Twinsies: Double Trouble

Chapter 3

The ticking of the grandfather clock in the Creel family living room seemed unnaturally loud as Valerie and Brittany sat side by side on the couch, facing two stone-faced police officers. Their parents hovered anxiously nearby, concern etched deeply into their features.

"Girls," the older officer, Detective Barnes, began, his voice gruff but not unkind, "we need you to think carefully. When was the last time you saw Kirsten? Did she mention any plans? Anyone she was meeting?"

Valerie and Brittany exchanged a quick glance, a silent conversation passing between them in the blink of an eye. Brittany gave an almost imperceptible nod, and Valerie turned back to the detective.

"We saw her at our birthday party on Saturday," Valerie said, her voice steady despite the churning in her stomach. "She seemed fine. Happy, even. She didn't mention any specific plans."

It wasn't exactly a lie, Valerie told herself. Kirsten hadn't mentioned any specific plans. The fact that she was leaving out the part about Alex... well, that was different. They needed more information before they could bring the police into this.

Detective Barnes nodded, scribbling in his notepad. "And you didn't notice anything unusual? Any changes in her behavior recently?"

This time, Brittany spoke up. "Not really. Kirsten's always been kind of... independent, you know? She likes her alone time, especially when she's reading."

The younger officer, whose nameplate read 'Officer Chen', leaned forward. "What about boys? Was Kirsten seeing anyone?"

Another quick glance between the twins. Another decision made in silence.

"No," Brittany said, perhaps a bit too quickly. "I mean, not that we know of. Kirsten would have told us if she was."

As the questioning continued, Valerie felt the weight of their secret pressing down on her. Part of her wanted to blurt out everything about Alex, about the strange religious community, about Kirsten's secret meetings. But a stronger part, the part that had always protected Kirsten's confidences, held her back. They needed to investigate this themselves first.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the officers stood to leave. "If you think of anything else, anything at all, please don't hesitate to call," Detective Barnes said, handing their father a card.

As soon as the front door closed behind the police, Susan Creel turned to her daughters, her eyes brimming with tears. "Oh, girls. I can't believe this is happening. Poor Kirsten..."

Robert Creel put an arm around his wife. "They'll find her," he said, his voice gruff with emotion. "Kirsten's a smart girl. She'll be okay."

Valerie and Brittany hugged their parents, murmuring reassurances they didn't quite believe themselves. Then, with the excuse of needing to finish homework, they retreated to their room.

As soon as the bedroom door closed behind them, Brittany rounded on Valerie. "We should have told them about Alex," she hissed, her blue eyes wide with worry.

Valerie shook her head. "Not yet. We don't know enough. What if we're wrong? What if Alex has nothing to do with this? We could ruin his life for nothing."

"Or we could be wasting time while Kirsten is in danger!" Brittany argued.

"That's why we need to move fast," Valerie said, her mind already racing with plans. "Tomorrow, you check the library like we discussed. I'll try to get information on that religious community. And... I think we should tell Tom."

Brittany's eyebrows shot up. "Tom? Why?"

"Because we need help, and he offered," Valerie explained. "Plus, he has a car. That could come in handy if we need to go snooping around out of town."