If protection was her priority (and that’s what he imagined), then she no doubt had cameras. So scaling the wall would gain him little except the chance of an embarrassing discovery.

What Orelia had done to him wasn’t something you could see. You felt the threat as a breath on the back of your neck, and then only after she discarded you. He was certain she continued to use her misfortune-inflicting ability on others. Look at Morris. To prove his theory, he would need to catch her in the act.

The details of how to do this were like an outline of a novel, sketchy. Every time his confidence wavered, or he imagined he was just a little crazy, he reminded himself he had nothing to lose, and Morris was a reminder of how bad this could go.

He became vigilant and dedicated. Every day by 6am, William would park fifty yards away in a wooded area off-road and walk back to his surveillance position. He’d found a roadside clump of trees and bushes that concealed him from passing cars. From this vantage he could watch her gate unnoticed.

What he discovered after watching her house for days puzzled him. She could be in mourning, but she didn’t engage in what he considered normal-people activities. Didn’t visit the grocery store, have coffee with friends or go for walks. In the first few days, only once did she leave her home; for a lunch date with a man, who he recognized as a big-brand thriller writer, David Place. Oh, how high and mighty was she now? Thanks to William. Yet he wasn’t good enough for her to do lunch, breakfast, or even a hot dog.

Gratitude thy name is not Orelia.

Four long days he’d watched, and boredom had descended as surely as each long evening. He wondered if his sanity had slipped away over the past few months; to stalk a rival author on nothing more than a hunch was crazy by any rational measure.

Finally, though, on the sixth morning, things got interesting. Orelia drove out through her gates at ten fifteen, and William almost killed himself sprinting to his car. He took off, speeding well above the limit to catch her, which he managed a mile down the road. She traveled only another few blocks, to park in a suburban street, where she left and locked her car. Then she walked to a nearby bus stop and waited for several minutes before climbing aboard a bus.

William followed, allowing one car separation, in case she might glance out a window and see him at the wheel.

Where the heck was she going?

After forty minutes, she alighted within the North Park area, which was well on the other side of town. At this, his curiosity intensified. What the hell was she doing here?

He drove past the bus and found a space in a loading zone. No doubt his reward would be a parking ticket, but he had no choice if he was to stay with her.