Hudson whistled. “Well, that’s interesting.”
I laughed. “I’ll say.”
“So what’s the game?” Kendrick asked. “Are you thinking a copycat?”
“I just don’t know.”
And I didn’t.
“Maybe a game of chess at this point. Initially, our boy was curious if Samuel Wells had a brother, which could account for the difference in the DNA match.” Chase walked over, staring me in the eyes. “And no, I haven’t found out anything just yet. The first two searches turned up the same as what you undoubtedly ran all those years ago. No family whatsoever since his parents died. The guy was nothing special. Went to college in New York. Worked as a computer analyst for a firm in New York before suddenly going off the grid. No job. He purchased a house inMiami six months before the first kidnapping. Given the phone call, I’ll keep checking. I take it his voice sounded the same.”
“You bet.” I was still somewhat surprised.
“That would be a fucking incredible story if a twin brother committed the crime.” Kendrick shook his head as he laughed. “Other than convincing an innocent man to take the rap.”
“Maybe not convince, but he could have blackmailed Samuel into doing so. As far as with the DNA, check overseas for a birth,” Hudson suggested. “It’s entirely possible his parents faked a birth in the United States. If Samuel Wells was born somewhere else along with any family member, they’d have a record of it that’s not necessarily kept in the international data banks.”
Chase nodded. “Good idea. What do you make of the phone call?”
We were all doing nothing more than tossing out spitballs, which was one reason I adored being with the group.
“Well, since Alexia had one as well, I’m worried she’ll be hunted again. She was the winner of the first game.” My need to protect her was even stronger than before. “She’s the sole survivor. The bastard read my books.”
“When did she get a call, after she met with you?” Kendrick asked.
“Before, which prompted her to come to the book signing.”
Hudson shook his head. “I don’t like this at all.”
“I know, but I also don’t want to jump to conclusions just yet. There are enough crazies out there who simply want attention.” Which was true and something I’d thought about all day. Evenif my instinct continued to scream danger was waiting in the shadows.
The five of us looked at each other before Chase cleared his throat.
“Let me go make a call before we start the game. And I’m playing to win tonight.”
The others chuckled while I mulled over what Alexia and I had discussed. What if she was being followed? Maybe the thing to do would be to have someone keep a tail on her just to be certain of what we were dealing with. The decision was made. I’d contact a PI buddy of mine. Maybe I owed him more favors than he did with me, but I had made him famous in my last book. Keeping tabs on her couldn’t hurt. I’d also start a new file on Mr. Wells as well as the entire case. Maybe I’d take a trip to the penitentiary and have a long discussion with Samuel himself.
Maybe he couldn’t be rattled, but after all this time, it was possible his guard would fall just enough I’d garner a few answers. At this point, he’d likely have nothing to lose and disclose what I wanted to hear.
“You like her.” The statement came so out of the blue I couldn’t figure out who’d said it at first. I hadn’t realized that much time had passed. Chase had already made the phone call and returned to the room.
Chase was the lucky man. He’d face my scorn and possibly my wrath if he kept it up. “She came to me mostly out of curiosity, eager to meet the man responsible for penning an accurate representation of the horror she was forced to endure. It was a traumatic period of her life she was forced to relive, first by no fault of her own then because of her chosen profession. Sheenjoyed reading my books. Hearing about the execution got to her. Then the phone call.”
All their mouths were slack, the words striking an odd chord with each of them, Hudson rubbing the scruff on his face. “When you put it that way, I’m shocked anyone read the damn book. Are you certain you didn’t buy your way into theNew York Timesbestseller position?”
I lifted my middle finger for shits and giggles. “How long before you know anything about Samuel’s DNA?”
Chase laughed and shook his head while glancing at his watch. “It takes longer than fifteen minutes for these things to work.”
“Yeah, he likes her. From the picture, what’s not to like?” Gabriel pushed, eyeing me carefully. “But you’re not providing us with the entire story. Are you?”
I fiddled with my glass while I thought about the whirlwind couple of days. “She thinks she’s being stalked.”
“Thinks?” Kendrick narrowed his eyes.
Nodding, I took a long swallow of my drink. “The phone call scared her enough to search me out. She wanted a partner. So she told me.”
“Stalking by use of a burner phone. All the rage,” Hudson chortled. In our various missions, a half dozen missions had started with an unknown caller. Even for an amateur, it was an excellent first step to corroborate information and confirm an identity. “But that’s not why you’re here. You’re far too entrenched in following protocol.”
