The Good Stranger (A Kate Bradley Mystery)

by Dete Meserve

  I tried to look composed, like I was used to hearing news like this. But I couldn’t hide my own grin. “No politics?”

  He shook his head. “No campaign stories. No scandals. No crime. When there’s a crisis, you’ll look for the positive aspects: the rescuers, the people making it better. Show viewers how they can help.” He leaned forward. “I think you’ll figure out the rest, Kate.”

  I’m pretty sure my feet didn’t touch the ground the whole way through the newsroom, down the hallways, past countless reporters and producers, looking for Scott. I found him in his office, drenched in yellow sunshine. Outside his windows, the deep-blue skies were dotted with puffy white clouds. A perfect Manhattan morning.

  As I told him the news, I’m certain I sounded like a kid who’d just found out she had gotten a pony for her birthday. My voice was breathy, high pitched. Not like me at all. Except it was.

  “That’s fantastic,” he said, folding me in his arms. The door to his office was open, so I knew we shouldn’t stay there very long, even though I wanted to.

  He handed me an envelope with the words Kate and Scott on the outside.

  “What’s this?”

  “It just arrived. It’s from Marie,” he said, pointing to her signature on the back flap.

  I ripped it open, and Scott read it aloud:

  Dear Kate and Scott,

  Thank you for keeping our names and identities a secret. And for bringing the four of us back together. We’ll never forget what you did to reunite us.

  I just learned what you did for the others and we are all deeply moved.

  All things work for good. You’ve just proved again that it’s true.

  Yours,

  Marie

  PS: It wasn’t just a lucky break that you were the only journalists invited to the concert at Floyd Bennett Field. I saw the two of you reporting on what we were doing and thought I might have a hand in bringing you together. Hope it worked.

  Scott’s eyes gleamed with emotion. “I had no idea we were being set up. I actually thought this was our own doing.”

  “Wasn’t it?” I said, my heart racing. “But seriously, what kind of journalists are we that we weren’t suspicious about being the only reporters there that night?”

  He stroked my cheek. “We might have been a little preoccupied.”

  “And distracted.” Then suddenly I was overcome with emotion. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or laugh, or a little bit of both. I only knew I wanted to stop time at that exact moment. “I’m going to miss you,” I said, my voice cracking. “I know you’re leaving soon for Peru . . .”

  His eyes traveled over my face. “You know, there are these new inventions called airplanes. They have wings and can fly you anywhere. And they can even get you back in time to do your show. You could take one of these newfangled inventions and meet me in Madagascar.”

  “Madagascar . . . ,” I said, and I felt like I was already flying.

  He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Promise you’ll meet me there.”

  My pulse raced, like I’d been running. “I think I need waffles.”

  He grinned. “You need waffles. Right now?”

  The door was open, and I could hear laughter in the hallway.

  “So I don’t lose my nerve.”

  He held my hands and waited for me to find my words.

  “I’m always nervous around you.”

  His voice was liquid and warm. “Why do I make you nervous?”

  My eyes met his, and all my self-consciousness faded away. “Because I’m falling for you. Even though it seems too fast, too soon. Too everything.” I’d never been so honest about my feelings. But I wanted him to know how I felt, even if saying it aloud was terrifying to me. “I want something more with you.”

  He leaned in to kiss me, and his lips were a whisper away from mine when a peal of laughter down the hallway drew our attention.

  He kicked the door shut. “The ANC rumor mill is going to have a field day,” he said, softly. His fingertips trailed the curve of my mouth. “Want to take a leap with me?”

  His lips were still moving when I kissed them. He tasted like coffee and adventure. Like possibility.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  My stomach was alight with butterflies as I stood in the doorway and gazed out at all the people who had gathered on the beautiful outdoor patio at Pier 26. Instead of the music you usually heard at weddings, the band was playing a mash-up of artsy yet funky tunes—a little bit of Bach, Coldplay, and Satie, with some Rascal Flatts mixed in.

  The patio was capped with a staggering wall of white blooms: roses, peonies, and hydrangeas. Beyond that backdrop was an unrivaled view of the Hudson River and the New York City skyline.

  My eyes fell on the skyscrapers in the distance, and a warm feeling came over me. Home. The city that was once filled with strangers was suddenly populated with people who looked out for me. People I loved.

  “Ready to give your old man away?” my father whispered from behind me. I whirled around to see his eyes glistening.

  “Wait, I’m not walking you up the—”

  He embraced me in a hug. “I’m kidding. I think I’m old enough to do this myself. But it means a lot to me that you’re happy. About Julia coming into our lives.”

  He held my hands in his, and I could see his happiness. Suddenly I was flooded with joy, realizing how fortunate I was to witness it. I had been too young to see the love he and my mother shared, but now I knew what it looked like when he was truly happy.

  “I am. Dad, I want to say again that I’m sorry—”

  “Forgiven and forgotten,” he said, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Now, you’d better go find your seat before there aren’t any left.”

