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“Where did these come from? Did you hire someone to follow your husband?”

“No,” I said. “They just showed up. I’m staying at the Bayview. Someone left them for me. Someone who knows I was there. Someone might be following me.”

“Okay. Where is Lock now?”

“I don’t know. I mean… he’s away on business. New York.”

“Mina, I’m really sorry. This must be devastating for you. Is there anything I can do?”

I looked up. Roy’s face was full of concern, but also pity.

“You don’t understand,” I said. “The ribbon. The rules. Just like Corrine said.”

“You think Corrine Egan is involved in this? You think this is her?” He looked back at the photos, squinting, and cocking his head. “This could be anyone.”

“Well, it’s not me! And Corrine gave you my underwear.”

“What?”

“The blue underwear she dropped off as evidence. They’re mine, Roy. I don’t know how she got them. I don’t know why she’s doing any of this. Or maybe Lock’s doing it.”

“Okay,” Roy said. “I think you just… Mina, I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry. But you don’t seem okay. You’re saying Lock’s out of town?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. Maybe, under the circumstances, that’s a good thing. Give yourself a chance to clear your head. Did you argue with him?”

“No, he doesn’t know I have those photos. Or at least, I don’t think he does. I just… I guess I don’t know anything anymore. Maybe he sent them.”

Roy put an arm around me. It was odd. I’d never had physical contact with him more than a handshake at best. He was handling me. I realized what all of this must sound like. I was a frantic woman who had just found out her husband was cheating on her.

“Roy, Corrine is involved somehow. There was a note. She had to have written it. It was addressed to Matt Woodson and I found it under our bed.”

“Can you show it to me?”

I reached into the side compartment of my purse where I’d kept the letter. It was gone. I checked every other compartment. I turned my purse upside down and dumped it.

“It was here!” I said, panicked. “Roy, it was here!” Was I really losing my mind?

“Okay. We’ll figure this out, Mina. Try to hold it together, okay? This is all a horrible shock. I get that.”

“We need to find her,” I said. “We need to find Corrine Egan and you need to bring her in for questioning. I think she’s the one who painted my car. I think she’s the one who killed that dove and left it on my porch.”

“A dove?”

“My little dove. Don’t you remember? She said Matt called her that. That’s what Lock calls me.”

“Okay. Mina, don’t go home. I agree it’s not the best place for you right now.”

Home. My home with Lock? If Corrine killed the dove, stole a pair of my underwear, and maybe even stole the letter out of my purse, it meant she’d been in my home! Had Lock brought her there?

“I have to go,” I said, feeling panic starting to rise.

“Where will you be, Mina?”

“I don’t know. Not the Bayview. Someone knew I was there and sent those. There’s more than one hotel in town. I’ll find one.”

“Okay. Do that. Get a good night’s sleep. We’ll talk more in the morning. You have my cell. It’s gonna be okay.”