Double Faced Twins

Chapter 30

Faith

Detective Kidwell is waiting for us in the lobby. "Thank you all for coming in so quickly. I have something that I need you to hear. A 911 call came in early this morning. I need you both to verify that the voice that you hear is Grace's."

I look up at Benson at the same time that he looks down at me. I'm shocked! What the hell does this even mean? Is it possible that Grace was able to call 911 six months after her abduction?

I don't know how to feel right now. I don't want to get my hopes up, but damn, this could mean that Grace is still alive. We all follow Detective Kidwell silently into the same meeting room Benson and I were in several months ago. We all sit. I see a tape recorder in the middle of the table.

"Are you ready?" The detective asks, and I look around the table at Benson and Thomas.

Benson takes my left hand into his and squeezes. Thomas takes my right hand into his and gives me a reassuring smile.

I take a deep breath and look at the detective. "Ready."

He reaches over and hits the play button. I'm holding my breath as the 911 call begins to play.

"Please, help me. He's here. I know that he's here. Oh my god! I can hear someone coming up the steps. Please hurry!" Then nothing.

Tears are streaming down my face. I can't believe this is happening! If only she had taken the threats in the letters more seriously, I wouldn't be sitting here in the San Diego Police Department listening to what could be my sister's last words.

"Damn, that sounds like Grace's voice, but she's saying him. I thought a woman abducted Grace." Thomas says with confusion.

Then something pops into my head. "Can you please play that again, Detective?"

"Of course." The detective rewinds the call and hits play once again. "Please, help me. Leigh is here. I know that Leigh is here. Oh my god! I can hear someone coming up the steps. Please hurry!"

"Can you hear that? She's saying Leigh, not he!" I exclaim.

The detective plays it through again. "Well, I'll be damned!" He looks around the table. Does anyone know a woman by the name of Leigh?"

Thomas and Benson shake their heads, but I pause for a moment. "It sounds so familiar, but I can't place it."

Detective Kidwell rubs his stubbled chin. "You know, that name rings a bell with me, too. I'll be right back."

The detective leaves us all sitting at the table. Both Benson and Thomas look at me.

Thomas speaks first, "Think, Faith, think. Who is this Leigh woman?"

I place my head in my hands, racking my brain. Leigh, Leigh, Leigh, I keep repeating the name. I decide to text Liza. If I've heard this name, I know that Liza has.

I type out my message. Does the name Leigh sound familiar to you?

Right away, I see the bubbles that indicate that she is responding to my text. Her text comes through at the exact moment that Detective Kidwell returns.

I read the text while the detective announced his findings. "Jeremy Miller's wife."

"Well, shit! Why would Leigh want to take Grace?" I say, perplexed.

Detective Kidwell looks at Thomas, then me."That's what I plan on finding out."

***

Thomas has to return to the hotel, and Benson and I head back to the office. Benson is amazing. He always knows just what I need. We sit in the back seat in comfortable silence. He holds my hand while I process what the hell happened. Could Leigh Miller have Grace? Why? Why the hell would she abduct Faith? She's the one who has Jeremy, not Grace. Could she be working with Jeremy? Again, why?

"I'm so fucking confused," I say out loud.

"I agree, Babe. It doesn't make sense. She got the man; why would she take Grace?" Benson shares my assessment.

"Unless he somehow convinced Leigh to abduct her?" I reveal my thoughts to him.

"Why would he do that?" Benson asks me.

"My only guess is that he never got over Grace, and he somehow convinced Leigh to do his dirty work for him," I explain.

He thinks about what I just said. "Why the hell would she abduct Grace for him?"

"I have no clue," I respond.

"I know that the detective will do everything he can to get Grace back, but I still want Cindy to look into this Leigh Miller woman. I don't have a good feeling about her."

I don't have a good feeling about her either. "I agree; we need to get Cindy on this."

We get to the office and take the elevator up to our floor. When the door opens, I see Liza looking at me, confused.

"Good morning Faith and Benson, did you two go for breakfast? You're not usually out and about this early in the morning." Liza asks, unaware of the situation.

I stop and fill her in on our morning. Benson kisses me before heading into Cindy's office.

"Oh my! When you texted about Leigh, I was confused as hell," Liza admits.

"It was horrible hearing the weakness and fear in her voice," I say as a tear slips down my cheek.

Liza gets up from her chair with tears in her eyes. I meet her halfway, and we embrace—the office phone rings, interrupting our moment. We pull back and wipe our tears. Liza goes over to answer the phone, and I walk to Cindy's office, where Benson still is. Her door is open, so I peek my head around the corner.

Cindy sees me and gives me a sad look. "I'm so sorry."

I nod. I don't trust myself to speak because I'm close to losing it. Benson turns towards me and notices my struggle to keep my shit together.

He quickly stands. "Thank you, Cindy. Please let us know the moment you find anything."

She responds, "I promise that I will. It's my top priority right now."

Benson takes my hand, and we go into our apartment. The second that he closes the door, I collapse in his arms. He holds me close as I let everything from this morning go. After several minutes, I quiet down and listen to the calm rhythm of Benson's heartbeat. He tenderly kisses the top of my head.

I take in a full breath. "Quiche?"

I can hear his laugh deep within his chest. "I'm starving."

We make our way into the kitchen. The quiche still has about twenty minutes to finish. I preheat the oven and pull the half-baked quiche out of the refrigerator.

"I need to get a shower. Are you okay?" He asks with worry.

I smile at his concern for me. "I'll be fine, Babe. Go get your shower."

He leaves to get his shower while I warm my coffee in the microwave. I sit at the kitchen island, my thoughts wandering back to Grace's 911 call and the blonde bimbo who was the reason for breaking my sister's heart. Now, she's been robbing her of her life for the last six months. I can't imagine what her motive was to annihilate Grace's life.

*****