Derrick follows Minnette’s request and takes the anonymous letter into his small home office, rereading it under a table lamp with heightened skepticism.

With each reading, Derrick’s initial defenses soften as he notices a consistent tone of sincerity, innocence, timidity, and even humor in the writer’s self-description. Despite this, Derrick remains uneasy about the sender’s secrecy, the effort taken to identify and contact Minnette, and the many unanswered questions.

Later in bed, Minnette presses Derrick for his judgment. Derrick admits he is still concerned, but not enough to stop them from going—he begins to believe the writer may truly be an elderly man who wants to give Minnette a gift, though he cannot understand the motive.

They agree on a cautious plan for Thursday: arrive and keep a safe distance from the fountain, look for the “heather-green flat cap,” and leave or call the police if the situation seems wrong or dangerous. Minnette jokes about how unusual it is for two highly cautious professionals to take any risk, but frames the meeting as a chance to encounter genuine kindness.