The two of them had started meeting after school and on weekends. Not for real dates, of course. Lori wasnt allowed to date, either. Shed tell her mother she was going to Fionas house, and then shed meet up with this guy. Theyd have a soda together. Go to the movies. All very innocent at first, then things got out of hand.
He dumped her when he found out she was pregnant. Lori was devastated.
You have to tell your parents, Lori. What else can you do? Although secretly Fiona thought that the last thing she would ever do was tell her parents something like that. Shed rather die first because her father would kill her anyway, and her brothers.... She shuddered. She didnt even want to think about what her brothers would do.
But somehow Lori had managed to work up the courage to go home and tell her parents everything. She certainly wasnt the first girl in their neighborhood to find herself in that predicament, and this was the enlightened eighties after all. But her father had still been so angry that hed sent her to Detroit to live with his sister while arrangements were made to put both babies up for adoption.
When they were born, however, Lori couldnt go through with it. She kept the babies and stayed with her aunt until her father finally relented and came for her.
The moment Wayne Mercer laid eyes on the twins, it was love at first sight. He and Loris mother doted on the girls, and did everything in their power to help Lori get her life back on track. She graduated with honors from both high school and college, and, like Fiona, was near the top of her class in law school. The two of them had even been associates at the same law firm in the Loop, but then Lori had met Paul Guest, a Houston attorney, and was swept off her feet. They were married two months later, and he took Lori and the twins back to Texas with him.
For a couple of years after the move, Lori and Fiona kept in touch with phone calls and letters, but the calls eventually stopped, and gradually, the correspondence dwindled to only Christmas cards.
Then last summer, Lori called Fiona out of the blue. I need to ask a big favor of you, she said, after the two had spent a few minutes catching up. The twins will be starting college in the fall.
Thats impossible, Fiona insisted. They were in kindergarten just last week.
They were already out of kindergarten by the time we started law school, Fiona.
She groaned. Stop. Youre making me feel ancient.
Now you know how I feel every day. Lori laughed, but there was some tension in her voice. Oh, Fiona, you should see them. Theyre all grown up and so smart. And so beautiful! I know every mother thinks that about her children, but Alicia and Lexi are special. You wouldnt believe all the modeling offers theyve had. But Paul and I have tried to shelter them from all the attention because we dont want them to get caught up in something they cant handle.
Fiona wondered if Lori was thinking about her own trouble as a teenager.
We always planned on the girls going to school here in Houston, she continued. Paul wanted them to go to Rice. Its a wonderful school, and his father is one of the trustees. And, of course, the best part is that they would be close enough for us to keep an eye on them.
I take it the girls have other ideas, Fiona murmured. She could sympathize with Alicia and Lexi. Growing up with a father and three brothers who were all cops, Fiona had felt pretty smothered herself at times.
Lori sighed. Evidently they talked to a recruiter from Hillsboro University, and now thats where they want to go. Theyre bound and determined, especially Lexi. Alicia, I think, would still like to go to Rice, but shed never let her sister go off to Chicago alone. They have that twin thing, Fiona. Where one goes, the other goes. When one is upset, the other is upset. If one gets hurt, well, you get the idea. Theyre so attuned to one another, its almost scary.
Fiona frowned, still uncertain where she fit into the equation. Hillsboro is an excellent school, Lori. My sister-in-law is head of the forensics anthropology lab there.
I know its a great school, but its so far away. And now that my parents are dead, I dont have any family left in Chicago. No one to look after the girls. Lori paused and took a deep breath. Thats why Im calling you, Fiona. Would it be a terrible imposition if I gave them your phone number? It would make me feel so much better to know theres someone in the city they could call if they needed to.
I dont mind at all, Fiona said impulsively. In fact, I insist. Tell you what, when are you coming up to help them settle in?
Next week.
Lets all have dinner together so the girls can meet me. Maybe then theyll feel less awkward about calling.
Id love that. Oh, Fiona. I cant tell you what this means to me. Lori sounded so relieved that Fiona felt a little guilty. Shed readily agreed to the arrangement because it was an easy thing to do. She didnt think, for one second, that two gorgeous teenage girls, on their own for the first time, would really feel the need to call on a complete stranger.
