Noel stared at the envelope for a moment.
Then he opened it.
He was expecting photographs. More pictures of him with the Ashford brothers, taken from windows and shadows, the killer's way of saying 'I see everything.' Or ivory flowers pressed flat between the pages, the way the first letters had come.
It was neither.
Just a single sheet of paper with neat and plain handwriting, as if he had taken his time to write everything.
He read it.
My Dearest Ivory,
I hope the evening treated you well.
I watched you tonight — at the restaurant, standing outside with the others, looking at what I left on the street. You didn't flinch. You didn't cry. You just looked at it.
That's one of the things I love most about you.
I want you to know that I am not angry about the guard. I understand why you fought for him. You have a loyal heart and I find that beautiful. But he is gone now and we can move forward. Just the two of us, the way it was always supposed to be.
