“Wait, what do you mean I can’t go to the cops? And why can’t I just go up to him? I have to. I need to find out when he’s going to get us the next chapters. He’s got a contract with us.”

Carl brings our drinks over to us, flips out a couple of square napkins on the table before setting our glasses on top. She walks away about as quickly as she came over to us.

Shandra takes a long swig of her pale ale before setting it back down on the table. “I know that you’re here on a work thing and I totally get that, but you don’t live here. You don’t know what we know.”

“Obviously, but could you fill me in? I’m not even the one who signed him. My friend did but she’s not able to be here. She’s, uh, sick.” I take a sip of my rum and Diet Coke and it’s probably the best one I have ever had in my life. I can’t guarantee that it’s only rum and Diet Coke. It almost tastes like there’s something else in it, but whatever it is, it’s amazing.

Shandra looks around us and when she feels like it’s okay to talk, she leans in over the table. “Blake is a creeper.”

“Duh. I got that.” I can’t hide the feeling that I already knew that part because the look on my face gives it away.

“No, I mean creeper. Like serious creeper.”

“Well, I mean, he writes erotica so he’s probably trolling the dark web for ideas.”

“Oh, no, he’s not trolling anything. The stuff he writes is the stuff he’s done. There were rumors going around and I looked into it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Okay, so in his first book, just romance, right?”

I nod my head but in reality, I have no clue because I never read any of his stuff.

“Okay, in his second book, things start to get weird. Like the characters are a little too young. In his third book, the main character, Ned, is a guy Blake’s age, but Ned’s love interests are younger. Jailbait younger. And he starts to get a little too graphic, like he’s writing it as it’s happening.”

I don’t know what to say so I just nod and take another sip.

“Book four, ah, book four is the last one you guys published.” Carl pauses for a second and cocks her head to the side. “Have you read any of these? You’re looking at me like a deer caught in the headlights.”

I slide my drink away from me but still hold onto the dewy glass. “I hate to say it, but no. I haven’t read any of his stuff. My friend is the one who’s been working with him. I’m just filling in and doing the hunting for her because she can’t. How young are we talking here?”

Shandra nods her head like she finally gets why I’ve just been staring at her. “High school age. Like fifteen, maybe sixteen. And not just girls. He’s veered off into boys too. Those men at the bar at The Main Grill?”

“Yeah?”

“They are the parents and grandparents of the kids Blake has used for inspiration. They are hunting for him too, but they’re hunting for him for a different reason. They want to kill him.”

“I know I should act shocked, but I can’t say that I blame them. I mean, I don’t have kids but if it did, and somebody did that to them, I think I’d be in the same line of thinking. But wait, you said that he targets younger kids now. Why should I stay away from him? I’m not his target.”

Shandra takes another swig of her ale and sets down the empty glass. “You didn’t read book four.” She leans forward and rests her arms on the table in front of her. “Book four started into the realm of dismembering bodies once he was done with them. I totally listen to those True Crime podcasts, and this is the way a serial killer starts! I heard the rumor that a body was found at his house and the head was found in a box! I totally know it was him!” Shandra raises her arm and gets the attention of Carl. Shandra holds up two fingers and Carl nods as she walks toward the bar. “You wanted another, right?”

I look down at my drink and it’s barely half gone. “I-I don’t need…”

Carl shows up with two drinks, one a pale ale for Shandra, and another rum and Diet Coke for me. “Oh! You best get catching up with her!” Carl laughs and then walks back to the bar.

I slide the new drink next to the one I’m working on. I didn’t need another one. I may talk a big game about wanting to drink but when it comes right down to it, I’d rather drink a normal drink without the alcohol. “So why shouldn’t I approach him? And who told you this rumor about a body? He’s not even living there anymore. That’s why I have to hunt him down.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Shandra takes a long swig of her ale and then pushes a lock of hair behind her ear revealing multiple piercings down the edge. “This town talks a lot. He’s not living there anymore because he killed that girl!”

“How do you know he killed her and then moved out? Maybe he moved out and some squatter killed that girl.”

Shandra slowly nods her head. “Mm-hmm, could be. But Lainey disappeared when he was still living there.”

Maybe Shandra should slow down on her drinks. “Who’s Lainey?!”

“Lainey is the girl who used to work here with Carl. Blake came in here and was talking her up, but Lainey didn’t think she had anything to worry about because she said he seemed nice. She said he was just nervous around girls, but he was sweet to her. Me and Carl tried to tell her to stay away from him, but she told us that the rumors are just rumors and that his books are just evidence of a good imagination. She said that some of the stuff in his books even sounded like fun. Ew. You should read those books to know what you’ve been sent to find.”

I think I need to call Viv. “Yeah, you’re right. I need to read those.”

