Gemini Lost

Prologue Los Angeles I finally got my California sunset but it didn’t turn out quite the way I had envisioned. As I was packing for the return trip to Phoenix, anticipating a long overdue reconciliation with my bed, I received an unexpected phone call from Officer Piedmont, aka Peedy, Kelly Decker’s childhood friend. Prior to her untimely death, she had mentioned the discussion of a meet and greet between our pups once the case had been resolved. Now that he was the guardian of his best friend’s canine companion, he wanted to honor her wishes. Though he’d caught me off-guard with his proposition, I quickly agreed, knowing that it would not only do a world of good for Decker’s pup but for Peedy, too, as they had both lost the most important human in their lives. I was pleasantly surprised as he approached, boyishly cute in his t-shirt, board shorts and flip-flops—a tall, tanned drink of California, with sun-kissed curls barely tamed by the crop of his haircut and which only enhanced the aquamarine brilliance of the eyes staring back at me. A flash of white emerged as he broke into a massive grin, revealing dimples and a small scar that passed from his lower lip to the base of the cleft of his chin. “From the description Decker gave me”—he immediately blushed, composing himself as he looked down—”of this big guy, you must be Arianna.” “Please, call me AJ,” I replied, extending my hand, “and this is Nicoh.” He nodded and clasped my hands with his own, which were warm but firm. “Nice to meet you, AJ. Logan. And Mia.” The statuesque German Shepherd flipped her tail and c****d her head, giving her canine counterpart a thorough once-over. Nicoh murmured a low whoo-whoo, which I translated to “ooooh, she’s pretty,” before huffing out a breath as he swooshed his tail from side to side while dancing from one paw to the other. “Mind your manners, buddy,” I replied. “Mia will put you in your place if you don’t behave.” Nicoh released another huff before bowing his head and leaning in so that Mia could sniff. She did, and after a wagging of tails, they took account of one another in typical canine fashion. Of course, both of the humans blushed and I managed to awkwardly squawk out, “Don’t worry. I don’t think they’ll be offended if we don’t follow suit.” I winced at my choice of words but Logan chuckled easily, adding, “Yeah, I think a handshake should suffice. For now, at least.” His eyes widened. “Err…what I meant was—” I waved him off and we laughed. Now that each of us had put our foot into it, we had effectively broken the ice, if not melted it. We walked up the beach, the dogs next to one another as Logan told me a bit about growing up in the valley, reminiscing about adventures with his best friend. It was easy to see how much they had cared about one another, fought for one another and loved one another. “I’m curious, how did you get the nickname Peedy, anyway?” I asked, though I’d assumed it was short for Piedmont, betting that he’d caught crap for it each time Decker had used it in front of his peers. Logan tossed his head back and laughed. Hard. Before long, he had me laughing again, too. “What?” I finally managed to snort out. “It’s not ‘Peedy.’ It’s P.D., as in the initials ‘P’ and ‘D’.” He paused to chuckle again, after taking in my confused expression. “It stands for Piedmont and Decker. I called her the same thing. We always pretended we’d grow up to be detectives like our pops and form our own agency. Like Simon and Simon but without the whole sibling rivalry thing.” “I would imagine,” I replied. “Close enough to the truth, though.” Logan nodded. “You ever consider it? Leaving law enforcement, opening your own agency?” Logan looked out at the ocean. “To be honest, I just don’t think it would be the same without her…without D.” “I know it feels that way now, Logan. But, maybe you should keep your options—and that door—open. I think Decker would want you to.” “Maybe, someday.” He shrugged before turning to me. “Why, are you offering to be my partner?” I laughed. “I think I already have my hands full—between my photography business, my saucy best friend and…this guy.” I waved a hand at Nicoh, who was acting about as goofy as I felt as he trotted to keep up with the beauty at his side. “Well, it would be immensely useful, considering you clearly already have an impressive skill set under your belt,” Logan teased. I snorted. “It takes a considerable amount of patience, persistence and downright stubbornness—honed over years of dedication to mastering the craft.” He released a chuckle and nodded. “I would guess so.” We walked in comfortable silence for a few moments, until I shared what had been weighing on me. “Seriously, Logan, at least take what I’ve said into consideration about hanging up a shingle. I think it suits you. And I think Decker would agree.” “You do the same, AJ, if you change your mind about hanging that shingle with me?” I smiled and nodded, becoming self-conscious when I noticed he was studying me. “Now I know why Decker chose you.” “Chose me?” I stopped, nearly tripping over my own feet in the process. Logan grabbed my elbow to ensure I remained upright. “You remind me so much of her.” He chuckled. “Except for the two left feet, that is.” “Thanks,” I replied, brushing hair out of my eyes. “It’s one of my handier skills—tripping over my own feet, that is. You never know when you’ll need that one in pinch.” Logan laughed, causing me to blush. Again. “You’re right, I’m sure Decker typically had both feet firmly planted and always knew which direction she was traveling before she took the next step.” He nodded. “She was also an exceptional judge of character. The day before she was…killed, she wanted to make sure I passed along a message—a request—in the event something happened to her.” “An ominous bit of foreshadowing,” I murmured, prodding Logan to continue. “This request…” “She wants you to look into her mother’s case,” he replied, searching my eyes, his tone serious. “Her mother’s—what?” I stammered. “Why me?” “Decker said the two of you shared something in common. Something…deeply personal.” “Death,” I whispered, thinking of my parents, my sister, my friends. “It not just death that connects you, AJ,” he replied, holding my shoulders so that I was forced to face him. “It’s the way they died.” “They were murdered,” I replied. Logan nodded. “Where…how would I know where to start?” Panic washed over me, not wishing to let Decker or her faith in me down. “With both feet firmly planted, confident that you know what direction you’re taking before you take that step.” I looked down, frowning when I realized he was using my own words against me. He tilted my chin until I met his eyes. “And with your assistance?” I asked, disappointed when he shook his head. “Because you can’t? Or won’t?” “Because I’m a cop,” he replied, his tone sad but earnest. “I can, however, offer you a starting point.” “A lead?” My reply came out sounding far more hopeful than I felt. Before he could respond, I spouted out, “Why not take it to the Stanton’s—or Anna? This is more their area of expertise.” “No, AJ, she wanted you.” Logan released a breath before continuing, “Besides, there’s a serious conflict of interest where they’re concerned. As it is, there will be hell to pay when this comes out.” “I’m not sure I like the sound of that. Maybe you should just tell me about this lead Decker had.” “It’s more than just a lead, AJ. Decker had a name.” “Okay…” I gestured for him to continue, even though I was still not convinced I wanted to know, regardless of how far this name, whoever’s it was, took me. “Terrence Edwards,” he replied, ensuring he had my full attention before he added, “The man who changed Decker and her pop’s lives forever. “Until this moment, that bastard has gotten away with murder.”