I could see Dr. Brier on stage as the guests trooped across one at a time to get her signature, along with a smile and a photo. She was attractive, eloquent, and persuasive, the way all cult leaders tend to be. I kept staring at her face and trying to remember where I could have met her, but I came up blank. It had to be a mistake. Somehow, Tai had misunderstood what she said.

Finally, it was my turn. I walked across the stage, leaving the line of people behind me. I had the copy of the book I’d bought in my hand. Dr. Brier’s eyes watched me come closer. I reached the table where she was seated by herself, and I could feel myself enveloped by her aura. I stood over her and handed her the book to sign. She took it, but her smile looked forced.

“Hello, Dylan,” she murmured. “I saw you in the balcony. I didn’t think you’d come. It’s not such a good idea, you and me being seen together.”

Her words threw me off balance. “I’m sorry, do you know me?”

She froze before she signed the book. Her almond-shaped brown eyes bored into mine. “Is that a joke?”

“No.”

“I don’t like this game, Dylan.”

“I’m sorry, Dr. Brier, but you must have me confused with someone else. As far as I know, we’ve never met.”

“I see.” She glanced at the people still in line on the other side of the stage, and then she swept her long hair across her head. She signed the book with a flourish, added a little note, and then handed it back to me across the table. As she did, her fingertips grazed mine.

“My mistake,” she said. “Enjoy the book.”

I walked away in a daze. I glanced over my shoulder to see if she was watching me, but she’d moved on to the next person. I left the ballroom and found a bench near the elevators, where I sat down and opened the book.

Below her signature, she’d added a note.

The fountain. 1:00 a.m.

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 7

Three hours later, I walked into Grant Park with a cold lake wind blowing into my face. I kept my hands in my pockets and my head down. Every few steps, I looked back at the lights of Michigan Avenue to see if I was being followed. I didn’t feel his presence now—my presence—but that didn’t mean my doppelgänger wasn’t here.