The Silence (Columbia River #2)(81)

“Shut up,” Ava ordered. “I need a medic!” she shouted at the roadblock.

Mason knelt beside Ava and removed his shirt, wadding it into a ball. “Use this.” Blood oozed from an exit wound near Jayne’s collarbone.

Ava pressed the shirt against the blood. “She pushed me out of the way,” Ava told him, panic garbling her words. “Reuben aimed at me, and she stepped in front of it.”

“I saw,” said Mason. “The two of you fell and gave me a clear shot. I wouldn’t have been able to shoot until that moment without possibly hitting one of you.”

“You’re going to be okay,” Ava said fiercely to her sister. “I swear it.”

Jayne smiled faintly. “You always take care of me.”

“You did it this time.”

Jayne closed her eyes. “It hurts,” she whispered.

Ava’s face went white. “You’re going to be okay,” she repeated.

Mason prayed she was right.



Three days later

The luxury home was familiar to Ava. Brady Shurr’s parents’ home was on Pete’s Mountain, south of Portland. It sat on a five-acre lot that overlooked a vineyard and had a perfect view of the Cascades. She leaned closer to Mason. “This house was in the Street of Dreams a few years ago,” Ava said, remembering the big local event that featured a tour of new luxury homes.

“Hard to forget that infinity pool,” Mason replied.

They sat in a high-ceilinged family room, waiting for Jayne and Brady to return from the kitchen. Jayne had spent two nights in the hospital, and now she and Brady were staying in his parents’ home while his mom and dad were in Germany for a month.

Reuben Braswell was dead. Mason was on leave, waiting to have his shooting reviewed. Ava had no doubts about the outcome. Reuben had shot Jayne and would have shot more if Mason hadn’t sneaked into the home behind him.

Ava had picked up bits and pieces of the days leading up to the shooting as she talked with Jayne in the hospital. Jayne had tearfully confessed that Reuben made her call and cancel the winery wedding venue. The more Jayne had talked, the more Ava had realized that she had been correct that Reuben had harbored a fixation on her. And it had extended to her twin as well.

Jayne and Brady entered. Jayne on crutches and Brady carrying a tray with coffee. He set the tray on an end table near Ava and immediately helped Jayne get settled, sliding an ottoman under her injured leg. Jayne’s baby bump seemed to have grown in the last few days. She had told Ava she was five months along.

The tender look on Brady’s face made Ava’s heart melt. He really does love her. Jayne’s smile and eyes returned the affection.

Ava wondered how long it would last. Reuben Braswell had turned Jayne’s head in Costa Rica, persuading her to take a trip with him.

How Brady had forgiven Jayne was beyond Ava’s understanding.

But how many times have I forgiven her?

She’s my twin. He can walk away. Something won’t let me.

Ava handed a cup of coffee to Mason, who cleared his throat before speaking. “I don’t know if you want to be around for this conversation, Brady.” He, too, had been baffled by the young man’s acceptance of Jayne’s behavior.

“I’ve already heard it all,” Brady said. “Jayne’s told me everything. There is no chance that she would leave again.”

Ava wanted to shake him.

Mason sighed. “If you say so.” He turned to Jayne. “When did you first meet Reuben?”

“I knew him as Cliff, but it was a few weeks ago. He came up and talked to me at a local bar.” She glanced at Ava. “He first mistook me for you. He told me he knew you.”

Ava had already heard this from Jayne and had decided Reuben had said it as a ruse to approach her twin. No doubt it had been easy for Reuben to discover she had a twin. Jayne had been arrested several times in the past, and there were plenty of articles online about the crimes. Once Reuben discovered her twin, Jayne’s Instagram account made her easy to find. She’d created the account to showcase her art, but Jayne also posted pictures of the gorgeous scenery, frequently linking the photos to her location.

That Reuben had decided Jayne was worth a trip to Costa Rica didn’t seem logical, but Ava figured Jayne’s arrests indicated a person who made reckless decisions. And the recent Instagram images of Jayne had shown they were identical twins.

If Reuben had been obsessed with Ava, the idea of meeting her twin must have been very tempting.

“After we met, I bumped into him all the time in our little town.”

He stalked her.

“He was a big flirt.” Jayne looked at her hands in her lap. “I’m sorry, Brady,” she whispered.

Brady took one of her hands. “It’s okay. You were lonely. I shouldn’t have been gone so much.”

“You had been flying back and forth to Portland?” Mason asked.

“Yes. Mom and Dad are cutting back how much time they put into the dealerships. I’ve been trying to pick up the slack and get ready for a bigger role in the business. Jayne and I had planned to move back this coming fall.”

“He was gone for weeks at a time,” Jayne added. “Reuben showered me with the attention I was missing.”

“You were pregnant,” Ava pointed out.