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Chapters (73)
  1. Goodbye to the Dead
  2. Also By Brian Freeman
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. CONTENTS
  8. PROLOGUE
  9. THEN
  10. 1
  11. 2
  12. 3
  13. 4
  14. 5
  15. 6
  16. 7
  17. 8
  18. 9
  19. 10
  20. 11
  21. 12
  22. 13
  23. 14
  24. 15
  25. 16
  26. 17
  27. 18
  28. 19
  29. 20
  30. 21
  31. 22
  32. 23
  33. 24
  34. 25
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. NOW
  46. 36
  47. 37
  48. 38
  49. 39
  50. 40
  51. 41
  52. 42
  53. 43
  54. 44
  55. 45
  56. 46
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. 58
  69. 59
  70. 60
  71. 61
  72. FROM THE AUTHOR
  73. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

‘I told you, I’m a collector. It’s what I do. The thing is, when you meet people online, most of them use fake personas, right? Different names. Different hometowns. Sometimes different ages and genders. But most people who create fake IDs also use some elements of the truth. It’s easier than making everything up. Maybe they tell you their real job, but not the real place they work. Or real stories about friends or family. Or the real car they drive. Get it? For me, the fun is to see whether I can meet a person online with a fake ID and figure out who they really are from the clues they give me. And if I do, when I happen to be in that city on a casino job – well, I track them down. Take a picture for my collection. See?’

‘You stalk them,’ Serena said.

‘That’s an ugly way to describe it.’

‘That’s because it’s the accurate way to describe it.’

‘No! I told you, it’s innocent. I don’t have any contact with them. I don’t want to be part of their real lives. I just want to know who they are. It’s harmless.’

Serena felt an urge to go home and take a shower. And never to boot up a computer again. ‘So you collected Kelly Hauswirth.’

‘Right.

‘You figured out that she wasn’t Corinne from Maryland. How?’

‘She wasn’t too tough. Parents are always a good way in. People lie about themselves but not about their parents. We talked about her being estranged from them, and she mentioned that they lived in Montana. Another time, she mentioned their first names. And then another time, she told me what her dad did for a living before he retired. I keep notes on all this stuff. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle. She gave me enough to find her parents, and they helped me find her when I called them. Old people like to talk about their kids.’

‘So when you figured out that Corinne was really Kelly Hauswirth, you went to Colorado and followed her and took her picture.’

‘Uh, yes. I told you, it’s just a game.’

‘Then you read that she’d been murdered and you figured you’d come up here and ask around about what happened? Because you felt bad for her?’

‘Yes, exactly.’

Serena shook her head. ‘Sorry, Mort. No way. What are you not telling me?’

The man danced back and forth on his feet. ‘Okay, I was a little scared, too.’

‘Why?’

‘I wanted to make sure that someone wasn’t going to come after me,’ he told her.

‘Who would do that?’ Serena asked.