Twice Kissed - Lisa Jackson [70]
So who else did Maggie know—who were the people associated with her sister? Eve Lawrence, Mary Theresa’s secretary, was the first to come to mind, and lately she’d worked out with a personal trainer whose name escaped Maggie. There was a boyfriend, ten years younger and a model of sorts—or had it been a tennis pro? His name had been Wayne…no, Wade, and his last name had been the name of a dog…Wade…Shepherd? No. Pomeranian, that was it. Then there was the cohost of Denver AM, Craig Beaumont. He and M.T. hadn’t gotten along. Or so she thought, but Maggie couldn’t really remember. Truth to tell, she didn’t know much about him or the other people who were involved with her sister since Mary Theresa had moved to Denver. Maggie had been wrapped up in her own life, her own problems, and her twin had always been secretive and glossed over her own.
Maggie couldn’t believe Mary Theresa was dead. Wouldn’t. Someone knew something. People just didn’t disappear without a trace. This was the age of telecommunications, for God’s sake, where the government and every creditor knew intimate details of a person’s life through his social security number, driving record, and credit-card use.
So where was M.T.?
Biting her lower lip, she sautéed onions, added the eggs, stirred, and when the mass had about congealed, threw in a couple handfuls of cheese.
By the time Thane walked down the stairs in clean jeans and a flannel shirt that was still unbuttoned, the makeshift meal was ready.
Maggie glanced at his bare chest, where there were still drops clinging to curling swirls of hair she’d never seen before, then looked away before she lost her train of thought. “You want some breakfast?” she asked, biting into an apple she’d already cut.
One side of his mouth lifted in a charming smile she would have loved to slap off his face. “Sure.” He buttoned his shirt and tucked in the shirttails.
“It’ll cost ya.”
“How much?”
“Just the truth.” She handed him a plate with a makeshift omelette and a couple slices of toast.
“Thanks.” He set his plate on the table, then poured two cups of coffee. “So what do you want to know?”
“Everything.” She took a seat opposite him and skewered him with a stare she hoped would seem intimidating.
“That’s a tall order.” His gaze darkened and in a chilling moment of déjà vu she remembered loving him years before, yet knowing that he kept secrets from her, that his past was guarded. Some things, it seemed, hadn’t changed.
“And you’re ducking the issue,” she said around a mouthful of eggs.
He ate in silence for a few minutes, chewing thoughtfully, washing down a bite of toast with coffee, then nodded as if agreeing with some inner conversation he’d had with himself. “Who called?”
“What?”
While watching her, he took a bite of toast. “You listened to the recorder, didn’t you?”
“No…I…” She wanted to lie, but figured there would be no reason. She sipped her coffee, then said, “Detective Henderson wants you to call him, some guy named Howie—”
“Howard Bailey, owns the place next door.”
“—he said everything was fine, and a woman named Carrie left a message for you to call.”
“Did she?” Again that ingratiating and irritating smile.
“Yeah.” Maggie finished her breakfast and shoved her plate aside. “So, back to the truth.”
“What is it you want to know, Maggie?” He leaned back in his chair.
“I told you—everything.”
He glanced out the window and rubbed his chin. She knew without his saying so that he was examining his soul, taking stock of the secrets and lies that had made him the man he’d become. “I’m beat to hell. You know that, so how about I check on the stock, sleep for a couple of hours, and fill you in on all the details.”
“No way. I want to know exactly why you’re involved with my sister. Why the police suspect you and—” She stopped before she crossed a line she’d never stepped over, a line she’d avoided for the better part of eighteen years.
“And?” he encouraged.
“Never mind.”
“Come on, Mag Pie,” he said, using an old, familiar endearment from years before. “Spill it.” He finished his coffee in a gulp and