Pine had a hole in herself that could not be filled. That she would never be able to trust anyone again. That she could never be close to anyone again. That she would die alone feeling the loss of her twin just as strongly as the day it happened.
And maybe he’s right about that. But I can still find out what happened to her. Maybe that will close the hole. If only a little.
But what about the disappearance of her mother? How could she fill that void? Unlike Mercy, Pine’s mother had left of her own free will. Pine remembered just sitting on the floor stunned, as she held the paper in her hand. And then going around in a fog for days afterward, before collecting herself and doing her best to get on with her life.
She had called the police but Pine was no longer a child, so there had been no question of abandonment. Over the years, she had searched for her mother. When she had joined the FBI she had continued that search, but there had been no trace of the woman. She had vanished so completely, it was like she had never existed at all.
And if I can’t figure out this part of my life, I can’t do my job as an agent. And Dobbs will be as good as his word. Another incident like with that creep Cliff Rogers and I’m gone from the Bureau. And then what do I do?
In her anxiety, Pine rose and started walking again, until she heard the screams.
Then she automatically started sprinting toward the sound, her gun drawn.
Her long legs carried her quickly to an ill-lighted and empty part of the main street. Pine saw the old woman first. She had dropped her bag, the contents strewn across the darkened street.
“What is it?” cried out Pine, taking her by the arm.
The old lady pointed with a shaky hand at a space in between two darkened buildings.
Pine could just make out what was lying there.
It can’t be, she thought. Please, it can’t be.
Chapter 10
A WOMAN IN HER LATE TWENTIES, pale skin, slender but shapely, with long, light brown hair and unusually sharp facial features.
Unfortunately, each of these details was rendered in death.
Two deputies from Sumter County were next to Pine staring down at the body. They were standing behind a screen that the men had erected to shield the body. One deputy was tall, thin, and in his twenties. By the sickened look on his face, this was his first homicide. His partner was fortyish and hefty, and he didn’t look much better.
“Are you two investigating as well?” Pine asked.
The older man shook his head. “Just securing the scene. The Investigative Division does the processing and the rest. GBI will probably be called in, too,” he added, referring to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
She had already showed them her shield and credentials. The old woman who had been the first to find the body was sitting on a bench, still showing the effects of the discovery in her sobs and shivers. Pine had tried to comfort her, to little avail.
Some onlookers had gathered, but the two deputies had quickly taped off the area and then erected the screen.
“What’s the get-up she’s in?” said the younger deputy.
Pine had noticed this the moment she had seen the body. “It’s a veil. Looks to be a wedding veil.”
“Wedding veil? So what the hell does that mean?” asked the older deputy.
It doesn’t mean anything good, thought Pine.
As they stepped from behind the screen, a rattling ancient Crown Vic sedan pulled up and a man in his late fifties climbed out. He was around six feet tall, with a portly frame, thinning gray hair, and weighty jowls. His suit was baggy, his shirt wrinkled and his tie askew, but his gaze was firm and active, and he carried himself with a quiet confidence. He walked over and identified himself as Max Wallis, with the GBI. He nodded at the deputies. “I’ll be over to see the body in a minute.” He looked at Pine. “Did you find the victim?” he asked.
She pointed at the old woman on the bench. “I was second on the scene.”
“I’ll still want to talk to you,” said Wallis.
“She’s FBI, sir,” said the older deputy.
Wallis looked like someone had slapped him. “Come again?”
Pine held out her shield and official credentials. “I was in town visiting. I used to live here. I heard screams and came running.”