One of Those Faces (104)

My pulse quickened as I dug my fingers under the wood, grasping at the hard, flat object. The tips of my fingernails closed around the edge of stiff cardboard. I pulled out the shoebox. I hesitated before opening the lid. Rolls of cash were stacked to the brim, held together with rubber bands. Folded paper was jammed on one side. I tugged out the paper and unfolded it, my stomach twisting.

I could recognize Danny’s handwriting anywhere. These were the torn pages from his notebook. My eyes darted across the paper. It was mostly a list strung together with a note or two.

Iann—Advocate Med.

Jeremy—Advocate Med.—dead

Holly—dead

Erin?—dead

Alayna—dead (Washington)

My hands shook. How did Iann have this? I thought back to what Dowdy had said. I’d assumed she’d missed something when she said there was no indication that Danny and Wilder had ever crossed paths here in the city.

But Iann? Danny had been directly in his path all along, hadn’t he?

I looked down at the list. Iann’s name was underlined and traced over again and again.

Another memory emerged at the back of my mind. Something Erin had said.

“Ask Iann.”

Although he’d denied a friendship, he and Jeremy had always been tied together by at least one thing. Their work at the clinic.

Iann must’ve known Holly. Or at least Erin had thought he did. Iann probably knew about Jeremy’s enterprise too. And the bottles at my feet and Danny’s list suggested Iann was more than merely a passive partner in that business.

The rattle of keys sounded in the other room. The front door closed.

I straightened, staring at the paper, my heartbeat counting out the seconds. One. Two. Three.

“Hey, are you home?” Iann called from the kitchen.

I slid the shoebox back under the rack and got to my feet. “Yeah, I’m back here,” I called out.

My feet carried me out of the bedroom.

Iann was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, drinking from a glass of water. “Are you okay?” He raised his free hand to my cheek. “You seem really flushed.”

My lips twitched into a smile. “I’m tired.” I leaned in to kiss him.

“How’s packing going?” he asked, after we parted lips.

My heart was still drumming the same rhythm. One. Two. Three. I stared up at him.

What have we done?





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


From the time I was five years old, one thing has remained the same—my desire to be a writer. It really is a dream come true to have One of Those Faces in the hands of readers.

I want to start by thanking my amazing husband, who has ceaselessly encouraged me to write this book and all the others. I’m eternally grateful that we found each other at a bookstore over a decade ago. From brainstorming story ideas to cooking and making cocktails for me so I can carve out time to write, your support means everything.

My parents have been there since the very beginning of my writing journey when I’d constantly demand to know the meaning of words and log them in a handmade notebook. Special thanks to my dad, who brought storytelling into our home and who is always available to answer my questions or recount his experiences to help my writing.

Abeonim, Ummanim, thank you for your constant support of my dreams and for welcoming me into your family. I’m so thankful for the encouragement of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law as well.

My agent, Abby Saul at the Lark Group, has been a fantastic partner in this process, and I’m so thankful she took a chance on Harper and me. Along with Abby came a community of her incredibly talented authors, and I’m endlessly thankful for their support and time.

Thank you to Liz Pearsons, my editor, and everyone at Thomas & Mercer, who have all been wonderful to work with during this process.

Finally, I’m grateful to the people who inspired this story—all my doppelg?ngers out there in the world and the random strangers over the years who adamantly believed I was someone else.





ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Elle Grawl is a lawyer and thriller writer. After obtaining her BA in English Literature, she took a detour into law before returning to her love of writing. Her lifelong interest in true crime and experience as an attorney have provided her with plenty of writing material. Grawl enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and their two dogs. One of Those Faces is her first novel.