  He was right. The outdoor pavilion was filling up. There were plenty of faces I recognized—aides in my dad’s office who’d flown in from LA and DC, a few senators, and many government officials whose titles and job duties I wasn’t sure about. There were also many people I didn’t know—likely Julia’s friends, who were a mix of arts luminaries and New York State government types.

  I hugged my dad once more and straightened his tie. “You’ve got this.”

  Then I headed down the aisle to find a seat and was surprised to see Scott’s mother, Virginia Biltmore, standing near the front, talking with some guests who were already seated. She was a vision in a stunning yellow satin dress, her coal-black hair falling to her shoulders in thick waves. Why was she here?

  The next thing I knew, she’d spotted me and was headed in my direction. Or I thought she was. Was she actually looking at someone behind me? I turned around, but no one seemed to be paying attention to her.

  “You’re Kate, aren’t you?” she asked, grasping my hands.

  “It’s great to meet you,” I said.

  “I’ve been hearing about you in both ears. Scott, of course. And then I get it in the other ear from Julia. I’ve been friends with her mother for a very long time. I probably don’t have to tell you she’s over the moon about your father. And she very much admires you as well. This is a wonderful new beginning for all of you.”

  The idea of new beginnings made me feel light inside. When I’d arrived in Manhattan, I’d never imagined that life would lead me here to this moment. I’d thought my miserable beginning would be my forever life.

  But time . . . and love . . . floated in.

  Her blue eyes took me in, and she smiled. “And then there’s Scott. No matter what he starts telling me about, it always comes back to talking about you.”

  “I hope you aren’t telling her embarrassing stories about my childhood,” I heard Scott say. And when I turned around to see him, he literally took my breath away in his dark suit and lavender tie.

  “I haven’t gotten to that yet,” she said with a laugh. “Did he tell you how, when he was seven, he was a catalog model?”

  He laughed and hugged her briefly. “We’re going to find our seats before you tell her any more stories.” />
  As we headed to our chairs in the front row, he took my hand in his, then interlaced his fingers with mine.

  “I can’t wait to see what happens,” he said softly, his eyes meeting mine.

  As the ceremony began, his fingers moved slowly over my skin; smooth, warm, sensual.

  A simple gesture. Small, intimate, yet it felt a little bit like magic.

  I had the feeling it was the beginning of something good.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  “Kate never does find a Good Samaritan,” he was saying. I was interviewing directors for the motion picture version of Good Sam (a Netflix Original film), the first in the Kate Bradley Mystery series, and his comment was a part of his proposed approach to the film. I wondered what he meant. Of course Kate finds good people, I thought.

  His observation stayed with me for many weeks, and I began to realize its meaning. Without giving away any spoilers, in the first two books in the series, Kate investigates people doing good things for others, and both times she learns the reasons why they chose specific people to help.

  I began to think about the concept of a Good Samaritan. Perhaps he/she is someone who helps complete strangers, without knowing who they are or judging their needs or their worthiness. Could people like that actually exist, or is a Good Samaritan in the fantasy realm of superheroes?

  I wondered: Is it possible that we all have a little of this Good Samaritan superpower within us, waiting for the right experience to spark it into action?

  That question became the catalyst for The Good Stranger.

  While I was developing the idea, I was on set producing and writing the screenplay for Good Sam in Montreal, and although the days were long, the ideas floated in. The story swirled around me as, week after week, everyone around me spoke about Kate, Eric, and Jack as though they were real people, and each day brought discussions about Kate’s wardrobe or what the newsroom looked like.

  As we got closer to filming, the story for The Good Stranger grew more insistent. We were fortunate to cast Tiya Sircar (The Good Place) as Kate Bradley, and when I heard her speak in the first read through of the script, I had an almost out-of-body experience. Tiya so embodied Kate’s fearlessness, with the perfect balance of curiosity and vulnerability, that it felt as if I’d suddenly and irrevocably fallen into the world of Kate Bradley and that everything I’d once imagined had become real.

  At one point during filming, director Kate Melville asked if I would read Kate Bradley’s father’s lines in a scene. The real actor’s voice would be inserted later, but this would allow Tiya to act with someone saying her dad’s lines on the other end of a phone call. As Tiya/Kate spoke to me on the phone, I was overcome with emotion: I’m actually talking to Kate Bradley. She is real.

  That brought up many questions for me. If Kate Bradley is real, then what is she wrestling with? Who is she trying to become? What is she trying to figure out?

  That’s when I truly began to understand her next journey.

  I’m forever grateful to Lake Union Publishing editors Christopher Werner and Danielle Marshall for giving me the opportunity to write this novel and for their tireless work to bring it to readers. Their belief in me and in Kate’s world is truly an extraordinary gift of a lifetime. Thank you also to the stellar team at Lake Union—editor Krista Stroever, copy editor Bill Siever, proofreader Riam Griswold, author-relations manager Gabrielle Dumpit, and production manager Nicole Pomeroy—for their unwavering commitment to making my work stronger.

