Dead Ringer

“No, please,” the jogger said modestly, but the older woman cut him off.

“Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it! He risked his life!” She turned to the man. “You should get a medal!” She reached for the man’s hand and shook it firmly, then turned again to Be

“You ran with my dog?” Be

“Yes, it was amazing!” the older woman repeated. “He’s a real hero!”

“Please, no!” The jogger dismissed it with a modest wave. “It wasn’t anything.”

“You’re a real hero! A real hero!” the woman said again as she power-walked off, and Be

“Thank you again, so much,” she said. Bear pawed her soggy socks to get her to throw the ball into traffic again, and she scratched his head with happiness. “Did you really run into traffic to save him?”

“Nah, I was going after the ball.”

Be

“It wasn’t hard,” he answered offhandedly. He was huge, at least six three, and his physique explained how he had bench-pressed a golden retriever.

“I do owe you, that lady was right.” Be

“There is something.” The jogger’s eyes narrowed, and Be

Oh, no. “No, that wasn’t me throwing the ball,” Be

“Sure it was, I saw you. I told you to stop throwing the ball, and you told me to go fuck myself.”

Eek. “No, it wasn’t me. I didn’t say that. I used to say stuff like that, but I’m on a curse diet.” Sort of. “You saw my twin sister. My crazy twin sister, who was trying to kill my dog.”

“What?” The ru

“My twin was the one throwing the ball. She cursed you out. I was out rowing, in that boat.” Be

“What boat?”

“My boat.” Be

“I have to go.” The ru

“No, wait, it wasn’t me, I swear.” Be

The ru

“I’m not the person you saw with the ball. It really was my twin in the baseball cap. We look exactly alike. She ran away, toward the parking lot.” Be

“Not on me.”

“Shit! She’ll get away again!” Be

“You’re telling the truth? Your own sister would kill your dog, on purpose?”

“Evidently.” Be

The ru

“Capsized, I guess.” Be

“I’ll join you,” David said matter-of-factly, and strode toward the riverbank. Bear trotted after him in adoration. Be

“I wonder how you pick up a boat. They probably have to dredge it up, like the Titanic,” she said to him. On the river, the skiff was nearing the spot where the scull had sunk, and the skiff’s Evinrude throttled down to a throaty rumble. Three men from the rowing club rode in the skiff, and they shot Be

“Tell you in a sec,” he called back, and when he reached the edge of the water, he swung his muscular arms together, bent quickly at the knees, and dived in. Bear barked at the ripples he left behind, then came scampering back to Be

“Not unless you walk him,” she told the dog.

It was past eight-thirty and already dark by the time Be

David steered the Jeep into a parking space on the block just as a white police cruiser pulled up, double-parking a little ahead of them. It had to be Detective Maloney, whom Be

“Well, the cavalry’s here,” she said, turning to David. It felt strange being in such close quarters with him, and even though their clothes were almost dry, the Jeep’s interior smelled of brine and industrial pollution. “Thanks for everything, and most of all, thanks for saving Bear.”