Page 29 of Finding Forever

I shook my head. “Just be careful. I don’t know what the stalker knows about my life but, if he finds me, you may not be safe.”

“I can’t believe anyone would get so involved in a story.”

“It happens more than you think,” I said. “I worked on a lot of cases that involved copycat murders while I was a detective.”

Alex studied the camera that was mounted under the veranda’s roof, then looked at Riley. “Is that why you installed a security system?”

“Partly,” Riley replied. “Sunrise Bay isn’t the sleepy little town I remembered. It’s changed. Without the extra security, the cottage is too vulnerable.”

I checked the meat. “The sausages and steaks are almost cooked. Is everyone ready for dinner?”

Riley searched my face. “I don’t know how you stay so positive. If someone was looking for me, I’d be stressed beyond belief.”

“It’s been going on for a while.” I used a fork to move the meat onto a plate. “I thought the police would have found the stalker by now.”

“Maybe that’s where we can help,” Riley said.

I slid the plate of meat onto the table. “What do you mean?”

“You told me Alex works with computers. The three of us have different careers, but we have two important things in common. We’re creative and we think logically.” Riley looked at Alex. “What do you do when you can’t find an answer to a problem?”

“I make lists and brainstorm.” Alex snapped his fingers. “We need a timeline. We can compare what the stalker’s doing now with what happened during the first couple of months.”

I frowned. “The police have already done that. I’ll send you a copy of their report.”

Riley took the plastic wrap off the salad. “Have they linked what’s happened in real life with your books?”

“I don’t think so.”

“We could do that. If the stalker’s following what happens in your stories, we might be able to anticipate his next move.”

I ran my hand around the back of my neck. “Are you sure you want to get involved? I told you about the stalker because I want you to be careful.”

Alex stuck his hands on his hips. “It doesn’t matter whether you want us to get involved or not. The reality is that we’re already involved. If the police haven’t found the stalker by now, something’s not right.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to create a new timeline,” Riley added. “If we find any similarities, we could share the information with the police.”

“Are you sure you have the time? We’re all working with tight time frames.”

Alex looked at Riley. “I can volunteer a few hours of coding time.”

“I can’t code anything,” Riley replied. “But I’m a quick reader. I could start listing all the things that happen in the books.”

I sighed. “I wish I’d brought some paperback copies with me.”

“We could download the novels,” Alex suggested. “Ebooks are just as good as paperbacks.”

Riley jumped to his feet. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t eat all the sausages.”

My eyebrows rose. I had no idea where he was going, but he looked like he was on a mission.

twenty-two

RILEY

I placed a brown cardboard box on the outdoor table. “You aren’t the only ones who did a little snooping. These arrived a few days ago.” I took out four copies of each of Eric’s books from the box. “I bought one copy for me, one for Mom, and the other two for friends.”

I handed Alex and Eric a copy of each book. “I was hoping Eric would sign them, but this is more important. We can use them to work out what your stalker might do next.”

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