Page 33 of The Familiar Stranger

“He slit her throat, Maddie.”

“Ohhh. He’s throwing it in our face, making a joke about the way she was murdered.”

I snapped my fingers. “Yep, and that line was directed at me, it helps me form an opinion about his personality. Maybe it will help me discover his identity. I mean, he’s gotta be someone from my past, right?”

“Has to be.”

Maddie put a hand to her heart and closed her eyes.

I continued, “And when I sayhe/him/his, I do realize this could be a woman from my past. I’ve had run-ins with both men and women alike. Still …”

“I’m starting to think he’s a man too,” Maddie said. “Feels like you’re rubbing off on me.”

“Yeah … well, I’m still trying to keep an open mind.”

“You were starting to say something else. Still…” she prompted me.

I nodded. “I saw a man at the inn, while we were shopping. Sounds crazy, I know, but everything about him … the way he moved, his height. I had the distinct feeling I knew him somehow. I’m certain he’d dropped that postcard for us to find. It’s just too random. Too coincidental.” I held up the pad of paper and shook it. “And the ending to this note. Talk about flippant!”

“He’s trying to get at you, in your head, tear you apart.”

I used my fingers to enumerate other traits I was picking up. “I think this guy is someone with a dark sense of humor. He’s narcissistic, believes he’s untouchable. Yet, he wants me to remember him. He’s provoking me so I’ll use all my skills to figure out the puzzle. Letting me know that, if I don’t, more people I care about will be hurt, or even worse, they could die.”

“He knows you go hammer and tongs after a case,” Maddie said.

I raised a brow. “Interesting way to put it, but yeah, hammer and tongs—I give everything I have in me to all my cases. My job is a huge part of who I am.”

Maddie was pacing now. “Right. Let’s assume the two of you have met. Maybe you haven’t interacted with him in a direct way, but an indirect way.”

“Hadn’t thought of that. It widens the circle. I’m going to start making a list.”

Maddie stopped. “It sounds to me like this dude’s playing a game.”

“A game for him.”

“It isn’t a game if he means to hurt you.”

Oh, yes it is a game, I thought.The killing game.

And I had no intention of letting him win.

CHAPTER24

Our next stop was to Dr. Beetle’s shop on River Street. Although I preferred to start making a list of potential criminals who’d want to hurt me, Maddie convinced me it was more important to talk to Dr. Beetle first.

The air was crisp and fresh today, the sky a solid blue. I tipped my head back and breathed it in, feeling the sun’s rays on my face as they sent a rush of energy through me.

When we arrived, the door to Beetle’s shop was locked. I checked the schedule hanging in the window. From Monday through Sunday, it was the same:If I be hera, we be open.”

And she didn’t seem to be “hera.” I knew how appearances could be deceiving when it came to our favorite hoodoo woman. As could expectations. So, we pounded on the windows and door and called her name.

“Shop been closed for a while now. Oh, say maybe a week or so.”

We turned to see a short, elderly man looking up at us, his skin like buffalo leather, dark and wrinkly.

“Oh,” I said. “Hello. Is that typical of Miss Beetle?”

“Dr. Beetle,” he corrected. “No, no, not typical at all. She always here, ’cept for now.”

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