Chapter 1

The funeral service at Alsace Memorial was going to be a drag for Jessie Parker. She wasn't exactly fired with interest at the prospect of staying at a funeral house waiting for her sister's body to be delivered from the hospital morgue, snug and dry inside a coffin. Besides, she didn't want to see her neighbors there offering their condolences and then saying among themselves out of earshot of the Parkers that Tess had always been perfect. Too perfect. She deserved to die.

Tess, my beautiful sister! No. Jessie she had no right to die. She had absolutely no right to leave her twin, the only person who had known her all her life since they were in their mother's womb, living alone. Jessie hated her for that. She would carry that hate forever even though she loved Tess more than anything in her life. And so she refused to come to the funeral. It was only when her father threatened to ground her for the rest of her life as a minor that she reluctantly agreed. After all, her eighteenth birthday was still some three months away and she couldn't just stay home and do nothing.

Now looking at herself in the mirror, she frowned. She looked more depressed and moody than she used to be, if that were possible. Her dark gray eyes hidden behind classy Sonya Rykel glasses were shrouded with perpetual grief. The once smooth, if passive, face was marred with lines of sadness. The full red lips were pale and tight. It seemed as though she aged thirty years in the three days she had known her twin to be dead. The long black dress she wore was the same clothing on her back over those three days. Hurriedly, she pulled on her black suede boots over the thick black wool socks.

"Jessie dear, hurry up!" Her mother's gentle call floated clearly across the huge victorian mansion. The Parker Estate covered some twenty-five square hectares of land, composing roughly two-thirds of tiny Alsace. It was even larger than the mayor's residence. Dexter Parker after all owned one of the most successful law firms in the country. Her mother, Deedee Simms Parker, was a well-known British actress. Even Tess had been somewhat famous. She modeled for various magazines and designers. And then there was Jessie who couldn't care less of fame, fortune or spotlight The black sheep of the family. She even dressed the part.

Stashing her wallet full of greenbacks into her dark green Guess? bag, and stuffing her hands into a pair of black kid leather gloves-the spring was fading but it was still unusually cold-she hustled out of the room, her damp black hair bouncing at her shoulders. She ran all the way from the top floor, the fifth, where her room was, to the first, where her parents waited for her.

"You'd better learn some punctuality, young lady," her father scolded. His dark bushy eyebrows coming together in disapproval. Jessie ignored his warning as she always did.

At that moment, a large hairy Persian cat jumped to her shoulder, making her sway slightly on her feet with the sudden burden. Laughing she petted the cat appreciatively.

Mrs. Parker shook her head as the cat licked his mistress's ear. "I'd swear if that blasted cat didn't make you laugh just now I'd get rid of him."

"Midnight's a far more entertaining and helpful pet than a giant aquarium filled with goldfish," Jessie answered dubiously. The cat mewed in approval.

Appropriately named Midnight for his black velvety coat of fur, the Persian cat was only one among the numerous pets in the household. Mrs. Parker kept goldfish and guppies in her aquarium in the living room, which was always a good source of dessert for Midnight. Mr. Parker had several racing hounds and bulldogs to keep trespassers out of their property. Tess used to keep a parrot named Tas, after a book character she and Jessie liked. The parrot's new residence was in the west wing of the mansion with Midnight.

"So that's who's been eating my goldfish!" the woman exclaimed, glaring at the cat.

"And irritating the dogs," Mr. Parker added. "Come on, Deedee."

Jessie flashed them a wide toothy grin that mirrored her cat's baring teeth as she dragged up her bicycle, a sleek silver GT Freestyle. Her parents never approved of her biking around the neighborhood even when she declared that she was only trying to help save the environment from air pollution. They had proposed she get a car instead which they considered safer to drive than dodging trucks with a two-wheeler. Jessie couldn't care less of the risks. Biking was the only thing that got her anywhere.

"You're not riding that thing in your skirts, are you?" Mrs. Parker asked incredulously as Jessie swung a leg over the saddle.

She only waved in reply as she started to pedal away. Ignoring her parents was an easy thing that never bothered her conscience. Having lived in a house where the only sounds other than the noise she made were the hustle of the housekeeper or the plodding of the gardener, Jessie was accustomed to doing things her way without her parents' input.

She passed the funeral house without a second glance. She had no intention of going there to see her sister in the coffin. Her parents would kill her, she knew, but who's to care? Might as well have that than see her coffin, her body, and stand in her funeral.

She wheeled slowly toward the house opposite the town cemetery. It was her best friend's house and Janine Daniels seemed to be having a lot of visitors that Sunday afternoon. Two cars, one shining white Mustang, the other a dark blue limited edition Honda Civic, were parked on the driveway near Janine's own red Alfa Romeo. Jessie's bike, no matter how polished and sparkling, seemed out of place among the expensive cars. She didn't care. It would have embarrassed the guests if she showed up in her black Porsche.

Superficial mongrels.

Chaining her bike to a post, she walked leisurely to the front door. Even from outside, she could hear Janine's sugar-coated giggle, and the loud soundblasters of her brother, John's computer. The door was slightly open which probably meant she could just enter.

"Jan, it's Jess!" John's loud voice rang even louder than the music from his game, Doom.