She didnt say as much to Lori, however, and the following week, they met for dinner at a restaurant on Michigan Avenue. Lori and Fiona had arranged to arrive early so they could have a chance to chat before the girls joined them. They were exchanging stories about some of their more interesting cases when Lori suddenly touched Fionas hand. Theres Alicia. She just came in.
Loris whole face was suddenly aglow. For one split second, Fiona almost resented the adulation that radiated from her friends eyes. Motherhood couldnt be that grand, could it? Fiona wasnt missing out on something that spectacular, was she?
Then she turned. And for several long seconds, she could do nothing but stare at the girl making her way through the crowded tables toward them.
She was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful young women Fiona had ever laid eyes on. Oh, my God, she blurted. No wonder you didnt want to let them out of your sight.
Loris smile turned wistful. She is lovely, isnt she?
Lovely was an understatement. In spite of the sedate way she dressed, Alicia Mercer turned heads as she walked through the crowded restaurant. But when she sat down at the table, she seemed oblivious to the stares and admiration. Fiona was instantly charmed. The girl was as modest and unassuming as she was gorgeous. She was almost too good to be true.
And then her sister walked in.
Lexi Mercer was tall like Alicia, with the same pale blond hair and blue eyes, but there was nothing understated about her appearance. She had on low-rider jeans and a cropped shirt that showed off a very flat, tanned stomach and a belly button ring that sparkled in the lighting.
If admiring eyes had noticed Alicia, men literally drooled over Lexi. It was more than just her physical beauty. She had a kind of magnetism that would make even the most principled man have some very dark thoughts.
Fiona tore her gaze away long enough to glance at Alicia. She was staring at her sister, too, and there was something in her eyes. Not jealousy. Not envy. Not even resentment, but...something.
It made Fiona wonder instantly what it must have been like, growing up in Lexis shadow. In any other family, Alicia would have been the golden child, and even now, she would still be the most desirable woman in any roomuntil her sister arrived.
It made Fiona wonder instantly what it must have been like, growing up in Lexis shadow. In any other family, Alicia would have been the golden child, and even now, she would still be the most desirable woman in any roomuntil her sister arrived.
And Lori? What had it been like raising such a child? Lori was still a young, beautiful woman in her own right, but in her daughters presence
Lets face it, Fiona thought grimly. With Lexi Mercer around, we all look like hags.
But in spite of any latent rivalry, it was obvious the three women were close and had such a wonderful relationship that Fiona again felt twinges of jealousy. It was at that moment that she suddenly became aware of the ominous ticking of her own biological clock.
After that day, Fiona didnt see the girls again until just before Christmas, when Alicia called to set up a dinner. Fiona had been so pleasantly surprised at how much she enjoyed the girls company that shed honestly meant to keep in touch. But work became extremely hectic. Cases piled up. Every once in a while, if she thought about the Mercer twins, Fiona would promise herself shed call them when she had a spare moment, just to say hello.
But that spare moment never came. Not even to return Alicias call last week.
And now it was too late.
Soon, it would be Lori who received a phone call, one that would turn her perfect little world into a nightmare.
CHAPTER FIVE
WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO WALK up with you? Milo asked as he pulled to the curb in front of Fionas building. In spite of the earlier tension between them, hed been very solicitous since theyd left Lexis apartment, and Fiona appreciated his effort to return their relationship to normal. The last thing either of them needed was a strained working environment.
She gave him a tired smile. No, thanks. I still need to do some work on the DeMarco case. Were due in court in...exactly... She glanced at her watch and groaned. Four and a half hours. What about you? Are you ready?
I will be. He frowned suddenly. Tell me the truth, Fiona. Do you think we have even an outside shot at a conviction?
I dont know. Its always hard to predict what a jury will do in a he said-she said case like this. With no forensic evidence, itll be a hard sale to the jury.
How could there not be one single piece of evidence against that bastard? Milo muttered. I get that he wore a condom, but no hair, no fibers, no DNA beneath her fingernails? What the hell did he do, scrub her down afterward?
