“Take me back to the coast,” I said.

“There’s something I need to read.”

By two o’clock the rain had stopped, leaving the waterfront park wet and deserted.

The wind off the sea was sharp, carrying the salty smell of the water.

I walked past the empty wooden playground and sat down on a green bench looking out at the lake shore.

Brown oak leaves lay across the wet grass around my shoes.

I reached inside my heavy wool coat and took out the square white envelope I’d removed from the drawer of Evelyn’s bedside desk weeks before.