As they rounded the corner of the house, Jenna slowed to a stop, realizing that she hadn’t locked the front door behind her. If Griff’s theory was right, the assailant could be hiding somewhere inside.
“Wait here,” Jenna said, putting a hand on Griff’s arm. “I need to make sure no one is inside.”
“Don’t leave me,” Claire pleaded, grabbing the edge of Jenna’s denim jacket.
“I’ll go,” Griff said. “She trusts you more.”
That was obviously true. Jenna gave a terse nod, putting her arm around Claire’s thin shoulders.
Griff headed inside, and the minute they were alone, the girl turned to Jenna. “Please, you have to help me.”
Jenna was taken aback by her desperate plea. “What’s wrong? Are you in trouble?”
“Yes. I need help and you’re the only one I can trust. Just you, no one else. I’m so glad you’re all right.”
All right? Had this girl witnessed the attack? “Claire, be honest with me. Were you here earlier? Did you see that man try to grab me?”
Claire’s features crumpled, and she buried her face in her hands. “Yes. I’m sorry. When that man showed up I ran away, intending to get help. But then I heard someone yell, ‘Stop! Police,’ so I hid in the bushes.”
Jenna wasn’t sure what to think of Claire’s story. It certainly sounded plausible. She glanced at her modest brick house, wishing Griff would hurry. What if Claire and the masked man were working together? She pulled out her phone and mentally counted down from ten.
If Griff didn’t come out soon, she was calling for backup.
Three, two, one. She lifted her phone and was about to punch in the number for their dispatcher when Griff emerged from the darkness.
“Your place is clear.”
She let out a sigh and resisted the urge to close her eyes in relief. Griff was a good cop, but she couldn’t deny feeling concerned about his safety. “Thanks.”
He followed them inside, and she flipped on the lights, wincing at the brightness before shutting the front door behind them. She shot the dead bolt home for added security.
She turned to face Griff and Claire. Griff was staring at Claire intently, looking a bit shaken.
“What’s wrong?” She raked her gaze over Claire, who was just about Jenna’s height, looking for signs of injury.
“Don’t you see it?” he asked. “The resemblance is uncanny.”
Resemblance? She sharpened her gaze on Claire’s face and took a step back as the realization hit hard.
Seeing Claire’s face was akin to looking at her own reflection in the mirror.
* * *
Griff didn’t like this situation one bit. First the assault, then this girl showing up, looking far too much like Jenna.
On closer inspection Claire was definitely younger than Jenna by several years, so they couldn’t be twins. And there were very subtle differences in their appearances. Claire’s hair was lighter in color and longer than Jenna’s. But the similarities of their facial features, down to the shape of their clear blue eyes, made him wonder if they were related in some way.
But Jenna claimed to be an only child. And he didn’t think that was a lie. Considering the way she was gaping at Claire, she was just as stunned to see the girl as he was.
“Okay, Claire, you better start talking,” Jenna said with a dark scowl. “You told me you were in trouble. What kind of trouble? Did you steal something? Get caught? Run away? What?”
She was firing questions faster than her M16 shot bullets, and Griff watched Claire’s shoulders droop as if she were exhausted.
“Maybe we should offer her something to eat?” The emaciated look of Claire bothered him. “She looks hungry.”
Jenna let out a huff but then nodded. “Right. Food. I’ll throw in a frozen pizza.”
The way she hurried into the other room made him think she was anxious to get away from Claire. Honestly, he understood. He’d heard that they all had a double in the world, but he hadn’t really believed it.
Until now. The physical similarities between the girls were eerie.
Claire was subtly inching away from him, rubbing her hands over her arms. He grabbed an afghan off the sofa and tossed it to her. “Wrap up. You’ll feel warm soon.”
She nodded and did as she was told, huddling into the blanket as if she could disappear inside. He raked a hand over his short hair.
Now what?
“Do you live in the Milwaukee area?” he asked.
Claire shrugged but didn’t answer. She was looking at him as if he was an ogre, so he tried to soften his harsh features.
“Listen, we’re not going to hurt you, okay? We just need to understand what’s going on. Jenna was brutally attacked a few hours ago and we need to know why. Are you in town with someone?”
Claire slowly shook her head from side to side. When she finally spoke, her voice was so soft he had to strain to hear her. “I came on my own. Took a bus from Chicago.”
Chicago? He found it hard to believe this tiny slip of a girl came ninety miles with nothing more than the clothes on her back and a crumpled piece of newspaper in her pocket.
Being a runaway was looking more and more likely. Especially since she seemed to be afraid of him.
Because he was a cop? A man? Both?
She hadn’t seemed afraid of Jenna. In fact, he was amazed the girl had gone out of her way to purposefully find Jenna.
But how?
“Do you have any identification? Anything to prove who you are?”
Claire shook her head again, easing toward the opening leading to the kitchen.
“Okay, why don’t you tell me how you found Jenna?”
She shook her head and darted a glance toward the door. He bit back a sigh of frustration. How could he get this girl to trust him?
“Pizza’s in, should be ready in a few minutes.” Jenna looked at Claire. “Come into the kitchen. I think you owe us an explanation, don’t you?”
The enticing aroma of pepperoni, cheese and tomato sauce filled the air, and Claire was practically drooling with anticipation. But then she hesitated. “I need to use the bathroom to wash up.”
“Sure. It’s down the hall to your right.”
“Thank you.” Claire slipped away, leaving Griff and Jenna alone in the kitchen.
A strained moment stretched between them.
“Do you think it’s possible you’re related to her in some way?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“I don’t see how, although I guess she could be a cousin. I don’t know much about my father’s side of the family.”
Griff lifted a brow. “I don’t think cousins share that kind of resemblance.”
Jenna scowled at him. “Listen, this isn’t your problem. It’s mine. There’s no reason for you to stick around. I can handle this from here.”
“Funny, I was thinking we should take her down to the station, maybe check her fingerprints for missing persons.”
“Why? The only crime we’re aware of is trespassing.”