blasted open.
Maleena’s eyes, but not her pistol, jerked in that direction.
“Police! Drop the gun!” Detective Sean Burke yelled, his gun aimed steadily at Maleena.
Her eyes flashed back to Jake. Her hand trembled.
“Checkmate,” he said quietly.
“Please, Maleena, don’t do it!” a female voice cried.
Shocked, Maleena whirled toward the door. A shriek burst from her lips. Her face contorted with hatred.
Her gun swiveled.
Three shots rang out.
Near the door, a scream pierced the air.
Maleena crumpled to the ground.
The next five seconds were dead silent.
A gut-wrenching sob yanked Jake’s gaze around just in time to see Angela Reardon collapse.