“Mm-hmm. Anyway, Lainey said she was going on a date with Blake and that’s the last we ever saw of her. And Blake was still living in his friend’s house. She’s been missing for a while. I just know that the girl they found up there was her.”

“Okay, what color of hair did Lainey have?”

Shandra looks me straight in the eyes. “Wait, did you see the head?”

“Just answer the question.”

“She had blonde hair. Why?”

I take a long drink of my rum and Diet Coke. “It wasn’t her.”

“How do you know? Did you see it?”

I look around our booth to make sure no one is within ear shot, even though I know that Shandra is going to add this to the rumor mill anyway. “Yes, I was in the house looking for signs of where to find Blake.” Shandra is looking at me like she doesn’t believe me. “Okay, what kind of shoes did Lainey wear?”

Shandra sits back against the booth seat and starts looking up at the ceiling. “Ummm, hang on. She always had these one pair of shoes that she loved. What were those? Carl! C’mere!”

I can’t help but roll my eyes. This is all we need.

Carl sets down the wet rag she was using to clean off tables and walks over to us. “Ya need another one already?”

Shandra shakes her head. “Nah, hey, what kind of shoes did Lainey always wear?”

“Oh! Ummm,” Carl places her hand over her mouth and taps her cheek. “The ones with the stripes. What’s that brand?”

“Adidas! She always wore Adidas! Thanks Carl, that was all. I couldn’t think of Lainey’s shoes.”

Carl looks confused. “You’re welcome? Why are you guys talking about Lainey? Did someone find her?”

Shandra scoots over in the booth and motions for Carl to sit next to her. Carl slides in and I feel like I’ve dug my own grave with this one.

Shandra leans in closer to Carl and points in my direction. “She went to the house! She’s here from the publisher. She needs to find Blake, but I told her that she can’t just walk up to him.”

Carl’s eyes get big. “Oh, yeah, you can’t do that.”

“You guys! I have to. That’s my job. I’ll just go up to him in a public place. He won’t abduct me. Plus, why would he want to anyway? I’m not in his demographic and I’m from the place that pays him. If he takes me, he’s going to have to answer to my boss plus the authorities.”

Shandra and Carl look at each other and then they both look at me. Carl glances down at the table, runs her hand across the tabletop and then looks up at me again. “Exactly. You’re from the place that pays him. If you don’t report back, then that gives him more time to do whatever he’s doing and keep the money.”

We all fall silent. She’s not wrong. And now I don’t have a partner to make sure we both return. How am I going to do this? “Well then I’ll have a cop go with me when I confront him.”

Shandra shakes her head as she swallows a swig of ale. “Nope, can’t go to the cops.”

“Why not?”

Carl places her hands on the table and leans forward. “Them cops are dirty.”

“But they’re looking for him too. They told me at the house that if I find him to let them know.” Now I’m really confused.

Shandra just shakes her head as Carl continues. “The local folk have been telling the cops that it’s Blake for a while now. They even showed the cops proof like text messages and stuff between Blake and their kids. Their kids even came forward and told the cops! But them cops, they don’t do nothing about it.”

Shandra tilts her glass back, emptying the last of her ale and then sets her empty glass on the table in front of me. “That’s why the parents are out to kill Blake. They’re taking matters into their own hands.”

“Wait, okay, I get that everything points to Blake. But it’s not even his house. It’s his friend’s house. What about his friend? Who is his friend? Maybe this friend is the one doing the killing at the house after Blake left?”

Carl scoffs at the thought. “I doubt it. His ‘friend’ used to be his girlfriend. Oh hey! She wore Adidas too! Wait, we never finished talking about Lainey’s shoes. What was that all about?”

My straw slurps up the last of my drink and makes a horrible noise. “I saw the head.”

“What! You saw the head at the house that everyone is talking about?” Carl smacks Shandra on the shoulder. “You coulda led with that!”

“Sorry!” Shandra shrinks back from Carl. “I didn’t want to sidetrack you.”

“Yeah, anyway, I don’t think it was Lainey.” I pull my straw from the empty glass and slip it into the full one. “The head in the box had dark auburn hair, not blonde.”

Carl slams both of her palms down onto the table. “IT WAS IN A BOX?!?”

“SSSHHH! Not so loud!” I lean forward and lower my voice. “Yes, the head was in a box. I thought you knew that because she did. There was an Adidas shoe too but the head in the box was not blonde, so I don’t think it was your friend.”

Both Carl and Shandra sit quietly across from me. Shandra is sliding her empty glass back and forth against the table while Carl sits perfectly still. Finally, Carl leans forward, looks at me and then looks at Shandra. “So that’s gotta mean that there’s another girl!”