Click!
A faint sound came from outside the window. Schiller, who had been dozing in his chair, jolted awake. After getting to his feet and walking to the window, he saw that the mailman had arrived. The sound had come from the mailbox flag being pressed down.
Schiller pushed open the door and walked outside. The mailman was a young Mexican man. When he saw Schiller emerge, he flashed a brilliant smile and waved. "Hello, sir. I heard you're the new resident."
"Yes. Did you come all this way just to say hello?" Schiller's thoughts were still a little sluggish. Realizing that sounded rather sharp, he immediately added, "Don't worry, I won't report a stranger carrying a mailbag. Though perhaps that gives thieves an opening."
The mailman realized he was joking, so he smiled again. "Though I'd love to do that, my work hours are tight, and quite a few people have moved in recently. I can't greet every household one by one, so I can only come by when they receive their first letter."
"I have a letter?"
"Of course." The mailman took a letter from his mailbag, but instead of handing it directly to Schiller, he placed it in the already-open mailbox. Then he said, "It was mailed last night, but there's no address or sender listed. Perhaps you should take a look."
The mailman waited by the door. With mysterious letters like this, he generally made sure they weren't dangerous or threatening. If they were, the resident might ask him to testify, and it would be too troublesome to come running back later. The best approach was to wait there until the police arrived.
Schiller took the letter from the mailbox. He appreciated the mailman's caution; perhaps that was the main reason he could work in the