But she was already there. Waiting.
She had a gun.
I’m going to die.
“What did you tell Finley?”
I stare up at Olivia. Other than the blonde hair, looking at her is like looking in the mirror. She is as much me as I am. A spontaneous split during development. Two people created from one. We share everything.
Except she is evil.
They’ve always thought it was me. But it’s not. It’s her.
Too late now. She’s already won.
Mother is dead.
“I told her the truth,” Cecelia said. “That you killed Mother.”
Olivia laughed. “Are you kidding me? You know you’re the one who killed her.”
I am huddled on the floor. She is pacing back and forth in front of me. I know what’s happening. I’ve seen it before. She is losing touch with reality.
I shake my head. “I would never hurt her. She was all I had.” I blink back the burn of tears. She hates it when I cry.
“You just don’t remember,” Olivia challenged. “You killed her, and I came looking for you and you were gone.”
“I was hiding from you.”
“Liar.”
I do lie. Sometimes. Maybe more than sometimes. But she lies all the time.
She is a lie.
My stomach sinks a bit. I don’t want to think about that . . .
“You know what I have to do now, don’t you?” She crouched down in front of me and stared into my eyes with her matching ones.
“I know what you want to do,” I say. There’s a difference. She doesn’t have to do it, but she will because she wants to.
Then it will be as it was in the beginning, and there will only be one.
“You know it’s the right thing to do. We can’t go on like this.”
Maybe she’s right. The past five years have been so miserable. Our father is gone. Now Mother is as well.
What’s the point?
“Why does it have to be me?” I don’t want to die. Really, I don’t.
“You’d rather it be me?” Olivia demanded.
I thought for a time, but there was only one answer.
“Yes.”
It was supposed to be that way.
25
Monday, July 11
10:00 a.m.
Davidson County District Attorney’s Office
Second Avenue North
Nashville
Parking in downtown Nashville was the absolute worst.
Finley was grateful Jack had picked her up for this command performance. District Attorney Briggs and Chief of Police Lawrence wanted a meeting with all involved in the Holmes case. Generally this was something Jack would handle alone, but Finley’s presence had been requested. She’d had to cancel her meeting with Detective Houser. When he didn’t complain, she figured he’d already heard about the chief’s request.
She resisted a yawn as she climbed out of the Land Rover. Her search for Cecelia had gone on until two a.m. Jack had rushed to Olivia’s hotel, but he’d gotten no answer. A hundred bucks to a maintenance guy on duty had gotten Jack a look inside her room. Olivia was MIA as well. At two, Jack had insisted they both needed some sleep. They could continue the search the next day.
Morning had arrived and the call from Briggs had come, prompting the rush to his office. Maybe he’d heard she and Jack had lost complete control of the situation.
One client was dead and the other two were MIA.
Surely the situation couldn’t get any worse.
Jack opened the door to the lobby of her former workplace. How many times had she walked through those doors believing she was on top of her world? Life had been good.
Until it wasn’t.
Forcing the thoughts aside, she headed with Jack to the bank of elevators. If she weren’t dead on her feet, she might work up enough enthusiasm to attempt some level of conversation with her boss. They stepped into the elevator car together. Jack punched the necessary button for the floor they needed and leaned against the back wall. Finley did the same.
When the elevator bumped to a stop, Jack turned to her. “Don’t sweat this, kid. We’re not taking any shit from these guys.”
Finley smiled as she followed him into the corridor. She really did love the guy. They were two of a kind for sure.
The others were already assembled around the table when she and Jack were ushered into the conference room. The meeting was already in full swing.
“Obviously, Finnegan,” Siniard accused as Jack pulled out a chair for Finley and then one for himself, “your clients are involved in this tragic turn of events in ways we can’t even begin to fathom.”