Chapter 107

Chapter 107
Chapter Title: The Twin

Kathy

Reynolds looked toward the front windows, then at the glass door. "We're not staying here."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Because whoever dropped this package wanted it found." He glanced around the bakery. "And this place is too exposed. Anyone sitting across the street can see who comes in, who leaves, and who talks to Jo."

He nodded toward the parcel in the evidence bag. "If this is a drop-off point, we're not going to stand around and make ourselves the easiest targets in town."

He looked at Jo. "We'll take everything to go."

Jo nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

Then he leaned down and lowered his voice. "And we're going somewhere we can watch The Greasy Fork without announcing we're watching it."

After several moments, Jo returned from the kitchen carrying a white paper bag and two bottles of water. She placed them on the counter beside our cappuccinos.

Then she brought out a large white box and began placing all the remaining pastries inside.

After Reynolds paid for everything, he paused at the counter. "I'll be sending a CSU tech over to take your fingerprints," he said. "That way, we can exclude yours from anything they find on the parcel."

Jo nodded. "Of course." She hesitated, then smiled. "I also made you two sandwiches. For dinner. You both look like you deserve a break."

He smiled. "Thank you."

She waved us off. "Go. Before I find something else to feed you."

We stepped outside.

Reynolds carried the pastries and sandwiches while I carried the water and coffee.

Once we were inside the Mustang, he started the engine.

"We'll watch The Greasy Fork from a distance."

He drove several blocks before pulling into a parking spot with a clear view of the diner's entrance without being directly across from it.

"If they have cameras," he said, killing the engine, "I don't want them getting a good look at us." He settled back in his seat and inhaled deeply. "Oh, I love the smell of pastries in my car."

I handed him a bottle of water while he opened the white paper bag and passed me a sandwich wrapped in white deli paper.

"I'm starving," I murmured. I unwrapped it and took a bite. Roasted chicken and pesto. I closed my eyes for a second. "It tastes awesome. Like how my dad used to make it."

Reynolds was already halfway through his own sandwich. He swallowed. "You should try their Alfredo sometime. It literally melts in your mouth." He took another bite. "This is why I like Sweet and Savory. Kimberly gives everyone in Crisfield a little bit of culture without charging them a fortune." He gestured toward The Greasy Fork. "Otherwise, it's crab cakes or greasy bacon."

I laughed. "Kimberly taught Jo all her secrets. Jo's a fantastic cook and baker."

He crumpled the deli paper and tossed it back into the paper bag. He was already done. "Finish your sandwich, then we talk."

It didn't take long before I finished mine.

Reynolds opened the pastry box and held it out to me. I reached inside and took out a cinnamon-roll stick. He picked a macaron.

"Dinner, dessert, and coffee." He closed the box and handed me my cappuccino. "You can't say I didn't take you out on a proper date."

I laughed. "Fine."

He took a sip of his coffee. "Now tell me what's been going on."

I took a sip of my coffee. "I've been receiving packages at Kimberly's house too," I said. "But they stopped right after Ace and I went to Ocean City."

"You and Ace went to Ocean City?" Reynolds exclaimed. Then he shook his head. "Sorry. Tell me about the packages first. Then Ocean City."

"Grocery items, mostly," I said. "One was from Lace and Timber. Some cheese and a bottle of wine. There was a note attached about a party at the yacht club."

"Did you go?"

"Yes. Ace invited me. That was the first time I met Divine Williamson and Hank."

"And here I thought she knew you through Kimberly."

"No. I'd never met Divine before Kimberly's disappearance. I didn't even know she was engaged. I didn't even know she lived here."

"Why?" Reynolds asked. "You two aren't close?"

"We are. But my job takes me places. Before Crisfield, I was about to wrap up a case. I was headed to New York. I was going to surprise her and spend some time with her."

I took another sip of my coffee.

"I thought she was still working at that prestigious PR firm. I didn't know she'd moved, changed careers, and become a full-time baker. Right before I was headed to New York, I got the call that Kimmie had gone missing."

Reynolds' brow furrowed. "She used to work at a PR firm in New York?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I heard she met Hank at a campaign fundraiser in Annapolis," Reynolds said, then shrugged. "It makes sense."

"What doesn't make sense is how much my sister changed."

I pulled out my phone and showed him a photograph of Kimberly and me from several years ago.

Reynolds studied it. "Jawline looks different. And the nose." He glanced at me. "And, of course, she dyed her hair blonde. I know what you mean. She's flawlessly beautiful now."

He looked at me.

"Honestly, when I first met Kimberly, I was envious of Hank. Guy like him meets a girl like that. And a wonderful cook, too." He grinned. "But I didn't know she had an equally beautiful older sister. And in law enforcement, too."

I waved my cinnamon-roll stick at him. "Stop flirting with me." I took a bite. "Do you want to hear the rest of my story or not?"

He cleared his throat, turning serious. "Okay. Go on."

"Back to the packages," I said. "I got this tin from Martha's Cheesecake Spot, a café in New York, in the Village."

"Now that can't be for Kimberly," Reynolds said. "The groceries, sure. But this? No. Kimberly makes the best New York cheesecake. I should know. My grandmother orders it every Saturday on Cheesecake Day."

"Yeah," I said. "That tin wasn't for Kimberly." I looked down at my coffee. "Because the only person who really loved the cheesecake from Martha's was my other sister."

"You have another sister?"

"Kimberly had a twin."

"Had?"

"Kelly." I swallowed. "Her name was Kelly Lawrence."

"You asked Divine if she knew that name."

"It was the name on the rental agreement at the rental company in Ocean City," I said. "The company where the CCTV footage of Allison's butterfly tattoo was seen. We traced the ID. It comes from a Kelly Lawrence in Virginia, but it's fake."

"But you're a Hastings," Reynolds said. "Why Lawrence?"

"When my parents got divorced, my mother had Kelly's name changed to her maiden name."

Reynolds stared at me. "So what happened to Kelly?"

"She was found dead in the Hudson River eight years ago. Shaved, naked, with only her bracelet left to identify her."

"Head shaved and naked? Just like Allison?"

"Yes. Cause of death was an overdose. She was three months pregnant."

Reynolds' expression hardened. "And now her name is turning up here, in the middle of our investigation. Same pattern as Allison."

My stomach tightened. "You think this is connected?"

"I think we stop calling things coincidences," he said. He looked at me. "Who was your sister's boyfriend?"

"That's the thing. No one knew who he was." I sighed and looked out my window. "I asked the staff at Martha's, and they kept telling me he was always hidden behind glasses, a cap or a scarf. But they did mention once that someone picked him up in an expensive sedan."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

"Eight years ago," Reynolds said thoughtfully. "She was still in school?"

I nodded. "A junior at NYU. She majored in theater."

"NYU?" Reynolds repeated.

He thought for a moment.

"One of my cousins went to NYU around that time. She was a geek and barely made any friends. I know NYU is huge, and this happened eight years ago, but maybe she heard something. Maybe she knows something." He looked toward The Greasy Fork. "Let's go visit her after we drop off this parcel at the precinct."

"What about Archer's diner?"

Reynolds gestured toward a car that had just pulled up along the curb.

"I messaged for reinforcements a while ago. They'll keep an eye on this place while we do our errands." He turned on the ignition. "Now tell me, why in the world would you go to Ocean City with Ace Ryder?"

"Divine wants me to find Kimberly," I said. "And the SUV used in her abduction was found at Dorsey's junkyard. That led us to Ocean City."

"And now Dorsey's night watchman is dead," Reynolds said, his voice hardening. "No more secrets, Hastings. We're already far behind."