Chapter Forty Two

Nighttime was the worst. Goldie’s loneliness was oppressive, as if murky clouds were hovering above her and she could almost reach up and touch them. I deserve it after what I’ve done.

Goldie had gone over it in her mind from every angle and she always came to the same conclusion. She’d betrayed the only people who had ever been there for her. It all came down to one night. The night she’d made the decision that would forever change her life. That night not so long ago when she’d first met Brian Reed and shared a table with him at Shady Ladies…

Brian spoke just loud enough for her to hear him over the music. “You’re so jealous of your best friend’s happiness. You’re probably wondering why all the good things happen to Queen Bee. I’m just saying, I’m offering you an easy way to fix it.”

“What’s in it for you?” she asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

For an instant, his expression hardened but just as quickly he was smiling benignly, replying, “Why, nothing, of course. I’m just trying to help.”

“You say you’d be helping me with my jealousy. I think you’d be feeding it,” she answered dryly.

“No, no,” he adamantly shook his head. She listened more out of curiosity than any actual interest in taking his advice. “No, it wouldn’t. It would bring you two closer. It would help you find common ground. She’d be more compassionate toward you.”

“I don’t need her pity!” she hissed.

He patted her hand, reassuring her that he in no way thought she did. He would have to tread carefully or he would lose her. He needed her if he was going to do what he had planned. “I know that. Again, I’m only trying to help you. All I’m saying is that I believe it could be a bonding experience for the two of you. You deserve to have fulfilling relationships, too. Everyone deserves to be loved.”

She looked at him and bit her lip. Bingo! He had her now.

“But don’t you care that people might think you’re the Mummy Man?” Suddenly her eyes widened in horror. “Wait, you’re not, are you!?”

His head whipped back in laughter until he had tears in his eyes. As he dabbed at his eyes with his cocktail napkin, he assured her, “Of course not. I’m just trying to make people more aware of how careful they need to be. This could actually help the authorities catch that terrible, awful man.”

“How?” she tilted her head, sincerely wondering if she could be part of doing something good.

“When the Mummy Man finds out someone’s impersonating him, he’ll be angry. When people get angry they make mistakes.”

It couldn’t hurt. Suddenly the jealousy was on the backburner and the thought of solving a puzzle that would save the city was appealing to her.

It had been easy enough to pull off, her staged abduction the other night. Of course, he’d taken things way too far and she was glad she’d gotten away from him. But since then there had been more murders. She couldn’t help but wonder if Brian had something to do with them. It was as if something had angered the killer and now he was taking out his wrath on the city.

Her thoughts would be a rambling mass of chaos for the rest of the night and there would be no sleep. She knew sleep would continue to elude her until she dealt with the issues at hand and made amends. Maybe the truth really could set you free, but at what cost?