Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

Sylvia bent down to pick up the piece of paper from the floor-and froze.

Chris looked over, puzzled. "What's up? Why are you just standing there?"

She held up the two slips of paper in her hand, showing him. "Take a look at this."

Chris barely glanced at them at first, but then his face went blank. "Whose numbers are these? Why does the handwriting look exactly like mine?"

The way the 9s, 6s, and 1s had those little tails-it was just how he wrote them, a habit he thought was unique.

No wonder Sylvia had felt a sense of déjà vu after getting the note from Ms. Ward. She'd seen handwriting like this before-on Chris's medical records.

Suddenly, her mind flashed back to what Ms. Ward had said about being set up with a doctor.

She looked Chris dead in the eye. "You're on a blind date? Is her last name Ward?"

Chris blinked, caught off guard. "How did you know? But I haven't even had time to meet her yet, I—"

They stared at each other, and realization dawned at the same time.

Chris's expression turned sour. "When Caleb was a kid, he got grounded after bombing a test. My dad whipped him, and ever since, he started copying my parents' signatures. Later, he got so good at forging anyone's handwriting, you couldn't tell the difference."

He grabbed his phone to call.

Sylvia stopped him, hands shaking. "You're telling me he can forge anyone's handwriting?"

just anyone he needs a little time to practice. But yeah, he's that good.

away,

The person who'd handed her the surgical documents had been Caleb, and they'd

died, Rupert was still talking about getting custody of

who had signed the death

that moment, her phone

Ward—but the photo attached made Sylvia's stomach

up, ropes crisscrossing her

sound. Do as I say," the

Sylvia instinctively glanced around

charts or keeping patients company, nothing looked

closer to Chris, just a few

again. This time, it was a photo of Ms. Ward being slapped, her mouth taped shut, pain

risk it. She turned and

frantically dialing Caleb-five calls, five times straight to

Just then,

Xxnurse called from the

room. "Is someone here for

help coming in."

spun around-Sylvia was

his spine. He quickly tried calling her-once,

flagged down his driver, told him to keep