  To all my readers, thank you for embracing Kate Bradley’s world and for being ever present in my life. I’m truly fortunate to know you on social media (and, when I’m lucky, in person!), whether you’re sharing stories about the beautiful, good things people do in real life or telling me how Kate’s stories have inspired you or lifted your spirits. Your notes, your messages, your videos where you’re holding my books and cheering me on, and your stories about your “book hangovers” from one of my novels—all of you have buoyed and inspired me. Thank you for reading. You are truly the Good Samaritans in my life.

  Many pages of this novel were written at my friend (and author) Kes Trester’s beach home in Southern California, so if you’ve felt the optimism and hope in this story, some of that comes from me writing while gazing at the diamond light and ocean waves at her magical home. Thank you, Kes, for our brainstorming sessions under the stars.

  Thanks also to my friend, the journalist and documentary filmmaker Barbara Schroeder, for sharing her insights on what it’s like for a reporter to move from local news to a national news network.

  I’m also thankful for everyone who worked on the Good Sam film with me, from my producing partners in “good crime” Jesse Prupas, David McFadzean, and Matt Williams to the stellar cast members Tiya Sircar and Chad Connell (as Eric Hayes) to the outstanding Netflix team of Christina Rogers, Harry Lacheen, and Vivian Lin. Thank you for your inspired work in sharing a story of human goodness with millions.

  If you’re wondering how I can write so many stories about human kindness, you need look no further than my family. In the early-morning hours while I wrote this story before work, my husband, Paul, would often bring me chai lattes and slip plates of fresh avocado toast on the desk beside me. My daughter, Lauren, heard me read aloud sequences of the book and patiently listened as I rambled on about what I was trying to accomplish in those scenes. Thank you to all of my family—Paul, Ben, Jake, Lauren, and Alex—who put up with me and embraced the quirky rhythms of my writing periods.

  BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS

  1. When Kate discovers the balloons, flowers, and gift cards all around Manhattan, her colleagues suspect a scam or a marketing gimmick. Kate thinks people are afraid of seeming naive if they lean toward the positive. What do you think of Kate’s belief?

  2. When people in New York start fighting over the gift cards that have been left all around the city, the news media grabs hold of the story and makes it seem as though there is an “epidemic of bad people everywhere.” In general, how does the media’s portrayal of the bad things people do affect how you perceive others?

  3. When Kate confronts Raymond about his shouting in the hallway, she wonders, “Beneath his shark persona, might there be a goldfish?” Do you think it’s true that some people are “reeling in pain, disappointment, and loss and hiding that behind a tough exterior”?

  4. When someone breaks into and trashes Kate’s apartment, the event tests her belief that people are inherently good. Have you ever experienced a negative event that made you more suspicious and less trusting of others?

  5. After Kate hears Jordan’s concern for Marie, she lets him go and doesn’t call the police, even though he has been stalking her and sending her threatening notes. Do you think she was right to have compassion for him here?

  6. The Secret Four all talk about a leap they took with Marie. Marie defines the leap as “something you do without knowing” whether the outcome will be bad or good. Have you ever taken a leap in your life? What happened? Were you surprised by the outcome?

  7. When Marie’s flight is canceled and she looks at the stranded passengers, she thinks that “everyone here has it better than me,” but she learns that she was wrong about that. Have you ever assumed someone is better off than you are, only to realize they’re also struggling?

  8. Marie asks the others to “take a leap into a larger life.” What do you think she means by “a larger life”?

  9. Marie doesn’t want anyone to know who’s been behind all the good things happening around the city. She tells Kate, “Let them think it could be anyone. It could be the stranger they pass by every night on their way into work. Or the woman behind the counter at their favorite store. Or the taxi driver who’s driving them home.” Why do you think Marie gives these examples instead of letting people know she and the others are behind the good deeds?

  10. Why do you think Kate calls the Secret Four “the richest people in the world”?

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR


  Like her heroine Kate Bradley, award-winning and bestselling author Dete Meserve is always looking for people who are doing extraordinary good for others. Instead of tracking a killer or kidnapper, Meserve’s Kate Bradley Mysteries seek to uncover the helpers, the rescuers, and the people who inspire us with selfless acts of kindness. Good Sam is the first Kate Bradley Mystery, followed by Perfectly Good Crime. Kate also plays a pivotal role in Meserve’s stand-alone novel The Space Between, helping protagonist Sarah Mayfield solve the mystery behind her husband’s disappearance. The film adaptation of Good Sam premiered on Netflix in May 2019.

  When she’s not writing, Meserve is a film and television producer and a partner in Wind Dancer Films. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children—and two very good cats that rule them all. For more on the author and her work, visit www.detemeserve.com, or connect with her on Twitter @DeteMeserve and on Facebook at Facebook.com/GoodSamBook.