Page 113 of A Secret to Die For

“Yes, I trust him.”

Luca came to a decision. “Okay, who wants to do this?”

Aaron took over. “Sara’s familiar with some of it already, but over the past year, an alternative justice system has emerged here in Baldwin’s Shore. It started when a stranger rescued Brooke from a stalker who’d drugged and abducted her. We nicknamed him the Bad Samaritan, and we thought it was a one-off, but the same person saved Colt in the forest one day when a man turned a gun on him. Took the guy out with a shot to the head from…how far was it?”

“Eight hundred yards,” Luca supplied.

Garrett gave a low whistle, so I assumed that meant it was an impressive feat.

“He also located a number of missing cats, although that was small potatoes for him,” Aaron continued. “Plus there was one more matter he was involved in at the end of last year.”

At the end of last year? That was when…oh! I gasped.

“Do you mean Marianna?”

“We’re not exactly certain of what he said or did, but we believe there was some coercion.”

“And you think he’d help with the Mandell situation?” Garrett asked. “Why would he do that? Money? You pay him?”

“No, there’s no money involved. It’s hard to explain. He likes to show off, and he seems almost…playful. When he led us to the cats, it was like a treasure hunt. He drew a map with clues. Plus he’s fond of breaking in here and leaving us notes.”

“Notes?”

“The last one came in February. The girls went salsa dancing in Coos Bay, and I headed out for beers with Luca. When we arrived home, there was a note on my kitchen counter congratulating us on passing our latest security audit.” Aaron shrugged. “Seems nobody can sneak in but him.”

“Doesn’t that worry you?”

“It did at first, but he made valid points the first several times. And I don’t think he means any harm, not to us anyway.”

“But what about me?” I asked. “Why would he help me or Gracie when he doesn’t even know us?”

“He does know you.”

Icy claws needled at my spine. “What?”

“He mentioned you in a note one time.”

Garrett didn’t look happy about that in the slightest. “Should I beef up security again?”

“No need. It was in a positive light.”

“So you’re saying that this stranger, this cat-loving vigilante sniper, would somehow get justice for Saralisa and Gracie while the entire legal system fails?”

“I’m saying that I think it’s exactly the type of challenge he’d enjoy.”

Garrett still looked far from thrilled with the idea, but what choice did we have? I knew from experience that sometimes the wheels of justice didn’t only turn slowly; they didn’t turn at all.

“In the absence of other options, how do we contact this guy?”

“We don’t contact him. If it happens, it happens.”

“So we just wait? That’s it? We wait?”

“Kind of.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that we’ve narrowed down his identity to a couple of possibilities, and last time…” Aaron glanced in my direction. “Last time, we planted a few seeds. Made suggestions.”

---