The Stranger in the Mirror(20)

“So you don’t even know her real name?”

“No, that’s the problem,” Blythe said. “She goes by Addison Hope, but she doesn’t know her real name.” Blythe filled him in on what Gabriel had told her about Ed and Gigi and the illegal documents Ed had obtained. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about this, but she knew it bothered her.

Fallow cocked his head and raised his brows in surprise. “Wow. They could get in deep trouble for that.” He made another note. “So, this Ed and Gigi. They’ve known her now for two years? What’s your sense of their credibility?”

Blythe thought back to the night when they’d had dinner together at Ed and Gigi’s, a sort of meet-the-parents gathering. Blythe had instantly liked them both—Gigi was warm and kind, and Ed seemed like a good down-to-earth guy. That these people had taken Addison in and clearly gotten to know her so well had allayed some of her fears.

After dinner, Gigi had taken Blythe aside to speak privately. “Addison was nervous about tonight,” she said. “She has a lot of insecurities because of her memory loss. It’s hard for her.”

Blythe appreciated her directness. “I have to admit it’s a bit worrying to me. It’s moved very fast.”

“I can understand why you would feel that way, but I want to tell you that Addison is one of the finest young women you’ll ever meet. I don’t know what happened in her past, but if she wasn’t always a caring and compassionate young woman, she turned into one along the way. I’m sure that’s what Gabriel sees in her too.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that, and I look forward to getting to know her better.”

Gigi’s eyes had grown soft. “Do give her a chance, Blythe. She deserves that.”

Shaking Gigi’s words from her head, Blythe exhaled. She looked across the desk at the private detective. “They’re nice enough. I do know they lost a daughter years ago, so how much that’s informed their attachment to Addison, I don’t know. But her whole story, about Ed finding her hitchhiking along a highway in New Jersey, with no ID, no money, no credit cards, nothing, has always sounded a little fishy to me. Shouldn’t someone be looking for her? And wouldn’t it be easy to find her?”

He stopped writing and frowned. “That depends. If she’s from somewhere far away and has changed her name, it might not be easy for someone to locate her. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. What about a phone? Did she have one with her?”

“No. As I said, she had nothing besides the clothes on her back.” She cleared her throat. “Actually, I would love some water after all.”

He walked over to the refrigerator and brought her a bottle of Evian and a tall glass.

“Thanks,” she said as she poured it. Then something occurred to her. “There’s one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“She has long scars on her wrists and forearms, all the way up to her elbows. A serious suicide attempt.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Okay. Since she was picked up in New Jersey going south, I’ll have the picture you emailed to me circulated to some connections I have in law enforcement there as well as in New York. I’ll cross-reference the missing persons databases and also hospitals with attempted suicide admissions in the past ten years.” He leaned forward. “Do you only want her background checked, or do you want her followed, too?”

Blythe considered this. “I’m not sure there’s much you’d discover that way. She spends pretty much all her time either working at the photography store or with my son.”

“You’d be surprised,” Fallow said.

“If you think it would be helpful, that’s fine. I don’t want to spare any expense.”

“I have someone in mind. We’ll watch her for the next week and see what we see. In the meantime, can you take a glass or utensil she uses, put it in a plastic bag, and bring it to me? I’ll take a DNA sample.”

“Yes, of course.”

“I’ve got enough to get started now,” he assured her. “Let me do some digging, and I’ll let you know my progress.”

She rose. “By the way, I’d like to make sure this all stays between us. Can you make sure you only use my cell to contact me?”

He gave her his word, and she shook his hand and left. When she got to her car, she added him to her contacts under “Marie Fallow,” so it would look like just another tennis friend of hers if Ted or Gabriel saw it come up on her phone.

As she drove home, she felt a peace descend over her. Now at least she was doing something concrete. Gabriel would be upset if he knew, but in the end, he’d understand, be grateful even. That was her job, after all, to protect her children.





??17??

Addison




As I give the gate attendant my boarding pass, my stomach tightens. This is the first time I’ve flown with fake credentials. I’m always half expecting that the fact that I’m using a dead girl’s identity will be discovered, and the police will show up and take me away. But the attendant scans the pass and waves me in after a quick beep. We walk down the Jetway to the plane, and Gabriel puts our suitcases in the overhead bin. We’re headed to Florida for a few days so that he can meet with a potential new client.