Page 27 of Rescuer
“Hello?”
That voice sent shivers down her spine.
“Jackson.” She swallowed again. But she wasn’t one to run from what needed to be done. “Look. I thought about what you said. I still don’t know that there’s anything to worry about, but I want to help if there is. You came to me about Dylan, and I went off on you.”
There was a moment or two of silence before he heaved a heavy sigh. “I was a jerk in high school. It’s no surprise that you weren’t welcoming.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but he kept talking. “His foster mom says she received a text from him, so I’ll give it another day. If he doesn’t show up, I will definitely take you up on your offer to help.”
“Okay,” she responded. “I was serious. If you need my help, just ask.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. But I wanted to ask another favor of you. One that doesn’t have anything to do with my brother.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Really? A favor, from me?”
“I know this is going to sound strange, but yesterday, there was a car accident, a bad one. Mia, she looks like you. Enough that when I saw her, I literally thought it was you.”
“Well, it obviously wasn’t.”
But he wasn’t done.
“Then about an hour ago, there was a hit-and-run on Locust?—”
“My aunt!”
“She’s fine, as far as I know. A young jogger was hit, but she was only slightly injured. But again, she had your coloring. She didn’t really look like you—just enough of a resemblance to unsettle me. The other girl, though, the one from the accident, I literally thought she was you for a few minutes.” A loud sigh reached her ear. “Look, our conversation earlier didn’t exactly go as I’d hoped. If you’re serious about helping me find Dylan, how about meeting me somewhere so we can go over details. Make a plan.”
She surprised herself with a chuckle. “That’s my line. I was always the one with a plan.”
“Truth. But I’ve had to make some changes.”
Don’t get sucked in. He was still a charmer. She couldn’t fall for that. But she also couldn’t say no to a blatant appeal for help. Her day had been crazy, and she needed to get home to Gus, but she was curious to see how much this woman looked like her. “Fine, fine. Give me ten minutes?”
“Let’s meet at Renegade Mercy General Hospital.”
She agreed and disconnected.
True to her word, she arrived about ten minutes later. The visitors’ lot appeared full, so she parked on the street in front and met Jackson by the main entrance.
“Officer Beckley is waiting for us, and I already informed the receptionist that we were going to see the patient. She had a concussion and drifted into a coma after she arrived, but they’re keeping a good eye on her. I’m not sure if they know her name yet.”
She nodded and followed him through the security checkpoint, which included walking through the portable screening system. Hospital security had tightened in the past few years. Once they were cleared, they headed to the room.
“Mia.” Officer Jason Beckley greeted her. He had come to her classroom last year to teach about internet predators and being safe online.
“Jason.”
The officer glanced at Jackson. “You’re right. The accident victim does look like Mia.”
A moment later, Mia felt like the air had been sucked from the room. The woman lying so still on the bed could easily have been mistaken for her. Same coloring. Same cheekbones. Even the shape of her nose and mouth.
“She has the same widow’s peak.” Mia’s hands went to her forehead. The defined dip in her hairline, making a V shape in the center of her forehead, had always made her feel a little conspicuous. No one else in her family had one.
“I see that.” Jason peered closer at the woman on the bed. “I’ve heard it’s a dominant trait, passed down from a parent to a child.”
A chill whipped through her soul. Neither Blaine nor Carol Turner had a widow’s peak. In fact, she didn’t recall anyone else in her family having one either. Her mother had brushed it off when Mia had mentioned it.
“Do you recognize her?” Jason’s eyes cut to Mia. “All we know about her is that her name is Andrea. She didn’t have any ID on her, but it was in her phone. The only reason I let Jackson bring you here is that I thought you might know her or be related somehow. The last two calls were made to you, Mia.”
