Page 27 of Safeguarding the Witness

She did a twirl and beamed at him. “Six years ago, I remember how Madison and I went shopping together for something to wear for a fancy dinner party. She said this wasn’t the type of dress she’d ever choose but it would look good on me and I should always wear this shade of blue. My twin has excellent taste.”

This wasn’t the first time she’d spoken of Madison in the present tense. Her belief in her sister’s survival would not be denied. Mollie wanted her twin back and was willing to latch onto any shred of possible evidence to reinforce her hopeful opinion, no matter how unlikely. Though he’d agreed to investigate the note with the scribbled M for a signature, he doubted it would lead anywhere.

When he took her hand to escort her out the front door to the green Escalade, the connection between them was palpable. They had an understanding. An empathy. There might be conflicts on how to proceed, but they had already bonded at a deep level.

In the passenger seat, she called his attention to the seat belt. “I found the envelope here, tucked between the straps. Did you figure out how someone left it there?”

“Still looking.” He started the SUV and pulled away from the safe house. “When the airport sniper blasted the picture window at the office of Salem Beacon Charter, the surveillance cameras were destroyed. We don’t have video evidence of what was happening near the hangar.”

“Did Rossi see anyone?”

“Nobody stood out to him.” Spence trusted Rossi, who had been employed by CLF for two years. Plus he had training as a military cop and bodyguard. Alert was his middle name. “He suggested contacting the Salem police and the FCC, who have several CCTV cameras at the airport. They have full coverage of entrances, exits, hangars and terminals.”

“Of course.”

He could also work through Agent Jamison to further their investigation. The FBI had access to information Spence couldn’t touch. “Rossi apologizes for missing the person who slipped an envelope into the car. He admits that he was distracted when the airport cops arrived and everything went sideways.”

She tucked her wavy hair behind her ear. “Chaos would be a mild way to describe the sniper, a shootout and an ambulance. Not to mention the siren-blaring Salem SWAT.”

“Today, we’ll take the actual note and envelope to a forensic lab in Salem. They’ve done work for us before, and I trust their results. They can lift prints and test the paper and ink used in the signature.”

“Good plan. Madison’s fingerprints are on file in AFIS.”

He gave her a skeptical glance. “Any particular reason why your twin is in a criminal data base?”

“She was always a little wild. Got arrested once or twice for mischief and graffiti, which Dad excused as creative expression.”

“I thought you were the artist.” Erin’s daughter had shown him the sketches Mollie did, and he thought they were as good as renderings done by trained forensic technicians to identify suspects. “I especially liked four-year-old Amy as a vampire.”

“Did you know that identical twins don’t have matching fingerprints?”

He shrugged. “What about DNA?”

“It’s very similar but not exactly the same. Which I suppose is good news for me,” she said. “I can’t get mistakenly identified as Madison.”

Again, present tense. “If my forensic people can’t find anything, I want to pass the note to Agent Jamison for analysis. The FBI has the best technology.”

“I’m not sure we should involve the feds. Trusting Marshal Youngblood in Denver might have been a big mistake.” She shook her head and made a lightning change of subject. “Have you given any more thought to how we’re going to handle the big event of the day?”

“Which big event?”

Spence counted three: The first was the upcoming discussion with his grandfather, the executor of Irma’s will. Secondly, there was the memorial service at the Methodist Church, which would be a security nightmare with an overflow crowd. Third, and final, was the reception at Irma Winchell’s mansion, including buffet and beverages.

“The five-o’clock meeting at the Clover Clubhouse.” She zoomed in on the most important event in her mind. The possibility of learning something new about her twin. In the note, she’d been instructed to come alone.

“I’ll tell you one thing about that meeting,” he said. “You’re not going alone.”

“But the message specifically said—”

“I’ll be with you.” Anyone who ever saw a horror movie knew that when an anonymous source said to come alone, psychotic ax murderers and werewolves were likely to pop out of the bushes. “You won’t see me. They’ll never know I’m there. But you need backup.”

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you. I agree that a secret meeting is a risk. But think of the reward.” He heard the irritation and the desperation in her voice. When he glanced at her, he saw tears welling as she said, “Madison might be alive. She might need my help. I can’t turn my back on her.”

“Which is why you don’t take risks. You have to be in control.”

“I hear what you’re saying, but—”

“We need to use all the technology and expertise available, starting with compliance. You and I need to arrange a time to give our statements to the various law enforcement agencies, including local police and the FBI, who are already investigating the sniper attack.” He paused. “We need to tell them the truth.”