Shattered Mirror (Eve Duncan #23)(66)

“Me?” Darcy whispered, gazing down at the box. “One broken, one intact. One twin dead, the other one left alive. It makes sense, doesn’t it?” She moistened her lips. “Open that box. I want to see it.”

Cara took a step closer to her. All she could do was offer silent support. She knew what strain Darcy was under, but she also knew that in her place she would have had to do the same thing.

Jock opened the lid. “Quick look, and then we’ll be out of here. It’s not necessary to— What the hell!” He started to swear.

Glass. Shattered mirror pieces spread all over the interior of the box. No intact mirror reflecting their faces. Jagged splinters. Total destruction.

Cara stared down at it stunned. “You said it was— It’s not supposed to be like this, Jock.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Maybe one of the police clerks was careless?”

“It has a fragile tag. Police know how to care for evidence. It can make the difference between a murderer’s going free or being convicted.”

“He was here.” Darcy’s face was pale. “Or he paid somebody to do it. That could happen, couldn’t it, Jock?”

“It could happen,” he said quietly. “But he’d have to have a good reason to go to all that trouble.”

“He’s crazy.” Her voice was shaking. “I think that’s probably a good enough reason for him. But let’s take it a step further. He wanted to prove he could do it and make us feel helpless. And he wanted to tell us that there’s going to be another death, that he wasn’t done.” She was staring at the glittering shards of glass. “That there was still another twin who had to die.”

Cara grasped her arm. “He’s wrong. We won’t let him touch you.”

“I’m saying what he intends. Not what’s going to happen,” Darcy said. “I won’t let him kill me. He butchered Sylvie. I won’t let him do that to—”

“What’s that scrap?” Cara had stiffened and was looking down at a bit of colored material on the bottom of the box that was half covered in glittering mirrored shards. “I’ve seen that—” Then she realized what it was. Her heart lurched. “No!” She couldn’t breathe. “My God. No!”

*

Eve’s phone was ringing.

“Cara. She was worried about how Darcy would take that visit to the precinct.” She accessed the call. “How did it go? Is she—”

“Michael,” Cara gasped. “Do you have Michael with you?”

She stiffened. “Easy. He’s only about twenty yards away inside the ice-cream shop.”

“Go get him. The mirror was broken. You have to get him.”

“Calm down. Tell me.”

“There was a scrap of the material they use in the soccer uniforms in the bottom of the box. Red and gold. Don’t ask questions. Go get him. Red and gold.”

“Right.” She dropped the phone. “We’ve got to go get Michael, Joe.” She was out of the car. Her heart was beating so hard she could barely breathe. She could see the boys inside the shop as she started running toward it.

Red and gold.

Red and gold.

Red and gold.

And then there was only red.

The blast knocked her to the ground.

She could see the flames leaping high as the second blast ignited and blew what was left of the shop into the sky.

She screamed.

Joe was running toward the building.

He was going to go get Michael.

She had to help him.

She struggled to her feet.

Another blast!

She was knocked down again as the shops on either side of the Ice Cream Emporium blew up.

Joe was tossed several yards back onto the parking lot and lay still.

Then two more blasts.

The entire square was in flames.

But she had to get to Michael.

Michael was in there. Maybe there was air near the floor. He could be alive. He had to be alive.

She had to get to Michael.

She was on her feet and moving toward the shop.

“No.” Joe was on his knees. His clothes in tatters, his face bleeding. “Not you. I’ll do it.”

What was he saying? Michael was in there. She had to get him out. Fire … So much fire. Joe always wanted to do it, wanted to do everything. But he was her son. She couldn’t let him— Another explosion.

She was on the ground again. But not from the explosion, Joe had tackled her.

“I’ll do it.” He was staring down at her. “Stay here. I’ll do it.” He was trying to get to his feet. “Stay here.”

“You can’t go in there.” It was one of the police officers who had been in the squad car who had grabbed Joe. “Neither of you. Suicide. The entire square is going up.”

“My son…” Eve was struggling to get up. “Don’t tell me that. I have to get my son.”

“I understand. God, I’m sorry, ma’am.” He nodded to someone over her head. “It’s too late. We have to stop you. I can’t let you—”

“Don’t you hurt her.” Joe tore free from the officer’s hand. “I’ll take care of it.” He was kneeling beside her. “You can’t help, love.” His hand was on her neck. “Just go to sleep for a while…”