Page 21

CHAPTER 21

Always the brave one.

I knew you’d assist.

Bring them to me

For one final twist.

There it was, another note, and the first one I’d been able to see in person, hold in my hands. It was not as cryptic as Harmony’s message. In fact, it was downright clear as day. And now we could see the full image of what we’d thought was an L or an E on Harmony’s note. It was a simple cross. The vertical bar was made up of dashes, while the horizontal bar was a solid line. The note also held a strong musky scent, just like Almond had described.

Without knowing, Andi had led us closer to the man—or woman, I had to admit—who had it out for me.

A person who would do harm to anyone close to me, just to make me squirm.

The spiraling thoughts from the car ride leered at me, front and center. I am the target, and everyone who knows me, even remotely, is in danger.

Even more chilling was the fact that in recent weeks, I must have been followed, my friends, old and new, targeted—all part of some twisted, sadistic game.

And now the psycho had duped Andi into calling us here. The whole thing had been planned, and the plan had worked.

Someone had it out for me, and they wouldn’t stop, not until I was dead.

In this moment, however, my safety was secondary to Andi’s.

I had to exercise caution with my decisions, ensure Andi stayed safe until we worked through the puzzle.

I cleared my throat. “Mike, we need to speak with you—” I glanced at Andi “—in private for a moment.”

Andi shook her head. “No, no way. I’m adult enough to hear whatever you have to say.”

I looked at Mike. “Please. Just us, then you can decide if you want to call her back in.”

“Does what you intend to say involve her in some way?” he asked, his eyes darting from me, to Andi, to Maddie, then back to me.

I paused. I had to be honest here, even though the last thing I wanted to do was tell this young lady who’d been kidnapped and abused at the hands of a human trafficker just a few years ago, that she might be in danger again. “Well, it could , yes.”

“Then I need to know about it,” Andi cut in before her father could respond. “No way I’m leaving this room.”

Mike stared at the ceiling, as if searching for answers. Then he said, “I’m okay with her staying.”

Andi pumped her fist above her head. “Yyyes!”

“It’s not a game, young lady,” he said. “It’s just … you’ve been through a lot. And while those experiences have made you wise beyond your years, shall we say, it also doesn’t mean that you know everything. We’re going to listen to what these two ladies have to say, and then we will talk about things, and I will make a decision.”

She sat and clasped her hands together on her lap. “Sorry, Dad.”

“All right, then,” he said. “Let’s hear it.”

But I couldn’t say the words.

All the words that still didn’t make sense.

All the words that filled my heart with dread.

Maddie and I exchanged a long look. I could see the same trepidation in her eyes that I felt in my bones. Then she reached out and squeezed my hand. “It’s okay. I’ll be here to add commentary as needed—like always.”

She smiled, and I felt all the support in the world from this person who had been with me through thick and thin for a long, long time.

I took in a shuddering breath, and I hoped they didn’t notice. Then I began. “Here’s what’s been going on …”

I started with the attack on Harmony and the note that was left behind. That note had all the same characteristics as the one Andi had received. I explained that just before our vacation, someone close to me in New Orleans had been murdered—right outside our door. And that Maddie’s boyfriend was in a bad way after a terrible car accident, also in New Orleans. Not to mention my fellow detective’s near-miss with a bullet not so long ago. All related? Maybe not. But I was a common thread in all these tragedies, and I presented the whole sordid mix without holding back a single detail.

After who knew how long, I sat back and glanced at Maddie. “What have I missed in terms of facts?”

“Nothing, as usual,” she said, then directed her next comment to Andi. “Where did you find that note?”

Andi lifted it up for us to see. “It was just like this, folded, at the coffeeshop counter, next to my hand. Not knowing who it might belong to, I picked it up and read it. I assume it was meant for me.”

“In such a public place?” Maddie asked, then raised an eyebrow in my direction. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

I was.

“Did anyone approach you there?” I asked. “At the counter? Standing in line … or?”

She mulled the questions over, and then, “Oh, man! Yes! I was talking to this nice guy, well … I thought he was nice. He had one of those mountain canes—you know, all carved up and fancy—and a newspaper, and he was about … mmm, yay high,” she paused her rambling and stood, lifting her hand above her head to indicate a specific height. “You know, he was tall. But not overly tall.”

“What else can you tell us about him?”

“He was holding a newspaper. There was a headline about Grady, and we talked about how sad it was that he’d been murdered. Then the guy remembered my name. I didn’t even have to tell him. He remembered it from all those years ago when I was abducted. Is that weird? Maybe not. It was a big deal, I get it. Everyone in the city knows who I am. Anyway, the whole chat put me in a real funk, but then he said something about wishing you two were around to help again, and that’s when?—”

I cut in with, “That’s when you decided to call us and tell us about Grady and get us to come down here.”

Maddie added, “And he knew you would, Sloane.”

He sure did.

If he thought his little ruse gave him a leg up, he had another think coming.

Game on.