Page 20 of The Familiar Stranger

“Could be part of a signature, initials, or some sort of symbol even,” I said.

“An L? Part of an E?”

“A wild guess at this point,” I said.

“Uh-huh. And did you notice the subtle wrinkles there?” She pointed to the photocopied image. “That might not all be from wear and tear from rain and handling. It’s like those old-fashioned pages … Ugh, what’s the word …?”

“Parchment.”

She snapped her fingers and pointed at me. “Yes. Isn’t that unusual?”

CHAPTER15

“So we’ve got a note that’s wet, torn, wrinkled, and stinky,” Maddie said, after verifying with Almond that the paper had indeed been parchment-like. “What’s next?”

“The actual words themselves.” I stretched my neck and shoulders, thinking. “I’ll be honest, I’ve had those words on my mind ever since I first read them.”

“So have I. The PI part freaks me out, Sloane.”

“Yeah, I hear you. I’ve thought a lot about that.”

“And?”

“How could it be related to me? We’ve known them for what, a handful of days? Besides, no one knows us here. We haven’t even been here before. Maybe the note is unrelated. Maybe it?—”

Maddie raised a hand, stopping me. “I’m not buying it. When it comes to you … I mean, nothing is off the table. Strange things happen to you all the time. I can’t believe it’s a coincidence.”

“Okay, fine. But how in the world would I have become a threat to anyone in Asheville, people I don’t even know that well! Harmony, of all people.”

I dropped my head into my hands.

“Hear me out,” Maddie said, taking a cross-legged position in front of me on the floor.

I groaned.

I couldn’t help it.

This was the nightmare I was trying to avoid.

But we had to address it.

The big elephant.

“Someone’s trying to mess with you,” Maddie said. “Not Harmony. Not Almond.You.”

“In North Carolina? Come on, that’s just so … far-fetched.” I paused. “Isn’t it?”

“Not far-fetched at all. You’ve ticked off a lot of people in your line of work over the years, Sloane. A LOT.”

“And you’ve helped, let’s not forget.”

Maddie’s life hadn’t been smooth-going, and many of those sketchy times were during one of my investigations. In fact, it happened in New Orleans a few years back. She had been kidnapped and almost killed. Thanks to me.

“Let’s focus on this creep and what his motives might be,” I said.

“On that note, I have a question. You seem convinced the bad guy is a ‘he.’ Why?”

“Did I say that?”

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