Police Seek Record of a Bookstore's Patrons nvestigators believe that if they can tie up one loose end — confirming that the books were received by the
person named on the envelope — they can be certain the recipient was the laboratory owner and they can
arrest him. Lt. Lori Moriarty, the task force commander, said that would "turn a probable cause case into
proof beyond reasonable doubt."

And the surest way to do that, Lieutenant Moriarty added, is by retrieving the sales record from Tattered
Cover, which investigators have tried through a search warrant.

But using sales receipts of books to solve a crime has raised concerns among booksellers, publishers and
privacy groups, who are watching the case closely for its implications on the First Amendment's rights of free
speech and privacy. Because of this, the store owner, Joyce Meskis, has refused to comply with the warrant,
arguing that customers, even suspected felons, have a right to privacy no matter the subject of the books they
buy.