Letters in the Attic(45)
Feeling her heart pounding in her throat, Annie shook her head.
“I tried being polite before, Mrs. Dawson, but it didn’t seem to work. So now I’m telling you straight out. Stay away from my wife.”
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and stalked into the hardware store.
Annie stood frozen for a moment more; then she scrambled into her car and locked herself in. Her pulse was racing, but she didn’t want to sit around waiting for it to slow down and have him find her still there when he came out of the store.
She pulled out into the street, briefly considered stopping at Chief Edwards’ office or at least Ian’s, but decided to head straight home instead. By the time she pulled up in front of Grey Gables, her fear had galvanized into indignation, indignation that wasn’t smoothed over when she found Roy Hamilton on her front porch.
“Roy?”
He came up to her car and opened the door for her. “You’re home early.”
She pressed her lips together, praying for a quick infusion of patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. Roy Hamilton was the last thing she needed on a day like this.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on your place. I thought maybe our guy might show up once you were gone, and I think he might have.”
“Might have?”
“I really didn’t see much. I’m pretty sure there was somebody on your porch just a minute ago. I drove around the block, trying to see if I could spot him, but he was gone.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know. He had on a dark jacket with the collar turned up and one of those stocking caps pulled down to his eyebrows. To be honest, I couldn’t swear it was a man, but I’m reasonably sure it was.”
“Was he tall or short?”
“I’d say average. About 5 feet 10.”
“Heavyset?”
“No. Medium build. I guess it could have been something harmless. Maybe the guy was chasing his dog or something.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “Maybe I’m too suspicious all the time.”
“I hate to think I have to worry about my neighbors in a place like Stony Point.” Annie sighed. “Maybe you’re right, and it was a false alarm. I do appreciate you watching out for me though.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
“Thanks. See you around.”
“It’s kinda cold out today, isn’t it?” He rubbed his hands together. “Guess I’ll head on home and make me some coffee.”
“That’s a good idea. I think I’ll do the same thing.”
She started to unlock the door and realized that he was still standing there. He looked a little forlorn, as if he wished his valor had earned him more than mere thanks. Again she smiled.
“Would you like to join me?”
He didn’t have to be asked twice.
“You make a good cup of coffee, Annie. Sometimes a guy gets tired of those freeze-dried instant crystals.”
She opened the door and stopped where she was. Someone had pushed another blank envelope through her mail slot.
“Don’t touch it,” he warned. He pulled his gloves out of his jacket pockets and put them on. Then he picked up the envelope. “Mind if I look inside?”
“Go ahead.”
He flipped open the unsealed flap and pulled out the paper.
LET THE DEAD REST IN PEACE
Annie exhaled, her breath coming out in unsteady little puffs. Roy glanced at her.
“I guess it’s referring to this Susan again. Is that the impression you get?”
“Yes. It’s a little, um, unsettling. I don’t know what to think.”
“There’s no real threat here,” he reminded her. “Just like the last one. At least nothing that could be considered more than friendly advice.”
“No. That’s just it. I don’t know whether to be scared or not. I guess I’d better talk to Chief Edwards about it.”
“I’ll let him know. In the meantime, I don’t want you to worry about it. I’ll check this for prints and see what else I can find out.” He leaned toward her. “And I’ll look after you.”
She smiled, genuinely grateful. After her little chat with Tom Maxwell, it would be nice to know someone was watching out for her.
“Thanks, Roy. It’s a little scary when you’re on your own.”
“You always have Boots, right?”
She managed a laugh. “She can be pretty tough when she needs to be, that’s for sure.”
Both of them studied the note again. The words were made up of letters cut from the newspaper. The paper they were pasted to was like any you’d find in almost every household in the country—plain white, no watermark. The envelope was equally nondescript, though this one was a safety envelope, like the second one she had received.