Gurney asked her to read it to him. He wanted to be sure it was the same message he’d received himself.

It was identical.

“What should we do?” she asked. “Should we call the police?”

Gurney told her that he’d received the same message and that he was only minutes away from a meeting at which he’d be passing it along to the state police and the FBI. But he did have a question for her. “How was the envelope addressed?”

“That’s the scariest part.” Her voice was trembly. “The outer envelope was addressed to Kyle here at his apartment, but there was a second envelope inside it that had my name on it—which means the Good Shepherd must know I’m here, that we’re here together. How could he know that?”

When Meese’s nasty phone message had prompted Madeleine to ask a similar question the night before, Gurney had dismissed the possibility of a physical tail. Now he wasn’t so sure.

“How could he know?” Kim repeated, her voice rising.

“He might not actually know that you’re there together. He might just believe that Kyle would have a way of reaching you, of getting the message to you.” Even as he was saying this, he realized it didn’t make a lot of sense, that he was mainly trying to calm her.

It didn’t seem to be working. “Overnight mail means he wanted me to get it this morning. And he used both our names. So he must know we’re both here!”

That logic was less than perfect, but Gurney wasn’t about to debate it. For a moment he considered bringing the NYPD into the affair, if for no other reason than to get a uniform to pay them a visit, creating the illusion of protection. But the confusion, crossed wires, and need for explanations that would ensue outweighed the practical benefits. The bureaucratic bottom line was that there was no concrete evidence of an imminent threat to them, and involving the NYPD would likely start with an argument and end in a mess.

“Here’s what I want you to do. I want you to stay in the apartment—both of you. Make sure the door is locked. Don’t open it for anyone. I’ll call you again after my meeting. In the meantime if there’s any tangible threat—or any communication at all beyond the message you’ve already received—call me immediately. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now, let me ask you about something else: Can you access the video record of your interview with Jimi Brewster?”

“Yes, sure. I have a copy right here on my iPod.”

“With you?”

“Yes.”

“In a format you can e-mail me?”

“Depends on how large a document your e-mail server will accept. I’ll reduce the resolution to minimize the file size, and there shouldn’t be any problem.”