Lib Novel Page 63
“How did she know they were hers?”
“Same brand, same size, same color. They were her favorites, and not something you could get locally. She ordered them online.”
“Was any of her underwear missing?”
“To be honest, it was hard to tell. It could have been a different pair. But who would have known what kind of underwear she wore, other than Tanner?”
“So she believed Tanner had sent them to her.”
She nodded. “She was afraid he’d been in her house. That he’d done it to show her he could still get to her.”
“Did she report the incident to the sheriff’s department?”
“No. I told her to, but she wouldn’t listen. She said they wouldn’t do anything, so why bother.”
“Did Tanner have a key or other access to her home?”
“He shouldn’t have. She changed the locks when they broke up. Not that it stopped him.”
“Was she aware that someone had been in her house? Were there any other signs of a break in?”
“Not that I know of.”
“You said she received packages, as in more than one. Do you recall how many there were?”
“There were two.”
“What was in the second one?”
Her eyebrows drew together. “Flowers.”
“Fresh flowers, or dried?”
“Fresh. A bouquet. She thought Tanner was trying to apologize, but there wasn’t a note.”
“What kind of flowers were they?”
“They were all white, with lilies.”
“Do you know where they came from? Was it a local florist?”
“I don’t know. I remember the box they came in was like the first—blank. No logo or stickers or anything.”
“Was there postage on the packages? Had they actually been shipped?”
She paused, as if considering. “You know, I don’t remember. It seems like there was, but I don’t actually know for sure.”
Damn.
“In the case notes, it indicates that you told law enforcement about the packages. But it doesn’t look like they took them into evidence or treated them as part of the case. What did they tell you about them?”
“They said it was probably Tanner. Seemed like something an angry ex would do. Without any evidence that he’d broken in, there wasn’t much they could do about it. And I think once they realized he couldn’t have killed her, whether or not he sent her a pair of her own underwear or flowers was irrelevant.”
“Do you know if he ever admitted to sending either package?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure if they ever asked him.”
“The case notes indicate he was cleared as a suspect because he was in Alaska at the time of her disappearance. Was there any indication that the packages came from Alaska?”