Grand Passion

said quietly. “Nolan Hildebrand knows, and whoever is staging these incidents knows. It probably won't be long before a lot of other people discover you're the author of The Mirror .”
    Cleo laced her fingers together very tightly. “I didn't want outsiders to know about The Mirror . It's such a personal book.”
    “Max is right,” O'Reilly said. “I'm afraid the secret is out. There's not much point trying to keep your identity hidden any longer. It's to your benefit right now to go public.”
    “Why?” she demanded.
    “In a small town like Harmony Cove news travels fast,” O'Reilly explained. “Sure, people will talk about the book. But they'll also talk about the fact that someone is threatening you. That process could turn up some new information.”
    Max looked thoughtful. “He's right, Cleo. You're well liked in town. That won't change when people find out you wrote The Mirror . Most of the people in Harmony Cove are going to be angry on your behalf about the threats that have been made. It's possible that someone knows more than he or she realizes.”
    “People will be alert for strangers or unusual actions. That will provide some protection for you.” O'Reilly smiled reassuringly at Cleo. “I'll talk to your police chief first. We'll get him in our corner and go from there.”
    Cleo bit her lip, aware that it was useless to argue in the face of such relentless masculine logic. Max and O'Reilly simply didn't understand. They couldn't know how much she dreaded the invasion of privacy she would face once her secret was widely known. It was one thing to be known as a writer of romantic-suspense; it was quite another to be known as the author of something as deeply personal and intimate as The Mirror .
    She flopped back onto the wicker lounge chair and glared at the bubbling fountain. “I'm not sure it's worth all this fuss. Maybe the incidents are nothing more than someone's idea of a practical joke.”
    “That note we found in your car was more than a joke,” Max said. “And whoever followed you through the fog was either trying to frighten you or worse. I want this business stopped before it goes any farther.”
    Cleo saw the unshakable intent in his eyes and knew there was no point staging a protest. Besides, she was getting scared herself. She turned back to O'Reilly. “You really think it has to be someone here in Harmony Cove? You said that none of the people who were here the weekend of the motivational seminar looked suspicious?”
    “I didn't turn up any red flags when I ran the names of your guests through my usual computer checks,” O'Reilly said. “But that doesn't mean one of them isn't nuttier than a fruitcake. However, I don't think we'll find our rabid book critic in that crowd. After all, according to what you told me, the incidents started before any of them arrived at the inn.”
    “There was the anonymous letter that came through your publisher last month,” Max reminded Cleo. “Someone put a copy of the book in Hildebrand's mailbox while the motivational seminar group was at the inn, but none of that crowd was around when that jerk stalked you in the fog.”
    “I suppose you're right. It must be someone here in Harmony Cove. My God, that's a strange thought.” Cleo wrapped her arms beneath her breasts and hugged herself. “To think that it's someone I know .”
    “It often is in cases like this,” O'Reilly said.
    Max looked at Cleo. “I think the best thing for us to do is get you out of town for a couple of days while O'Reilly starts asking his questions.”
    Cleo glanced up sharply. “Leave town? I can't do that. I've got a business to run.”
    “You're not heavily booked this week,” Max said. “Sylvia, Andromeda, and the others can handle things for a couple of nights.”
    He was right, but Cleo did not want to admit it. “I'd rather stay here.”
    Cleo watched, annoyed, as O'Reilly exchanged man-to-man glances with Max. Then the detective smiled at her. “Might be easier if you took off for a couple of days. It would give me a chance to break the news to everyone about The Mirror and what's been happening to you. By the time you get back, the initial uproar will have had a chance to die down. Your friends here at the inn can field the first round of curiosity seekers for you.”
    Cleo stirred uneasily. Logically speaking, she knew that the hubbub that would ensue when O'Reilly started asking his questions would be relatively mild compared to what