“Look,” she pointed. “His hair.”
I was glad to look away from the swollen, discolored face that was indeed hard to make out one way or another.
But I could see what Hope was saying. The hair was all wrong. Relief bubbled up inside me. And suddenly my voice was choked up when I confirmed, “She’s right. It’s not him.”
“You sure?” the coroner peered at both of us. The guy seemed to lack an empathy chip, because he was pretty heartless as he went on, “Most cases the guy is who his wallet says he is. I know it can be hard to see a family member in a state like this—”
“It’s not him,” Hope said, her voice hard and flat, stepping back. “You think we don’t know what our own—”
She broke off for lack of words and I stepped in. “He’s my brother. And that’s not his hair texture. Plus, Milo’s shoulders are wider.”
The coroner actually looked disappointed. “What a mess. I’ll have to call the officers back and who knows when I’ll be able to get rid of him now. I barely have the space as it is.”
Hope’s mouth dropped open at his callousness. At least he had the decency to recover the body with the sheet. I didn’t know who the man on the table was, but I was certainly keen to know how he’d gotten Milo’s wallet. And what the hell Milo was doing out there in the world now without it. Had he thrown it away? Dumped it in some gesture of tossing away his old life?
I grabbed Hope’s hand and pulled her back out of the office to the hallway where at least it was easier to breathe.
She sucked in a big breath as soon as we closed the door behind us. Her eyes shot worriedly to mine. “Well, what do we do now?”
“First, I call Leander and tell him what’s happening.” I figured there hadn’t been any point alarming him while he was on set in Vancouver until I knew for sure if it was Milo or not. At least I could spare him the panic Hope and I had been in for the last two hours since we’d gotten the call.
And then I’d call the private investigator we’d hired and see if he could use this new information to find out where the hell our brother had gone and what trouble he’d gotten himself into.
Chapter 28
HOPE
Two Years Later
I’m downtown early with the toddler twins for the movie premiere. We’re at a park, but in an hour I’ll pass the kids off to the nanny so I can make my appointment at the salon. Finally The Italian Assignment is hitting movie theaters and tonight is the big LA premiere. Janus will be playing the part of Leander at the premiere, but in a strange way he’ll also be playing himself. Since it’s actually him in the movie this time.
I’m shocked we’ve managed to actually keep a secret in Hollywood. Then again, the only people who know are the executives in charge whose best interest is to keep all their money on the safe bet of the Leander Mavros name on the marquee.
But even that witch, Lena, kept her big mouth shut. Most likely because she found another up and coming actor to sucker her tentacles onto, finally leaving us—and the damage she’d already done to her own Hollywood image by harassing Leander on set—in peace.
I sit on a bench and watch Diana and Apollo toddle over to the little kids playground with glee. They love it anytime they’re outside in the sunshine. Well, Diana does, anyway, and usually anytime Diana is happy and giggling, Paul manages to come out of whatever funk he’s in and get on board. They’re yin and yang, these two, but as a pair, they work.
I can’t imagine the kind of bond they’re forging as twins.
Or what it might have been like once being a brother to twins. Even after all this time, my stomach twists with missing Milo.
“Careful,” I call out to Paul as he tries to drag himself doggedly up onto a little platform, even though he’s already fallen down onto the soft pebbles twice doing so. Diana hops right up on the platform, putting her little tummy on it and swinging her legs right over, then popping to her feet. But Apollo is trying to hold onto the rungs at the sides and do it the way he saw the bigger kids do it. He does manage it on the third try.
My heart squeezes for him.
And for the one I’m missing, especially on today of all days. Every time I think about Italy, how can I not miss Milo like a missing limb?
After Apollo has conquered the platform he’s no longer interested, and now he wants to go exploring. Diana, naturally, toddles right after him.