Page 7 of Immortal Unveiled

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Kim switched off her computer and grabbed her handbag. She hadn’t been so excited and hopeful in months. Finally, a lead! Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel. She could only hope it wasn’t another oncoming train like those other leads that had looked promising at first. But somehow, she had a good feeling about it.

With a spring in her step, she left her condo, locked the door behind her, and sauntered down the stairs. Midway, she already pulled out her cell phone and navigated to her recent calls, then hit the number for her friend Jennifer. Two rings, and the call was answered.

“Hey, what’s up?” Jennifer asked.

“I got news,” Kim said.

“What?” Some shouting and overlapping voices coming through the line accompanied Jennifer’s question. “Can you say that again?”

“Where are you?”

“On the bus. You’ve gotta speak up, so I can hear you. Or do you want me to call you back when I’m in the office after lunch?”

“No, no! Don’t! I’ve gotta tell you now,” Kim insisted.

“Okay, shoot!”

Kim barely knew where to start. “I’m on my way to meet some guy who’s got information for me. He replied to my thread on the forum.”

“Oh,” Jennifer said, sounding a little deflated. “For a moment there I thought you were going on a date.”

“A date? Why would I go on a date?”

She had no time for men. Particularly not if they turned out to be like Todd, her ex-fiancé. She’d thought he’d be supportive after her mother’s death, helping her find the killer when the police had practically given up. But he’d dismissed the phenomenon she’d seen the night of her mother’s murder, trying to convince her it was the result of the shock she’d suffered. After all, the police hadn’t taken her seriously either.

A botched burglary had been their guess. For a few weeks, they’d followed all the leads, checked out her mother’s friends and co-workers at the museum, but they’d found nothing. The case had gone cold.

When Todd had sided with the police and begged her to accept what had happened and stop chasing a phantom—as he’d called it—Kim had broken off the engagement. She couldn’t be with a man who didn’t stand one hundred percent behind her.

“Just saying,” Jennifer said. “So, what does this guy claim to know?”

“He said he’s dealt with the same phenomenon before.” There, if that wasn’t a step in the right direction.

“Dealt as in how?”

Kim shrugged. “Not sure. He said he needed to explain everything face-to-face. He suggested we meet.”

“You’re not meeting him at his place, are you?”

“Of course not!”

“Did you give him your address?”

“I’m not stupid, Jennifer. I’m meeting him at a busy coffee shop. That’s why I’m calling you, so you’ll know where I am.”

“Good girl.” Jennifer sounded satisfied. “Which coffee shop?”

“Auntie’s Java Shop on Main.”

“Good. If you don’t check in with me in an hour, I’m calling the cops,” her friend said.

“Make that ninety minutes. I first have to get there.”

“Okay, ninety minutes, and not a minute longer. And if it’s some creep who thinks he can take advantage of you because you’ve seen weird stuff, then run. There are all kinds of weirdos out there, particularly on that forum. It attracts the worst kind of people.”

Kim sighed. This wasn’t the first time they’d had that conversation. “Just because these people have seen stuff they can’t explain? I’m one of those people. Would you call me a weirdo too?”