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?"

practice. But yeah, he's that

away, dialing Caleb's

who'd handed

before she died, Rupert was still talking about getting custody of Stella after the divorce-like he didn't know Stella

who had signed

head began to throb. At that moment, her phone buzzed

message from Ms. Ward—but the photo attached

Ward was tied up, ropes

sound. Do as I say," the message

Sylvia instinctively glanced around

or keeping patients company, nothing looked out of the

edged closer to Chris, just

Ward being slapped, her mouth taped shut, pain etched across her face a knife pressed threateningly to

She turned and walked

Chris was frantically dialing Caleb-five calls,

Just then,

Xxnurse called from the

therapy room. "Is someone here for Naomi?

help coming in."

spun around-Sylvia was

down his spine. He quickly tried calling her-once,

down his driver, told him to keep an eye on Naomi,