I am so so excited about COLD CASE REOPENED, my March release from Harlequin Intrigue. I’ve got a teaser for you today from this story about a twin sister out to discover what really happened to her twin when she disappeared six months earlier. If you love cold case files, this one is definitely for you!
Teaser
They are on a cold trail
And running out of time.
Rhea Reilly is certain her twin sister’s sudden disappearance six months ago wasn’t a suicide, no matter what Colorado authorities think. She can’t afford to trust police Detective Jackson Whitaker—even if he’s risking his career to uncover the truth. But a lethal trail of lies is drawing them together…and into an inescapable trap.
Excerpt
Chapter One
It was hard to believe that such beauty possibly held unspeakable evil.
Rhea Reilly stood on the shore of the mountain lake where six months earlier her twin sister, Selene, had disappeared on a cold fall night.
Her artist’s eye took in the scene before her. The waters of the lake sparkled like diamonds beneath a sunny cerulean sky. At the farthest end of the lake, the waters tumbled over a spillway for the dam that held back a rush of water during a spring thaw or heavy rain. In the distance, ragged mountains leaped into the sky, still frosted with the remnants of winter snow at the highest elevations.
Normally she would have savored painting such a lovely sight, but not today, when it might be her sister’s watery tomb.
Rhea hugged her arms tight around herself, closed her eyes and listened to the soft lap of the water against the rocky shores of the lake. Imagined Selene standing there that fateful night, tapping out the message she’d sent to Rhea.
- I can’t take it anymore. I can’t. I’m finally going to do something about it.
The police had taken that text to mean that Selene had decided to end her life that night, right there on the shores of those stunningly beautiful mountain waters. But Rhea wasn’t convinced.
Although her sister had been troubled the last few months, Rhea was certain that Selene would never take her life.
If anything, it was more likely that Selene’s husband had killed her sister, but the police in Selene’s hometown had been unable to find enough evidence to charge him. No-body homicides were apparently very difficult to prosecute.
The police here in Regina, Colorado, where Selene’s car had been found by the lake, were convinced that her sister had committed suicide, even though they also hadn’t been able to find Selene’s body.
But Rhea was sure her sister wasn’t dead. There was something inside her, that special twin connection they had always shared, that had been saying from the very beginning that Selene was alive and hurting.
That was why she’d undertaken her own investigation once her sister’s case had become inactive because the police had run out of leads.
Rhea dashed away the tears that had leaked from beneath eyes screwed shut.
Her sister was alive and, if she wasn’t, her husband was responsible. She intended for the police to do something about it based on the information she had collected over the last six months. But for the truth to come out, she needed more corroborating evidence and only the police could provide the resources to accomplish that.
She whirled, stumbled a bit on the rough rocks beneath her feet. Righting herself, she marched to her car which she had parked on the street near where Selene’s sedan had been found. The street would have been deserted when Selene had texted her that night.
Rhea stopped to look around, examining the scene. Along the edges of the lake, a marina spread out across the shore. Dozens of boats were parked at the docks behind a large building that held a restaurant, a marina office and a shop that sold supplies for boaters, as well as tourists, partaking of the lake’s many summer activities.
Across the way were a few homes and in one of those homes was a witness who had seen Selene park and walk toward the lake. The older woman hadn’t thought much of it because people often stopped, even at night, to take in the splendor of the lake.
Rhea intended to speak to her, but hopefully with the police to back her up and add their own expertise to the interrogation.
The police.
It all kept circling around to needing their assistance, so it was time she got going and spoke to them about Selene’s case.
She got in her car and headed to Main Street and the Regina Police Station. As she cruised down Main Street, she was once again struck by the loveliness of the town. It was postcard-perfect with its charming downtown filled with an eclectic mix of shops that catered to locals as well as the tourists who would visit for skiing and water sports.
Rhea found a spot just a block shy of the police station, parked and grabbed the thick folder bulging with the information she had gathered over the many months. With it tucked under her arm, cradled as securely as a newborn baby, she walked to the police station and paused at the base of the steps.
Like everything else about this town, the police station looked like something off a movie set. The building blended harmoniously with the other structures along Main Street. On either side of the wide steps leading to the door, spring flowers in a riot of colors cascaded over the edges of the terraced garden. Bright pink, purple and blue blossoms waved at her in welcome as a slight breeze swept across the street, still a bit cold despite it being early spring.
The chill settled in her bones as if warning her that she might not be happy with what she found inside.
She dragged in air through her nostrils and then expelled it with a harsh breath.
Time to get going.
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