He didn’t know when it happened, when he’d really got over Amanda and let himself be open to falling for someone else. Maybe it was a long time ago, but he’d been so obsessed with Candace Swain’s murder that he couldn’t see it. All he knew was that for the first time, he was optimistic—that even though it took him nearly four years to find a girl, he’d found someone he really liked, who was smart and funny and cute. Maybe it wouldn’t work out. Maybe it would. But it was okay...because he felt like an unacknowledged weight had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders.

He was really looking forward to finishing this podcast, solving Candace’s murder, and putting the past completely behind him.

When he reached his apartment door, he noticed the lights were all off: Troy must be out with Denise. He unlocked the door and as he opened it, he noticed a paper sticking out from under his mat. He picked it up and flipped on the lights.

Lucas dropped his backpack on the couch. The envelope was standard, plain and white. On the front, his name was written in a red Sharpie in thick, perfect block letters.

His stomach tightened. Something felt creepy, like he was being watched. But that was stupid—he was inside his apartment.

He looked out the front window. The street was quiet, dark, except for a streetlight on the corner. Cars were parked up and down both sides, which was common for this area. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

“Don’t be so paranoid,” he said out loud.

He opened the envelope. Written in the same red marker, in the same perfect block letters, was a short message.

LEAVE IT ALONE.

Twenty-One

After having one too many margaritas, Regan tossed her dad her car keys. She’d told him about Lucas’s call and the threatening letter. “I know it’s serious, not only because he called instead of texting me but because he sounded scared.”

“He should call the police.”

“I’ll check on him first, see what’s going on. You’re probably right. It’s not far from here.” She wasn’t drunk but figured her BAC was over the legal limit. She asked the waitress for coffee to go to help clear her head, then over her objection her dad took care of the bill.

Over dinner, she’d told her father about her divorce being final, as well as her decision not to return to the Marshals Service. Neither was unexpected, but both brought about a sense of closure that made her feel simultaneously lighter and sad. And her dad didn’t judge her or question her, just accepted her decision.

She directed her dad to Lucas’s apartment. “You can wait here, if you’d like,” she said.

“I’d like to meet this young man,” her father said.