See Me(77)

“What about the message? Aren’t there stalking laws?”

“The note is weird, but there’s no clear threat. And there’s no proof that the person who sent the flowers was the same person who put them in her car.”

“I sometimes forget that you’ve had a lot of experience in this area. But I’m still not sure why you think you need to take care of it.”

“I don’t need to do it. I want to.”

“And what if Maria doesn’t like your plan?” When Colin didn’t answer, Evan waved a hand. “Because you plan on telling her, right? Since you’re all about honesty?”

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Yes, I’ll tell her.”

“When?”

“Today.”

“And if she asks you not to?”

When Colin didn’t answer, Evan sat up straighter.

“You’ll do it anyway. Because you’ve already made your decision, am I correct?”

“I want to know what’s going on.”

“You do know that this is what you’ve done in the past, right? Do whatever the hell you want, your future be damned?”

“I’m making phone calls. I’ll talk to people.” Colin shrugged. “It’s not illegal.”

“No argument there. But I’m talking about what you might decide to do afterwards.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?”

When Colin didn’t respond right away, Evan leaned back in his seat. “Did I tell you that Lily wants the four of us to go out together this weekend?”

“No.”

“She was thinking Saturday night. She wants to meet Maria.”

“Okay.”

“Shouldn’t you check with Maria first?”

“I’ll talk to her, but I’m sure she’ll be fine with it. What are you thinking about doing?”

“Dinner. And then afterwards, we’ll find someplace fun. I think all those lessons put her in the mood to go dancing.”

“Salsa dancing?”

“She says I don’t have the rhythm for it. It’ll be some other kind of dancing.”

“At a club?”

“Since you obviously escaped without trouble last time, Lily’s of the opinion that you can do it again.”

“Okay.”

“I have another question, though.” Colin waited as Evan stared across the table at him. “What happens if you do find the guy?”

“I’ll talk to him.”

“Even if it’s her boss?” When Colin didn’t answer, Evan shook his head. “I knew I was right.”

“Right about what?”

“You don’t have the slightest idea what you’re getting into.”





While Colin understood that Evan was worried, he didn’t think his concern was justified. How hard could it be to figure out whether Ken sent the roses? All it would take was a few phone calls, some pointed questions, and a photo… Lord knows he’d been on the receiving end of countless interrogations, and he knew that getting answers was often about presence and expectation and sounding official. Most people wanted to talk; most people couldn’t shut up, even when it was in their best interest. He figured that if he was lucky, he’d have his answer by midafternoon.

In the kitchen back at his place, he opened his computer and did a quick search for Ken Martenson. Not hard to find – the guy was even more connected than Colin expected – but there were fewer photos than he’d thought there would be, and none were what he really wanted; too far away, too blurry. Even the photo on the firm website had to be at least ten years old – at the time, Ken had a goatee, which altered his appearance to a significant degree. Colin would have to take his own photo, he decided. Except he didn’t have a high-quality camera with a telephoto lens. He doubted whether Evan had a decent camera, either; Evan wouldn’t have spent the money. The guy was tighter than a tick.

But Maria had one.

He called her cell and left a message asking if she was free for lunch. By the time she texted him back to see whether he could meet at half past noon, he was in class. But as he read her text, the professor droning on in the background, he realized that he’d been holding more tension in his neck than he’d noticed.

He forced himself to take deep, steady breaths.





“You want to borrow my camera?”

They were seated on the outdoor patio of a small café, waiting for their food to arrive. Though Colin hadn’t eaten since the night before, he wasn’t hungry.

“Yes.” Colin nodded.

“Why?”

“I need a photo of Ken.”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

“The only way to know for sure who ordered the flowers is to find the florist. I can then show the florist the photo and ask if he’s the one who bought them.”

“What if he ordered by phone?”

“If he paid with a credit card, I’ll get the name.”

“They won’t give it to you.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I’d still like to borrow your camera.”