Page 76

Lara looked surprised and then thoughtful. “This was addressed to you?”

“Yes.”

Jocasta, who had taken the seat beside Ellery, sucked in a breath and said, “It looks exactly like the letters Lara’s been getting. Same paper. Same writing. It’s even the same message as the last one.”

“Is it?” Lara asked blankly. She studied the card, shrugged. “You’ve seen one death threat; you’ve seen them all.”

“Are you sure it’s the same?” Ellery asked Jocasta.

“Positive.”

Not exactly science, was it? “Is Neilson around?” Ellery asked. “Could he take a look at this?”

“He’s over at the festival grounds,” Jocasta said.

Ellery bit his lip. “Okay. Thanks.” He picked up the card, slid it back into the envelope, stuck the envelope back in the plastic baggie, and departed.

* * * * *

An hour later, Ellery walked into Pirate’s Cove very small,veryquiet police station.

It wasn’t his imagination, right? Everyone seemed to be tiptoeing around the building.

Ellery was ushered into Jack’s office by the same youthful female he’d witnessed getting chewed out the evening before. She closed the door on him with the air of a zoo keeper serving a tiger his first course.

Jack looked up. His eyes looked very blue in his unexpectedly stern face.

Unexpectedlystern, because Jack had been in an excellent mood when he’d left Captain’s Seat that morning.

“Hey,” Ellery said.

“Hey.”

As Ellery approached the desk, his gaze fell on the copy of theScuttlebutt Weeklylying on Jack’s desk blotter. The banner headline read, A RUSH TO JUDGEMENT?

Uh oh.

Following his gaze, Jack remarked, “It seems you’re not alone in feeling I should’ve held off charging Dylan.”

“Oh hell. Jack.”

“It’s fine. It comes with the territory.”

“I’m sorry. Anyone who knows you, knows you’re—”

“It’s okay.” Jack was brusque. What did you need?”

Ellery held up the green baggie. “I showed this to Lara and Jocasta. They think it’s the same.”

Jack made no move to take the plastic bag. “They think it’s the samewhat?”

“They think their death threats were written by the same person who’s sending me threats. They think we have the same poison pen pal.”

Jack’s brows knotted together. He opened his desk drawer, pulled out a pair of black nitrile gloves, and took the envelope from Ellery. He drew out the envelope, removed the letter inside, and silently read I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!! without expression.

“Fairplay determined hers came from the same author based on eyeballing your letter? She didn’t keep her own letters, correct?”

“Right. Correct. I know it’s not forensic proof, but this isn’t about prosecuting anyone.”