Look-Alike Rita Herron
To my own look-alikethe sweet one, Reba.
May your true love find you and sweep you away!
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Caitlin Collier She married Miles, then mysteriously disappeared. Did she betray him or was she the victim of something sinister?
Nora Collier Caitlins identical twinis she dead or alive?
The Carver He believes that marriage means till death do us part, and he has been chosen to dole out the punishment for betraying those vowswith murder. But who is he really?
Federal Agent Reilly Brown He is determined to get to the bottom of Caitlin Colliers disappearance and find The Carver. Will he pin the crime on Miles?
Dr. Hubert Hollinsby A psychiatrist who specializes in twin identity crisis. Did he conduct experiments on Nora and/or Caitlin? How far will he go to protect his secrets?
Dr. Omar White He finally convinced CIRP to open another research hospital in Ravens Peakand he will do anything to keep it open.
Dr. Arthur Mullins This medical examiner solves crimes through forensic evidenceis he hiding something?
Reverend Perry His sermons focus on marriage and fidelityhow far will he go to make the people listen?
Buck Bennigan This cowboy was the last man to see the Collier twin before she dieddid he kill her?
Jimmy Joe Johnson The bartender claims he slept with Caitlinor was it Nora?
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Prologue
Father, forgive me, for I have sinned.
And how may I help you, my child? the priest asked.
I have taken a womans life. He stretched his fingers in front of him, the bloodstains still darkening his blunt nails, the scent of the womans fear still pervading his body.
Behind the curtain, he heard the priest shift uncomfortably, knew he was probably struggling with the need to see his face, with his sacred vows to keep his silence.
But finally, true to his calling, or maybe because his curiosity was spiked, he said, Go on.
She is one of many to come, he said, a singsongy note entering his voice. She was a sinner, a home wrecker. She did not honor her marital vows and she had to pay.
Only our God can pass judgment on another, the Father said. We are all sinners. It is not for us to dole out punishments.
Anger, vile and hot, flashed through him. An image of the womans
sultry face followed. Her gaudy makeup. Her whorish laugh. Her wedding ring glittering as she slid into another mans bed. But there is a secret society of them that has sprung up. They haunt the big cities, the small towns, they are taking over.
You must turn to God for guidance. Seek help from others who understand your sickness
I am not sick! He slammed his fist on the wooden surface. I am a chosen one. I must continue to serve in my own way by ridding the world of evil women.
He stared down at his pinky finger, to her wedding ring. She hadnt deserved to wear it so he had kept it for himself.
And he would have more, so many more, before his work was finished.
Chapter One
Nine months later
I didnt kill my wife. Sheriff Miles Monahue leaned back in his desk chair in an effort to rein in his volatile emotions. Like I told the police when I reported Caitlin missing three weeks ago, I have no idea where she is or what happened to her.
FBI agent Reilly Browns accusing look spoke volumes. Take off your sunglasses, Sheriff. Brown folded his arms on Monahues desk and pierced him with a stare as icy as the North Georgia winter wind outside. I like to look at a mans eyes when Im talking to him.
Monahue whipped off his Ray-Bans, struggling to bank his temper as he met the agents gaze head-on. Hed always had dangerous impulses, but lately hed barely been able to restrain himself from acting on them. He half attributed his springboard reactions to the stress of his wifes disappearance.
But the emptiness had been in his soul a long damn time. And lately, hed developed severe headaches and a sensitivity to light. The doctor said it was stress, that he needed to lighten up. Release his emotions in a healthy way.
Hell, the man didnt know what he was talking about.
Besides, without the shades, he felt exposed, raw. As if someone might see inside his soul and glimpse the darkness. The bitter boy hed turned into after hed witnessed his parents murder at age ten. The fact that hed been a suspect in their deaths.
Or the soft spot hed had for Caitlin. His hand automatically strummed over his pocket where he still carried the charm bracelet hed bought for her the night hed proposedtwo tiny silver hearts melded together, just as hed thought theirs had.
What a damn fool he was for believing such nonsense.
Do you have new evidence? A lead? Miles asked. God knows he wanted some news. Some closure.
Im the interrogator here. Agent Browns chair squeaked as he shifted his weight. Youre the suspect. You answer the questions.