Double Faced Twins

Chapter 31

Detective Sam Kidwell

Grace Henson's cold case just got hot with her calling 911. I'd exhausted every lead and came up empty, but thankfully, Faith's keen hearing gave us the name of Leigh Miller. I had only spoken with Mrs. Miller briefly when I was confirming Jeremy Miller's alibi.

I pick up my phone and dial their house phone. I was surprised that Jeremy answered it. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Miller, this is Detective Kidwell. Are you with your wife?" I ask candidly.

"No, she is not here," he replies.

"Do you know when she'll be back?" I inquire. "I would like to speak with her and you."

"I have no clue; she can be gone for hours, she doesn't tell me where she goes, and honestly, I could give a shit," he says frankly.

Then it occurred to me that the last time we talked, he had said that his wife was pregnant, which was why he married her.

"Are you able to come in to talk with me? You're welcome to bring your baby unless it's with your wife."

"There's no baby, Detective," he responds flatly.

"I'm so sorry. What happened?" My curious mind wants to know.

He replies, "She claims that she had a miscarriage."

"You don't believe her?"

"Nope." He responds matter-of-factly. "What time did you want to meet me? I have a lunch meeting at noon."

I can't say that I am surprised by his response to his wife having a miscarriage. "Can you come in after your lunch meeting? If you could give me your wife's phone number and the name of the cell provider, I would appreciate it."

We scheduled the meeting for 2:00. My instincts tell me Mr. Miller is not involved in Grace's disappearance. I'll know more when he comes in to meet with me. Maybe it's time for that lie detector test he was willing to take months ago.

After hanging up, I call Leigh Miller's phone. It went straight to voicemail. I decided not to leave a message. Instead, I called the cell provider to ask them to ping the GPS coordinates on her phone. It only takes a few moments to locate her phone, and most likely Leigh Miller herself. The location is in Old Town. Old Town is a relatively dangerous part of San Diego.

I called the chief with the information I obtained, and he assembled a unit to go to the location with me. I meet with them before heading out. I give them a quick rundown of the case and let them know that Leigh Miller may be with the victim and to proceed with caution.

Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the location. It's a rundown home with chipped white paint and faded black shutters hanging precariously from the windows, looking as if they could drop to the ground with the slightest breeze. Parked in front of the home is a dark green four-door sedan. I have viewed the video of Miss Henson's abduction enough to know that this vehicle looks similar to the one in the video.

I radioed the officers accompanying me and told them to park up the block. Once we park, we get out of our vehicles. We convene to make a plan of action before approaching the house. One officer will go to the back of the house if Mrs. Miller tries to escape. The other officer goes with me to the front door.

I knock on the front door. A few moments later, the front door opens. I am shocked to see a boy, who I'm guessing is around six years old, answer the door.

I hear a woman yelling from behind him. "Daniel, how many times have I told you to wait for me before answering the damn door!"

She comes up behind the boy. When I see her, I can see a resemblance to the license photo that I have of Leigh Miller.

She looks perplexed as she takes in the sight of the officer and me. "Hello, can I help you?"

I take a chance. "Is Leigh Miller here?"

She lets out an irritated sigh. "What the hell did she do this time?"

"I'm hoping to ask her some routine questions regarding a case that I'm investigating," I say, trying to sound casual.

"She's probably in her apartment upstairs that she rents from me. I'm not sure why she keeps it. She has plenty of money since she found herself a sugar daddy. She still comes by a lot. When she's not there, she lets friends crash there," she explains.

"Are you two related?" I inquire.

She responds, "She is my cousin. If you go to the right side of the house, you'll see a set of stairs leading up to her apartment."

I thank her for her time. The officer and I head to the right side of the house. We both look at each other when we see the condition of the steps. I am not sure that it will hold either one of us.

I tell the officer to stay put while I carefully ascend the stairs. At the top of the stairs is a small platform. I knock on the door. A moment later, I hear commotion on the other side of the door, then silence. I knock again, but nothing.

I shout, "Open up, San Diego Police."

I'm about to warn her that I will kick the door in when I hear the officer watching the back tell me that he has restrained a woman who just jumped off the porch roof. Well shit!

I run down the steps, forgetting the condition of the stairs. One step collapsed as I stepped on it, and I flew forward. Luckily, I was only three steps away from the ground and could catch myself when I fell. The officer helped me up, and I limped as we headed to the back of the house. Sitting on the porch steps was a cuffed Leigh Miller. I see her cousin looking out the back door.

I walk up the porch steps to the door, and she opens it when she sees me approaching. "Do I have your permission as the owner of this house to go into your upstairs apartment?"

I see Mrs. Miller looking toward her cousin, giving her a death stare, which her cousin ignores. "You have my permission to enter the apartment." She reaches over and gives me a set of keys.

I smile, "Thank you."

I ignore the pain in my ankle as I turn towards the officer who apprehended Mrs. Miller. "Place her in your vehicle; we'll be right back."

He nods, takes a screaming Mrs. Miller by the arm, and leads her to his patrol car.

I gingerly make my way back up the stairs and unlock the door. Once inside, the other officer carefully walks up the steps and joins me.

The attic of this home was renovated into a sparsely furnished studio apartment. There was a small kitchenette to the left with outdated appliances and a card table with two chairs. To the right is a couch and an empty TV stand. Next is a bed that's been slept in and a dresser. I see a door next to the bed. I guess that it's a bathroom or a closet. I put on a glove and tried to open the door. I was surprised to find it locked. I don't hear any movement on the other side of the door. I lightly knock, nothing. I then noticed a key hanging on a rusty nail on the door frame. I grab the key and insert it into the doorknob. I turn the key and slowly open the door.

*****