Chapter 4

Set Me Apart

Lindsey fashioned a black hoodie and sunglasses to school. Maybe she would make it through the day without people gawking at her. 

‘You’re making it obvious, Lindsey.’ Jordan leaned against a locker. 

Lindsey ripped her glasses off.  ‘Forgive me for trying to keep people from staring at me.’ 

‘People always want what they can’t have. If they can’t see you they’ll only follow you until they can.’ 

Lindsey sighed, she looked ridiculous anyway. She pulled back her hoodie and shoved the glasses in the locker.  

‘I guess you’re right. I should probably dyed my hair blonde and get contact lenses.’ 

‘They will have to get used to it.’ Jordan shrugged. 

‘Will you get used to it? She was your best friend.’ Lindsey’s heart broke for Jordan.  

Last night when she came over all Lindsey could think about was she was sleeping in Leah’s bedroom. The hot pink had been Leah’s choice.  How did she tell her parents?  Lindsey wasn’t even sure they knew about Leah King. Mom would be upset Lindsey knew for sure.  

‘Yeah, until Leah’s found.’  Jordan said.  

They walked to the courtyard during lunch. Jordan wore a grey jacket and black leggings.  Jordan naturally had black curly hair that stumbled down her back. A couple months ago she cut it in half and dyed it a light shade of brown.  

Since Leah’s vanished Jordan stopped hanging out with most of her friends. Quit most of her extracurricula activities. Her attendance record dropped drastically. School was just a reminder of someone who wasn’t there anymore. 

Lindsey scanned the courtyard for her brother when two girls in one inch heels walked up to her and Jordan.  One of them wore dangling earrings, she had long brown hair and the other was petite and blonde.  

‘Oh my gosh… I’m sorry the resemblance is just unbelievable.’ The brunette said and the blonde nodded.  

Jordan sided at Gloria and Ruby. Gloria, Leah and Jordan had been a dream team. Ruby was more of an outsider looking in.  She’d taken it upon herself to insert herself into their group. Jordan fortunately wasn’t part of it anymore.  

Lindsey turned to Jordan then back at the girls. This is what she didn’t want. 

‘Sorry… I’m Gloria. Leah and I were really close and I just can’t believe it. Hi Jordan.’  Gloria turned to Jordan who nodded in return.  

‘Nice to meet you I guess.’ Lindsey replied.  

Gloria nodded.  ‘Same… Lindsey. I guess we’ll see you around.’ 

‘Will I have to go through this everyday?’ Lindsey turned to Jordan. 

‘Leah was pretty popular.’ Jordan sighed.  

The bell announced the resumption of classes. Lindsey draped the hoodie over her head. She would seriously consider those contacts and a blonde wig.  

***

Lindsey survived another day at school. She strolled through the busy hall. Clem was by the car with a girl under his arm and a few guys leaning against the car.  

Lindsey noticed a white Mercedes parked next to the SUV. Lindsey had seen it before parked in their neighborhood. She’d seen the owner too. He was the guy Lindsey made eye contact with and stormed off on yesterday.  She ducked and scurried to the car and jumped into the back seat.  

The windows were tinted so he couldn’t see her. He wore white frame glasses and a gold chain. He had black silky hair and brown eyes. Then Lindsey sulked,  he likely thought she was Leah too.  

Why did he have to be good looking?  Clem kissed the girl under his arm goodbye and hopped into the car.  

‘Why are you sitting in the back seat? Do I look like your chauffeur?’ 

Lindsey groaned. ‘You might as well be my new chauffeur if you don’t want Kelly to find out you’ve replaced her without her consent!’ 

‘Very funny Lindsey, you mind your own business.’ Clem brought the SUV to life. 

‘You’re a pig.’ 

‘You don’t know what I’m going through.’ 

Lindsey narrowed her eyes on him. How awful, he couldn’t FaceTime his girlfriend and drive to see her over the weekends. They’d only been living in Hollow Cove for less than a week!  

‘I don’t know what I’m going through!  People think I’m that missing girl!’  

Clem nodded.  ‘Right, right people don’t believe I’m your brother. What are you going to do?’ 

Lindsey flopped on the back seat.  ‘There’s nothing I can do, Clem. Unless the police find her body and people finally accept we’re two different people.’ 

Clem pulled into the neighborhood. A police car sat in their driveway. Clem slowed the car. A uniformed man and a man in jeans and black shirt spoke to their parents at the door. Margaret’s face was blushed and puffed. Trey could barely get a word in because his wife spoke over everyone.  

The detective didn’t know what to make of her behavior. Whether those were real tears or crocodile ones. 

‘Clem what’s going on?’ Lindsey asked.  

Clem put the car in park and turned to his sister.  What could have happened they had only been in Hollow Cove a couple of days. 

‘Look there they are. Ask her yourself, that’s our daughter Lindsey.’  Trey pointed at the kids.  

Lindsey froze. Clem wrapped his arm around beer shoulders and guided her to the house. 

‘What’s going on here?’ Clem asked. 

‘They think we kidnapped our own daughter!’ Margaret sobbed.  Trey held her back.  

‘No, ma’am we’re simply following up on reports. Our department has been flooded with people claiming to have seen Leah King.’ The detective said.  

‘As you can see, Detective Montgomery, that’s our daughter not Leah.’  Trey said.  

Detective Luther Montgomery was the lead investigator in the Leah King case. The first missing person case in Hollow Cove for close to a decade. The last one eight years ago was seven year old Cassie Parker.  She’d only gone to the park without telling anyone.  

Leah King vanished into thin air on an average day.  No witnesses, no enemies.  One thing Detective Luther knew was the truth was hidden in the King family. The parents knew something. They hid something about what happened to Leah.  He never bought the story of her going to a department store to buy something for her Father. 

He wanted another crack at the man but they packed and skipped town. Actions of a dirty family? The case soon went cold.  

The girl Luther saw standing in front of him sure as the sky was blue and his name was Luther was Leah King. He had her picture framed on his desk.  The girl he saw was Leah King.  

‘Do you know that your daughter is identical to Leah King? And this house is the one the girl was raised in? How do you explain that?’ Luther spat. 

Margaret's eyes turned to saucers and threatened to pop out of her head.

 ‘That’s impossible!  Lindsey grew up in Florida with us! She’s our daughter.’ Tears and mucus blended on her face.  

Lindsey fought the urge to break free from Clem and run up the road or into her Mother’s arms. The detective bore into her. It was like he examined her from within.  

‘There’s been a misunderstanding here detective, that’s what it is.’ 

‘Then you wouldn’t mind a DNA test to clear this misunderstanding up?’ 

The neighbors peaked out their windows and gazed from their driveways. Lindsey shrunk in Clem's embrace. People would stare at her more than ever. How would she walk the streets without gawking and shouting at her. 

‘A DNA test?’ Margaret gasped and turned to Trey.  ‘Okay, Lindsey was adopted but she’s my sister's daughter that doesn’t make her any less my child! No one will ever take her away from me!’ Trey gripped his wife’s shoulders and guided her into the house. 

‘Detective you can come back for that test. As you can see my wife’s really upset.’  

Lindsey and Detective Luther locked eyes for a moment that dragged on for what seemed like minutes. When he was gone Lindsey could finally breathe. She ran into the house. Dad had taken Mom to their room. 

The house seemed like a killer grinning at her, or a captor keeping