You know what happened, Fiona said. Same thing that happens in too many of these cases. She went home and showered. Although in Kimbras case, shed gone to a runaway shelter. Shed gotten rid of her clothes, too, because shed never planned to report the rape at all. But Rachel Torres, a woman who ran the runaway shelter, saw the bruises and forced the truth from Kimbra. She was the one who took her to the emergency room, but by then a rape kit was almost useless. Whatever evidence there might have been to help put DeMarco away had been washed down the drain.
I watched the jury yesterday when DeMarco took the stand, Fiona said. He scored some serious points. And nothing shed been able to do during cross-examination had rattled him. If she didnt know better, she would have sworn the man was on something. How could anyone remain that calm when shed gone straight for the jugular?
Milo nodded morosely. I thought so, too. And Kimbras testimony was shaky, at best.
That was another thing that made this case so difficult. The accused wasnt just any cop. DeMarco was a decorated veteran of the Chicago Police Department and a war hero from Desert Storm. Good-looking, well-educated, the kind of defendant that was easy to root for because people wanted to believe he was exactly what he seemed to beone of the good guys.
Kimbra, on the other hand, was a troubled young girl whod lived on the streets for years. Moody, defiant, and tough as nails, shed been a difficult and reluctant witness from the start, the kind that sometimes made Fiona wonder if the aggravation was worth it.
She sighed wearily. Since we didnt get any help from Kimbra, its imperative we make up ground in the closing argument. Well both have to be at the top of our game, Milo.
Oh, no pressure there, he grumbled as he got out of the car and came around to open her door. When she stepped out, he said awkwardly, Look, Fiona, that business about Guy
She cut him off. Lets just forget it, okay? I dont want to talk about it anymore.
I understand. He ran a hand through his hair, messing his gel job. Maybe I shouldnt have said anything. About the gossip, I mean. I dont want you to feel uncomfortable at the office.
She shrugged. I hate gossip, but maybe its best that you did bring it to my attention. Its always a good idea to know what people are saying about you behind your back. But just for the record? Im not involved with Guy Hardison. On any level. I want you to know that. I want you to believe that.
Maybe youre not involved, but
Milo. Her tone held a warning note. There is nothing going on between Guy Hardison and me. Period.
He nodded. Okay. I get the message. Case closed. Ill see you in a few hours.
They said their good-nights, and then Fiona ran up the front steps and inserted her key into the lock. She couldnt wait to be inside her own apartment, to lock the door behind her and close herself off from the rest of the world, if only for the next few hours.
Resolving herself to the work shed left earlier, she went into her tiny kitchen to brew a fresh pot of coffee. But instead, she climbed up on the counter and reached into the far corner of a top cabinet to retrieve the bottle of scotch shed stashed several months ago when shed quit drinking.
She stared at the bottle for a moment, then got out a glass and poured herself a drink. Her grandmothers voice seemed to echo through the silent apartment. You drink alone, youre apt to die alone, Fiona Colleen.
Sorry, Gran, she muttered. But dying alone was pretty much a foregone conclusion for her anyway.
Fiona downed the whiskey sitting on the edge of the counter, then poured herself another. The liquor seared a comforting path all the way to her stomach, and she closed her eyes, letting the familiar numbness take hold.
Hopping off the counter, she carried the bottle and the glass into the other room and dropped into a chair at the dining table. Sipping her drink, she read over the notes shed made earlier.
One out of three women in this country will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime. One out of every three.
She finished her drink, then began to write.
It could happen to me, it could happen to you, it could happen to anyone at any time.
She stared at the words and frowned. Had Alicia been sexually assaulted? Was that the reason shed been murdered?
They would have to wait for the autopsy to find out, and even then the results, except in the more brutal cases, could be ambiguous.
However, the way shed been murdered, one shot to the back of the head, suggestedas Guy had said earlieran execution-style hit. Very deliberate, premeditated, someone wanting to shut her up. But why? What could an eighteen-year-old girl whod lived a very sheltered and protected existence know that would make someone want to kill her? What might she have seen? Who might she have seen?