When the first note shows up at the restaurant where he works -- when he isn't designing costumes for a local theater -- Jim Foster laughs it off. When the notes keep coming, he doesn't find the fact that he might have a secret admirer quite so amusing. Alan North, a lonely, bookish customer at the restaurant, is too shy to even think of talking to Jim -- as much as he wants to. Then the killings begin. Two of Jim's friends are murdered in what appear to be muggings. However, the detective in charge of the cases believes they're more than that, and that Jim is either the killer ... or being stalked by one. When Jim and Alan finally connect, can they help find and stop the stalker, or will Alan end up dead before their budding relationship can become more than friendship?

His Secret Admirer

Now what to do?Jim leaned back while he waited for his check, sipping the coffee he’d ordered in lieu of dessert. The waitress returned to give it to him, at which point, after giving the bill a quick glance, he handed her his credit card.


When she came back with the credit card slip for him to sign, a few minutes later, she said, “This is for you. Beth says someone left it at the hostess stand.”


What the hell? She was holding an envelope with his name printed on the front, all lower case, just as it had been with the one’s that had been left where he worked. Jim thanked her and signed the slip, waiting for her to leave before opening the envelope. The note inside was handwritten as always, with no capitalization. It said, ‘he looked sad, didn’t he? if he saw your smile it would have cheered him up.’


Chapter 3