Page 23 of The Writer

He’s already aware that someone slashed my tires. His original theory was that some neighborhood kids were to blame. I’d thought as much, too, until I found the black heart. And now something else happened outside my apartment this morning. Both events were pulled from Mystery Maidens stories. I’mbeginning to wonder if that is intended, and that’s exactly what I tell him.

“It’s an interesting theory,” he says, when I finish. “But I’m not convinced someone is out to get you.”

“You don’t believe me,” I say, dejected.

“I’m not saying I don’t believe you,” he says. “But we need proof. Not speculation.”

“This is all I have. Someone deliberately slashed my tires, like in the story. This morning, someone was run over in a hit-and-run. Just like the other story from group.”

“Were those the only two stories your group read lately?”

“No,” I say hesitantly. There wasRosebud. Some other random stories. The first and second parts ofThe Mistake. “Still, don’t you think it’s weird?”

“I do. In a déjà vu type of way.”

“Déjà vu, like it’s not real.”

“I’m not saying that. Haven’t you ever come across a new word in a book or on television, and next thing you know, this word you never knew existed seems to be everywhere?”

“Sure, but?—”

“Maybe these two incidents stood out in your mind for whatever reason. It makes it easier for the other stuff to catch your attention. If you hadn’t just read about a vandalized car or a hit-and-run with your writing group, would you still think you’re being targeted? Or would you chuck it up to bad luck?”

“I… I don’t know.” The events of the past week aren’t enough. He needs more. “Actually, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. For years now, I’ve been getting these strange messages. Little notes left for me at work and where I live, and I know they’re from the same person because they always come with a black heart.”

“A heart. Like a charm?”

“No. It’s a drawing, usually on the outside of whatever note they’ve left.” I pause. “I found a black heart beside my tire, and on a railing near the hit-and-run.”

“So, you’re telling me someone has been sending you messages for years, and you’re just now going to the police?”

“No, I went once before,” I say, cringing at the memory. “They didn’t do anything about it then either. But this is different. Before, it was only messages. Now, they’re leaving them at the scenes of crimes. I just thought maybe you could look into it.”

“Problem is, where would I even start? You have a hunch. An inkling. That might get the ball rolling in one of your little crime books, but in a real investigation, we need more than that.”

“Mylittlecrime books.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. You have this job too long, you turn cynical. Let me give you an example. A few years back, this woman said her ex-boyfriend was stalking her. Showing up at work. Leaving messages at her apartment. She couldn’t ever prove it, but all these weird things kept happening to her and she was sure they were all linked back to him.”

“And?”

“We couldn’t do anything about it. There was never any proof.”

“What about a restraining order?”

“She took one out. She didn’t see him anymore, but that didn’t stop the letters from coming. She could neverproveit was him.”

“What happened?”

“Lucky for her, she got a new job and relocated. I told her to reach out if her problems persisted, but they never did. I guess she was no longer an interesting target from the other side of the country. It all worked out.”

“Yeah.” All she had to do was uproot her entire life to get the guy to stop. “What about the women where it doesn’t work out? They feel threatened and targeted, but no crime is ever committed. Sometimes a person’s first crime is assault or worse.”

“That’s a gray area in the law. Sometimes we can see the bad guys from a mile away, but we still have to wait for them to do something to get involved.”

Something has happened, I think. Two separate crimes. I just have no way of proving they’re linked to me.

“Remain vigilant,” Chaz continues. “Maybe you’re right and someone is trying to mess with you. Or maybe it’s just a weird coincidence. You really think one of your writing buddies is out to get you?”

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