Janine Daniels was probably the most popular girl in Alsace, Idaho, if it hadn't been for Tess Parker. She was tall with golden blond hair and she dated the cutest guys in this town and the next. She also hung out with the hippest and richest of Alsace. Right now, she was in the company of Tess's old friends, which wasn't entirely strange for Janine and Tess had also been good friends.

Jessie recognized Shellie Martin almost immediately. Shellie had been Tess's best friend, a striking redhead with a frank face and a candid smile that could easily capture anyone's attention. Shellie was a member of the V-Squad, Alsace High's song team and cheerleading body. More than that, Shellie was, unlike Janine, sincere in her friendship with Tess and Jessie and basically everyone else. Janine was one big hypocrite. The other girl with them was Marilyn Scarlet. Jessie had never actually talked to her before, only seen her around in school. Marilyn was one of the new students that year. Janine and Tess both sought her out, primarily because Marilyn came from a very rich English family and because she was related to Tess's former boyfriend.

There were three other guys whom Jessie knew only by name. Well, two of them, at least. Tom Campbell lived next door to Janine and used to date Tess before she tired of him. He was tall and slender with dark hair that reached to his shoulders, and a ruddy complexion. Jessie hadn't been surprised when Tess stopped dating him. From what she'd heard of him, Tom nurtured dreams of becoming a priest. The other guy with him jessie guessed to be Brian Carey, Marilyn's college guy boyfriend. He looked very clean and nice, mirroring his mild personality, an appropriate partner for Marilyn.

The last of them wasn't anyone Jessie wanted to meet. The guy who stood behind Tom and Brian and practically towered over the two despite his slight sinewy build was dark and handsome in a childlike way. His face was fine-boned with high cheekbones. The bright blue eyes were deepset, innocent. Jessie had once been dazzled by this young man's looks. Once. He was still as handsome as ever, yet Jessie couldn't feel the same rapture she felt when she first saw him. Roger Scarlet was history to her.

Dear God, why does he have to be here?

"John, turn that thing down." Janine's voice drifted over the loud sound system of the game.

John didn't, of course. He and his sister always tried to get on each other's nerves whenever they could. Janine promptly kicked the computer's plug off the socket.

"Well thanks very much, hooker," he snarled storming up to his room to make noise there instead.

The company ignored him, each knowing what a brat Janine had for a brother. "I thought you were attending funeral service." Janine smiled, inviting Jessie in with a beckoning gesture.

Jessie plopped on a couch, breathing rapidly, exhausted by the exertion she exercised on riding her bike. "I should be, but I'd rather not."

"We were on the way there to see her too," Shellie said, feeling miserable. "We all heard what happened."

Jessie ignored her sympathy. How could they know what was going on with her? They weren't Tess's twin. Knowing Jessie would not be in the mood for any sort of conversation, they began to talk about Tess, what they all had to do with the most popular girl in Alsace. Jessie listened intently, though she pretended not to care.

"...I don't understand why she did it," Roger was saying, his voice thick with the British accent, his smooth handsome face creased with a frown.

"I heard it's because she's gone insane from being too smart and too nice," Janine said softly.

"You don't know that!" Roger argued in a piercing whisper.

"For your information, Mr. Scarlet, I never claimed to know," Janine snarled back defensively.

Roger half-rose from the low table he sat on. "I heard you! Man, Tess can't kill herself. How many times do I have to tell you that?" He was apparently upset by the rumors mainly because Tess had been his girlfriend before she had died.

Brian yanked him back to his seat. "Oh, shut up, Roger. Everyone knows that because you've been repeating over and over since she died. But frankly, I can see why she did kill herself. Janine's right. It's probably 'cause she's too perfect. No other reason to live and all..."

"You don't know anything," Jessie suddenly interrupted, breaking from her sulking. "You don't know a single damned thing of what my sister did with her life. Not even you." She pointed accusingly to Roger. "My sister wouldn't kill herself, I know that. She probably slipped when she got near that waterfall. I know, some other person here loves the same spot!"

Roger turned red immediately under the unrelenting gaze. Jessie was positively green with much contained anger. It was obvious she had not vent her frustration over her sister's death on anyone. And now she saw the perfect target. The boyfriend, of course, was the last to see the pretty woman. Jessie's eyes were dark slits of enmity as she glared at the tall lanky young man.

"Jessie, you're over reacting," Shellie said squeezing Jessie's arm painfully to jolt her back to reality. "How could Roger kill her? They hadn't even been up there since your sister had a cold that night."

Jessie snorted derisively, her lips curled in a sneer and refused to take any part in their conversation. The people were blockheads. Of course Roger had taken Tess up to the waterfall that night. She knew because the latter left wearing gloves which she never wore unless she was going somewhere cold. The guy was a damn murderer, though Jessie couldn't, for the life of her, believe how he could have pushed Tess into the water. The girl was morbidly afraid of water, besides which Roger was so skinny and even a girl as delicate as tess could resist any attack he would make. Still he was the only one in the scenario...

Presently, she was beginning to get sleepy with all the soft whispered arguments around her. Roger was having a heated argument with Janine about Tess's reputation in their school. Why couldn't they just let her rest? Jessie thought irritably. They had to keep going over things she wished she could forget. Maybe tomorrow when they were back in school she'd forget about it all. Everything was probably just a nightmare invented by her subconscious to frighten her out of her wits...