As I finish my tea, my gaze falls on the stack of letters I’d put to one side. I sift through them one by one. A glossy brochure in a transparent plastic wrapper addressed to Abi. An electricity bill. The offer of a new credit card from a bank I’ve never heard of. And a charity begging letter seeking donations for a new animal sanctuary, complete with the obligatory pictures of sad-looking dogs.
Lastly, I open the plain white envelope, imagining it’s one of those clever marketing campaigns to trick you into thinking you’ve received an actual letter from a real person. Inside is a single sheet of milk-white paper. Curious, I unfold it and smooth it out on the table. There are four printed lines of text. No company name or logo. No sales pitch. No fancy marketing copy. I turn the sheet over, but it’s blank on the other side. It’s weird. As I read, my breath catches in my throat.
One death was too much.
Two is unbearable.
An eye for an eye seems only fair after what you’ve done.
So now I have nothing left to lose, I’ll see you in hell.
I read it over again twice more with my hand trembling and the sensation that the ground is falling away under my chair.
One death was too much?
Whose death?
And two is unbearable?
I immediately think of the Farrows. I bet this is their work. Its exact meaning isn’t entirely clear, but the sentiment is obvious. I was right. They blame Abi for Jimmy and Dean’s convictions. And now they want revenge.
An eye for an eye?
I’ll see you in hell?
It chimes with the message etched into the glass on Abi’s Mini. I flush hot and cold. This feels serious. Is it a death threat? What else can it possibly be? And whoever wrote it must have been to the house to deliver it. That means they came right up the drive and stood on the doorstep.
I should call Abi. But what about the girls? Are they in danger? Should I collect them from school early, just in case? Or am I overreacting? It’s only a letter. Words on a piece of paper. But the tone and the language are deeply disturbing.
Perhaps I should call the police. Or is it better to ignore it?
I have absolutely no idea what to do.
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