“Here, come up on the porch out of the snow.” He started up the stairs, and she followed. Through the windows, he saw his mother was no longer in the living room. Derrick turned to face Bridget. “Bob told me he holed up in this cabin so he could write. He said he needed to be away from all distractions, all his toys.” His words sounded true because they were.

Bridget looked at the Honda. “Is that why his assistant’s car is here?”

“Uh-huh. She just brought him supplies from Costco. And she’s under strict orders not to reveal the truth.”

“But he sent me a message that Joanne kidnapped him.”

“Really?” He feigned confusion. “That can’t be right. He was just complaining to her that she didn’t bring him any junk food. He’s not acting like she’s a kidnapper. And she seems pretty normal to me. Other than being really sick of fanboys. That’s what she was calling me until Bob made her stop.”

Bridget’s nose scrunched up in an appealing way. “But on Reddit they’re saying someone on the dark web is selling chapters of Eyes of the Forest. Even selling the ability to order Bob to do things on camera.”

Derrick shrugged, glad the curtains to Bob’s room were closed. “That’s why I’m here. I got worried about him. But it turns out that’s all coming straight from Bob. He’s just pretending to be kidnapped. He says the accountability of people expecting regular chapters is keeping him honest. And the requests for tricks amuse him. He likes to see what people think up.”

“Really?”

“He even let me read a little bit of the new stuff he’s writing to thank me for coming all the way out here. Do you want to come in and talk to him?”

Bridget looked relieved. “Of course.”

He put his hand on the doorknob and turned to her with a smile. “I’m just glad I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing before I came here. Can you imagine how stupid I’d look once they knew the truth?” He leaned in, his voice conspiratorial. “I hope you didn’t tell anyone.”

BRIDGET

How Much Worse Could It Get?

“So you’re sure they can’t hear us?” Bridget whispered to Bob. They were both sitting on the edge of his unmade bed. Her head was turned so her lips were hidden from the camera. She was trembling, still feeling the aftershocks of the fender bender and its aftermath.

After she’d stupidly said no one knew she was coming here (since Ajay either didn’t know or didn’t care), Derrick had pulled a gun on her. Derrick, Joanne’s son.

He was Joanne’s son.