Mercer told Isla and Tamsin everything he could that morning. He left out the Ledger, because speaking of it would cost him more pain than he could afford. But he told them about the letters, the black wax, the courier who stopped coming, and the warning written in his mother's hand.
They met in the office above the warehouse, where the smell of stored grain drifted up through the floorboards. Tamsin sat on the edge of the desk with her arms crossed. Isla stood by the window and read the new letter for the third time.
"The handwriting could be forged," Isla said. "I have two files on families who received letters like this. Both times, the person who wrote them was already held by Hale."
"Keston said the same thing."
"Then he's right about that much." She lowered the page. "If Hale has
