Read Online The Secret About Christmas by Amanda Bennett - Free Book Online

breathing, but still unconscious. Can you tell me what happened tonight, Ms. Christmas?”
    “I could, but I have a few questions for you first. Like, how is it that the both of you look exactly alike, and even have the same name?” I looked at him with a look that showed him that I wasn’t in the mood to play any games.
    “Well, his name is actually Jason Miller, not Jude Miller, and he is my twin brother.”
    “Does your twin brother always impersonate you, and kidnap innocent young women?” I knew I was being a bit harsh, but after what I had been through tonight I’m pretty sure I had the right to be.
    “Let me start off by saying that I am real sorry for what my brother has put you through. My brother and I haven’t spoken in the last three years. He has been locked up in Pineville Sanitarium up on the hill. He was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia on our eighteenth birthday when he tried to kill himself. He was admitted involuntarily, and has been there ever since. I used to go visit him everyday, until he stopped taking his medication, and he refused to see me. That was three years ago.”
    I sat back in disbelief. His story was one that you usually heard about in a movie, or read about in the papers. It was completely insane, and extremely hard to believe. “So…he just comes back and pretends to be you?”
    “No…I mean, yes, but not like this. The hospital called me a few days ago to tell me that he snuck out during the night, but they swore to me that he was harmless.”
    “ Obviously they were wrong.”
    “He must’ve gone by my place and picked up some of my work stuff. How did you even meet him?” His inquisitive eyes stayed focused on me as I stood next to him, trying to remember what I could. Given the current state of my brain after hitting it on whatever I hit it on, things weren’t coming to me as easily as they normally would.
    “He pulled me over a few days ago, or was it yesterday? Maybe it was yesterday, no, I swear it was the other day. Either way, he pulled me over, wrote me a ticket and everything. I remember getting mad at him for making me late on my first day of my new job, and he didn’t seem fazed by it one bit. Anywho, he later showed up at Darrington’s, the store I work at. He caused a huge scene in front of all the waiting kids and parents, and then he pressured me to go on a date with him.” I instantly felt embarrassed about the entire situation.
    “Is that what this was?” He sounded smug, and I really wasn’t in the mood for his shit.
    “Yes…that’s what this was supposed to be. I felt bad saying no to him, and honestly, he seemed like a really nice guy. How was I supposed to know he is crazy?”
    “I wasn’t implying that at all. He used my badge to his advantage. Again…I’m so sorry for all of this.”
    I could hear the sincerity in his voice, and when I looked up into his amazingly hypnotic hazel eyes, I began to cave. Although him and his brother were identical twins, I was starting to see a different side of this Jude, a side I liked. What the hell was wrong with me? “I appreciate the apology.” We stood there staring at one another, not a single word being spoken, when Hayden came walking up, clearing his throat to get our attention.
    “Officer Miller, they’re ready to take your brother and they were wondering if you were wanting to follow them to the hospital?”
    “Oh, yeah. I suppose I should. Well…” He started patting his pockets, and finally pulled out a square white business card and handed it to me. “If you need anything at all or remember anything specific you may have forgotten right now, please don’t hesitate to call me…anytime. It was a pleasure meeting you Ms. Christmas.”
    “Noel.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “My name, its Noel.” I stood there, waiting for the laughing to ensue, but it never did.
    “Noel…very pretty. The name and the girl.” He turned and made his way back to his cruiser, and I stood there in