“Okay,” he said.
She took the baggie back from her dad. “May I keep this?” she asked Lucas.
“Sure.” He glanced at John, then said to Regan, “I updated my website tonight. When I was at the studio, about an hour before I got home.”
“Do you think that’s relevant to this message?” she asked.
Lucas pulled out his phone and showed her what he posted.
To the person who contacted me after Tuesday’s episode: we need to talk. Pick the time and place, and let me know. * Lucas
“It’s a good idea, but I wish you’d have talked to me about it first.” A dozen thoughts were running through her head simultaneously. Who saw the update? Is the killer tracking the podcast or website? Were they concerned about this letter and what it might contain? Would they pretend to be the letter writer in an effort to get close to Lucas, find out what else he knew?
“Why?”
“I’m concerned about your safety.”
“Because of this? Or because someone followed us last night?”
“You were followed?” John asked.
“I couldn’t get the plates, but yes, someone followed us off campus. I lost them, but they could have followed Lucas earlier, know where he lives.” She said to Lucas, “I don’t know if this threat is just to scare you or if it’s serious. But clearly, whatever you’re doing has someone concerned. Maybe it’s innocuous—someone at the sorority who is mad about the podcast. Maybe it’s dangerous, someone who knows more about the murder—or the killer himself.”
“Do you think whoever wrote the letter sent this threat? After knowing I want to talk to them?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“I’m in the dark,” John said. “What are you talking about? What letter?”
“Do you have it here?” she asked Lucas.
He went to his bedroom, and she said to her dad, “Someone left an anonymous letter at the studio for Lucas.”
Lucas handed the letter to John. A moment later he said, “She knows something. You’re right, it doesn’t seem to be the same person who sent this latest message.”
“Lucas, how do you normally get to and from the campus?” asked Regan.
“The bus.”
“Do you have a car?”
“Yes, a pickup truck, but—”
“For the next couple of days, don’t take the bus. Change your routine. Drive to campus. Take Uber. Go with Troy. Don’t walk the same path to classes. Don’t eat in the same place, don’t go to the same coffee shop. Change your habits—at least until I can find out more information. You can’t be too careful. Agreed?”
“I guess. But why? Do you think this is serious?”
“Part of my job was threat assessment. On the surface, this doesn’t seem to rise to that level, but I want to be cautious. You might consider informing Detective Young, even though the note is vague. Get it on record in case it escalates. He might be able to ask patrol to drive by your place a couple times a day, make sure everything is okay. Tell Troy about it, too, just so he can keep his eyes open.”
“If you think it’s necessary.”
“Personal security is always important. Just be careful. You’re beginning to grow on me.” She smiled, trying to make the conversation lighter so Lucas didn’t get too freaked out. She recognized that her time as a marshal made her see the world through different lenses. Personal security had become part of her life, a part that had become so routine she barely noticed.
But even being smart, safe, and cautious couldn’t protect everyone every minute of the day. She was a testament to that.
“Do you think Taylor James did this?” Lucas asked. “I mean, you talked to her this morning about the podcast. Maybe she knows where I live.”
Possible, she thought. She opened the baggie with the note again and smelled deeply.
“What are you doing?” Lucas asked, his nose wrinkling.
“Taylor is a chain-smoker. Anything she touches would likely smell of nicotine. She seemed jumpy, agitated, angry to me. Defeated. Clearly she’s not living the life she expected after graduating. I don’t smell anything.” She paused, considered. “But still I’ll talk to her again. Do you mind if I check your windows and locks?”
“Go ahead.”
She walked Lucas through basic home security measures. She wasn’t sold that the note was a threat, but it was odd, and clearly geared to discourage Lucas from continuing the podcast.