That was the end of her mailbox, and she hit the “erase” button hard enough to hurt her finger. Two editors talking about work, a former office mate wanting to chew over the corpse—and what sounded like a death threat. This isn’t going to go away, she realized. I’m in it up to my neck now. A stab of guilt: So is Paulie. I’ll have to talk to her. A ray of hope: For someone who’s unemployed, I sure get a lot of business calls. A conclusion: Just as long as I stay sane I should be all right.

The living room was more hospitable right now than the chairless den, its huge french doors streaked with rain falling from a leaden sky. Miriam went through, considered building a fire in the hearth, and collapsed into the sofa instead. The combination of fear, anger, and tension had drained most of her energy. Opening her planner, she turned to a blank page and began writing:

I NEED WORK

Call Andy and Steve. Pass “Go.” Collect freelance commissions. Collect two hundred dollars. Keep up the mortgage payments.

I AM GOING CRAZY

Well, no. This isn’t schizophrenia. I’m not hearing voices, the walls aren’t going soft, and nobody is beaming orbital mind control lasers at me. Everything’s fine except I had a weird fugue moment, and the office chair is missing.

DID SOMEONE SLIP ME SOMETHING?

Don’t be silly: Who? Iris? Maybe she and Morris tripped when they were younger, but she just wouldn’t do that to me. Joe Dixon is a sleazebag with criminal connections, but he didn’t offer me a drink. And who else have I seen in the past day? Anyway, that’s not how hallucinogens work.

MAGIC

That’s silly, too, but at least it’s testable.

Miriam’s eyes narrowed and she chewed the cap of her pen. This was going to take planning, but at least it was beginning to sound like she had her ducks lined up in a row. She began jotting down tasks:

1. Call Andy at The Globe. Try to sell him a feature or three.
2. Make appointment to see Steve at The Herald. See what he wants.
3. See Paulie. Check how she’s doing. See if we can reconstruct the investigation without drawing attention. See if we can pitch it at Andy or Steve. Cover the angles. If we do this, they will turn nasty. Call FBI?
4. See if whatever I did last night is repeatable. Get evidence, then a witness. If it’s me, seek help. If it’s not me…
5. Get the story.