They didn’t get it. Maybe no one could. To understand, you had to live the life she led, and lose everything. Because this was not funny. “I depend on Dom’s intel.”

For the first time since they sat down, Connor smiled. “Intel?”

“Most of it is probably accurate, but not all,” Sylvia said. “While he’s watching over the island, he’s making sure he’s the only one with the correct information.”

“All this time . . .” Maddie didn’t even know what to say. She thought she had all of the information she needed, that she was being careful. “I’ve been so sure the person writing the notes lived off island.”

“Because?” Connor asked.

“There really isn’t a reason for someone living here to hate me. Until recently, I’ve mostly just been a voice on an answering machine. People didn’t know or see me.”

“Before you, she kept to herself and never walked into the Lodge and sat down for dinner,” Sylvia said to Connor.

“Anyway.” Maddie heard the edge to her voice and fought to even out her tone. “I assumed the person came in on the water taxi or ferry, but anything is possible, and it’s all scary.”

Sylvia nodded. “Now you’re worried the person might already be on Whitaker.”

“Any chance the threats and not knowing where they’re coming from or who is on the island means you’ll be more careful?”

She seriously considered ignoring Connor’s question. She would have if she had any control over her thoughts right now, but she didn’t. New worries pummeled her. All these doubts she kept at bay flooded her.

“I’m watched by you and Ben every single minute of the day.” By the time she got to the end of the sentence she was yelling and everyone in the room stared at her. No one pretended not to notice her now.

Sylvia’s eyes widened. “Oh.”

“Wow,” Connor said at the same time.

Maddie swallowed a few times, struggling to get her firing emotions under control. “I appreciate the concern.”

“Sure sounds like it.”

Great, his dripping sarcasm had returned. Lucky her. “You have to be sick of me by now.”

“I’m getting there, mostly thanks to this conversation.”

Maddie slid off the barstool. It was time to go. She preferred the idea of sitting in Ben’s windowless, suffocating office to this.

Sylvia reached across the bar and touched Maddie’s arm. “You can set up here.”

Connor slammed his mug down on the bar hard enough for it to make a rattling sound. “She’s sleeping at my place.”

That seemed to get everyone’s attention. They stopped staring at her and looked at him. More than a few of the older ladies smiled.

Maddie wanted to crawl back into bed . . . Of course, she wasn’t even sleeping in her own bed right now.