From her purse she removed a small envelope containing the cost of my new glasses and a receipt for the repair of my broken porch lantern.
“My lawyer arranged the payment,” she explained.
“I wanted to bring it myself.”
I accepted the envelope.
“Thank you.”
“Can I ask whether you have heard from Molly?”
“Only through her advocate, and nothing beyond what you’ve been told.”
Gloria closed her eyes.
“I needed to ask.”
“I understand.”
Then she left with Marian, who waited several feet away rather than intervening.
I watched the two sisters walk to their car and realized the street would never return to the easy familiarity it had once had.
But it might become something more honest.
The summer heat arrived early in Bellhaven.
Tess’s science fair project won a small prize for clarity of explanation, which she celebrated by buying a very large milkshake and refusing to share it.
She wanted to spend more time at my house that month because her mother was attending a training course across the state.
We adjusted the schedule after talking through the safety concerns.
I installed a stronger lock, improved the porch lighting, and made sure Tess knew how to contact trusted adults if anything happened.
I did not teach her to fear every neighbor.
We walked to the river path, took photographs of herons standing in the reeds, and argued about which science-fiction movie had the least convincing sound effects.
For a few hours, the ordinary world seemed large enough to hold the investigation without being swallowed by it.
Then a white envelope appeared in my mailbox.
There was no return address.
Inside was a photograph of Tess entering my garage.
On the back someone had written, YOU THINK YOUR FAMILY IS PRIVATE?
I felt the air leave my chest.
I did not show the photograph to Tess.
I called Claire, then Detective Ward, and asked them to meet me at the house.
It was the first threat that used my daughter’s image directly.
I had been frightened for myself before.
This was different.
The photograph had been taken from the sidewalk through a gap between parked cars.
The visible shadows suggested late afternoon, but they did not reveal a precise date.
Investigators reviewed nearby camera footage after obtaining permission from the owners.
They identified a small silver vehicle stopping along the street on two afternoons when Tess visited.
The registration belonged to a rental fleet.
The rental company supplied information through the lawful process.
