Chapter 6
Natalie placed a brown cardboard box on the table. “You aren’t the only ones who did a little snooping. These arrived a few days ago.” She took four copies of each of Gabe’s books out of the box. “I bought one copy for me, one for mom, and the other two for friends.” She handed Caleb and Gabe a copy of each book. “I was hoping Gabe would sign them, but this is more important. We can use them to work out what your stalker might do next.”
Caleb looked at the cover ofTaken,then stared at Gabe. “Youwrote this?”
Gabe nodded. “My last name isn’t Langley. It’s Lanigan.”
“This book has been on the New York Times bestseller list for weeks. I read it in one night and bought the second book the next day.”
“Don’t give anything away,” Natalie said quickly. “I’m only up to chapter five.”
“You’ll know a lot more about Zac Connelly in the next few days,” Caleb’s face was alive with excitement. “Wait until you get to the end. You won’t believe what happens.”
She picked up her copy and held it close to her chest. “Don’t say another word. I’ll read it tonight.”
Gabe looked at Natalie, then Caleb. “You know this isn’t a game, don’t you? The stalker isn’t a fictional character I created to make my life interesting. He’s a real, live, human with serious mental health issues.”
The excitement on Caleb’s face disappeared. “We know. That’s why we want to help.” He pulled a notebook out of his jacket pocket. “And to start the ball rolling, I’ll design a template we can use for our timeline. I should be able to come up with a simple algorithm that compares your stories with what’s happened in real life.”
Natalie watched Caleb write something in the notebook. “Do you always carry a pen and paper with you?”
“I never know when inspiration will hit. Computer code waits for no man.”
Natalie didn’t know if that was a techie joke or if he were being serious. When he didn’t smile, she assumed he was serious.
Caleb clicked the button on the top of his pen. “We’ll need columns for what happened, where it happened, when it took place, and who was involved. Do you want to document the character’s motivation?”
Gabe wiped his fingers on a paper napkin. “I’ve got a lot of that information already. I’ll email you my plot outline and print two copies of the police report. We’ll need to include some of the columns the police used. I’ll be back soon.”
While Gabe was gone, Natalie scratched Sherlock’s head. It amazed her how quickly they’d moved from talking about their dinner to designing a template that could predict the stalker’s next move.
Caleb watched her. “Are you worried about what could happen if the stalker comes here?”
“I’m hoping the police will catch him before that happens. It’s just as well Gabe has Sherlock. This big guy isn’t going to let anything happen to him.”
Sherlock licked her hand.
“Are you enjoying living here?” Caleb asked.
“It’s different than what I thought it would be like. Nine years ago, there were a lot fewer tourists visiting Sapphire Bay. I could walk to town and only see a few vehicles on the road. I went into town yesterday and there was a traffic jam on Main Street.”
“It doesn’t take long for people to discover how special a place is.”
“How did you hear about Sapphire Bay?”
“A friend used to come here to fish. After hearing about how great Flathead Lake was, I decided to see it for myself. I ended up living here for a year before I started a new job in Washington D.C. When my contract ended, I came back and opened my own consultancy company.”
“You’re not being stalked as well, are you?”
Caleb shook his head. “Not at the moment.”
Sherlock’s head swiveled toward the front door.
Gabe held a folder in his hand. “I didn’t photocopy the entire file, but if there’s anything else you want, let me know.” He handed Natalie and Caleb a copy of the paperwork. “This is what the police came up with.”
Natalie let her gaze slide down the first sheet of paper. “You weren’t kidding when you said the stalker has been harassing you. This is crazy.” Line after line detailed each incident. It was a wonder Gabe hadn’t left Brooklyn a lot sooner than he had.
Caleb folded his copy of the report in half and placed it under his notebook. “I’ll work on this tonight. But for now, we’ve got a barbecue to enjoy and a story to dissect.”
