“I need my morning coffee.”

“You and Lucy.”

They sat down and ordered, then Sean said, “You’re going to have to be careful—technically, you broke the law by extracting this photo from the mail slot, even if it’s not in use by the post office.”

He had the picture in a plastic evidence bag. She’d dropped it off at his house last night.

“I would argue that whoever slipped that photo in the slot committed the crime because there’s no stamp on it. And the post office didn’t deliver it.”

“Good luck.”

“I don’t need luck. I have good lawyers.”

Sean grinned. “I have some answers for you.”

“Fast. You could have led with that.”

“The paper is generic photo-printer paper available at any number of stores, the ink a decent color printer, but not commercial. Nothing embedded in the image, no markings on the back. I haven’t tracked the house down yet, but I have some guesses. The Explorer is registered to Marie Richards.”

“I didn’t see a license plate.”

“I knew that Marie owned a white Ford Explorer, and when I scanned the photo and enlarged it I got a partial. It matches.”

“It’s a threat.”

Sean didn’t say anything because he couldn’t disagree with her.

“Someone is keeping tabs on her—and they want her to know it.”

“Do you believe Stanley Grant?” Sean asked. “That his sister is in danger?”

“His lawyer was convincing—not that his lawyer believed it, only that his lawyer believed Grant was worried. He’ll talk to me as long as he knows his sister is safe. This photo tells me that she may not be.”

“Where’s David? This is right up his alley.”

“In California visiting his daughter. And I have you, so he can stay put.” She looked at Sean, eyebrows raised in question. “I do have you, correct?”

“Yes, but we’re going to have to be careful walking this line.”

“What line? Are you still hung up on the mail slot?”

“No. But, Max—I think you forget that I’m married to a federal agent. I’m really good at walking the line, but I can’t go over it.”

She stared at him. She had worked with Sean enough to know that his line and the legal line didn’t always match up.

He tried to hide his smile, then cleared his throat. “I’m serious, we have to be careful here.”

“I am,” she said. “Did you call your SAPD contact?”

“Not for this—I can’t abuse that relationship, so I’m saving my requests for something I can’t learn on my own. Instead, I contacted the school where Marie works. She called in sick yesterday but is expected in this morning.”

“And they just told you that?”

“Do you doubt me?”

She almost laughed. She appreciated how resourceful Sean was.