The Evil Twin by Pascal Francine

Author:Pascal, Francine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-01-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

"It was thoughtful of Kotkin, Greiner, and Burns to schedule my first meeting for late in the morning so we'd have time for sight-seeing. But it's not the best day for it," Ned Wakefield admitted.

He and Mrs. Wakefield walked along Fisherman's Wharf on Wednesday morning, huddling close together under an umbrella. The fog was so dense it felt like rain, and Alice Wakefield pressed close to her husband's side, chilled to the bone despite her scarf, gloves, and wool-lined trench coat. "That's the understatement of the decade." She pointed into the fog, laughing wryly. "I know the Golden Gate Bridge is out there somewhere! I'll just have to pretend."

Turning, they headed back the way they'd come. "Let's warm up with a cup of coffee at Ghirardelli Square and then take the cable car back to the business district," Mr. Wakefield suggested. "It won't hurt to show up a few minutes early."

The cup of steaming almond-scented coffee brought some color back to Mrs. Wakefield's cheeks. But as she and her husband squeezed into seats on the trolley, she still felt cold. With a cheerful clang of its bell, the cable car started forward, heading up a steep hill. Mrs. Wakefield stared at the quaint, pastel-painted houses without really seeing them. Instead, in her mind's eye, she saw her daughters' faces. Sweet, pretty, familiar faces, but so hard to comprehend sometimes! They'd been acting so strangely lately, she reflected, so distant and unpredictable. Blowing hot and cold toward each other, and toward her and Mr. Wakefield and Steven, alternately needy and withdrawn . . .

The cable car continued to climb up and up. Have I been any better, though? Mrs. Wakefield asked herself. My emotions are about as steady as a Ping-Pong ball lately! There were moments when she wanted to push her daughters away, and other times when her maternal instincts were as ferocious as a lion's.

A troubled frown creased Mrs. Wakefield's smooth forehead as she remembered the wave of protectiveness that had washed over her as she hugged her daughters good-bye. It didn't matter that everything had been fine when she checked in last night—she should have heeded her instinct; she should have stayed home. As the cable car crested the hill and swept down the breathtaking drop on the other side, Mrs. Wakefield was overcome by an inexplicable sense of dread and powerlessness. She closed her eyes, bracing herself against the back of the seat. I shouldn't have left them. I should have stayed home.

Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield hopped off the trolley half a block from the modern glass high rise where the offices of Kotkin, Greiner, and Burns were located. Despite the disappointments of the previous night, Mr. Wakefield's mood was upbeat. "I'm looking forward to meeting these folks," he told his wife as they crossed the airy, plant-filled lobby to the bank of elevators. "It'll be great to finally satisfy my curiosity about this consulting job."

Trying to dismiss her glum musings, Mrs. Wakefield smiled encouragingly at her husband.

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