Calista

Chapter 39

Detective Mark Jessup walked to his desk, a little frazzled from the conversation he just had with Calista Dover...no, scratch that. Calista Hargrove. He slumped into his chair only to be greeted by his partner, Bree.

"What gives, Jessup? You said you were going to the morgue to ask about the Rebecca Hargrove case." Bree sat on the corner of his desk as Mark massaged his temples.

"I don't think I can work that case," Mark muttered. "I think I'm going to need some vacation to be honest."

"Vacation? You never mentioned that before? Did you plan some secret trip that I don't know about?" Bree joked.

Mark groaned and shook his head. "No, I've got some family issues."

"As in your grandfather? Or as in--" she pointed to the DNA results that he had taken from Calista Dover.

He nodded. "You don't want to know."

"What I don't understand," Bree continued, "is why your grandfather would've given them up for adoption. I mean...they're family."

Mark shrugged. "He was already a widower. Why would he want to take on the responsibility of two girls? Especially when he already had me."

"Still..."

"Also, he and my mom never really got along. At least I don't think they did."

"Why do you say that?" Bree asked, tilting her head to one side.

"When I was a kid, I remember her and my dad fighting about it. About how my grandfather was rude to her. Years ago I noticed that he had tore her out of most of the family pictures. When I asked him about it, he kind of shrugged it off and acted like I was the crazy one."

"You've always described him as a loving old man. I've always pictured him as a gruff kind of teddy bear," Bree said thoughtfully. "But from what you're telling me now...it doesn't quite fit in with his persona."

Mark shrugged. "Grandpa Mitchell's a good guy. He's always been there for me."

"Again, that's why it's so strange he didn't keep tabs on your sisters."

"Sisters," Mark muttered. "I can barely believe it."

"And you wanted to make Calista Dover fall for you." Breek jabbed his shoulder.

Mark blushed. "Don't remind me. That was before...before you know-"

"Well, I don't think you need a vacation. No, if anything, you need to stay on your toes because something stinks to high Heaven when it comes to these twin girls and it's not their perfume."

"Bree, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Think about it. Your parents and the Dovers were killed in car accidents. Weird. Calista Dover was in a car accident. Not once but twice. Then there's Calista's parents. Did you read up on them?" Bree picked up the adoption files from his desk. "Interesting stuff in here."

Mark shook his head. "No. They both passed away."

Bree looked taken aback. "Passed away? No, I did you the favor and looked up their info. The mother, Diane Reynolds, passed away from an aneurism but the adoptive father, Stanley Reyndolds, is still alive."

"No, that's impossible. I had asked Adam Hargrove about him. He said he never met his father-in-law."

Bree grinned. "Wrong. Stanley Reynolds has been living in Nevada for the past ten years. Looks like he left Diana and Calista when Calista was a teen. They haven't kept in contact since. You should call him."

"Why?"

"I swear I'm the smart one in this partnership," Bree muttered.

"Bree-"

"Don't you think it's odd that these two girls were split up at birth? That typically doesn't happen. I'm sure if you talked to him, Stanley Reynolds could give you an answer or two."

"Like I'm going to go to Nevada. It's not like I can just call him up and ask him about the daughter he abandoned," Mark said.

Bree grinned. "That's true, but guess who has a brother that works in Nevada?"

Mark's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Your brother the cop or your brother the plumber?"

She jabbed his arm again. "The cop. You want me to ask him for a favor?"

"Do apples taste better in caramel? Of course I do!"

Bree jumped off the table. "You're going to owe me big time if this helps you figure out what's going on with these sisters of yours."

Mark nodded as she walked away, dialing her brother's number in her cell phone. He didn't want to break the news that Calista Hargrove and Calista Dover now looked like twins and that he had just agreed to help Calista Hargrove in figuring out who was trying to hurt her.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Life had suddenly become very complicated.

Calista Dover stared at her reflection, moving her face from one angle to another. It was strange to think there was someone else out there that looked exactly like her. It didn't matter that she was a twin. Calista Dover considered herself unique. Irreplaceable.

She glanced at her phone but there were no text messages from Sebastian. Was he really going to keep acting this way? Hadn't she done enough for him?

A slight tapping on her door caught her attention. She pulled the folds of her silk robe together and called out, "Come in."

She had been expecting him. She had invited him and left a key at the front desk. Of course she had asked him to hide his identity.

"Wear a wig. Some glasses. I don't care. Just make sure no one can identify you," she had told him.

"Do you believe love is selfless or selfish?" he asked, staring at Calista as she brushed her blonde hair.

It was an odd question to ask but she supposed she should play along. She shrugged. "Isn't it both?"

He nodded, his smile fading, "So long as you understand."

"Understand what?" Her eyes widened as his reflection came closer. He hadn't removed his disguise. He was wearing gloves and pulled something from his pocket. He had come close enough that she could feel his breath against her neck. "Understand what?" she asked again, turning around.

"This," he whispered.

Calista choked back a cry of pain as he twisted the knife into her body.