Page 82 of Daddy, Sir

When a few people nodded, Audra and Matt offered to help. Within a matter of minutes, I was seated in a chair next to Landon, my hands wrapped around a mug of coffee to keep them from trembling.

“Fiona?”

“Huh?” I looked from the contents of my mug to where a pair of purple gloves was being extended by Reggie. I’d learned he was the official “science guy” of the team.

“This is the first time we have a chance to hopefully lift some prints other than yours or anyone on the team who’ve handled the slips of paper.”

“Oh, right, thanks,” I said, accepting the gloves and working my fingers into the latex as he passed them out until everyone at the table wore a pair.

Landon picked up the scissors I’d provided him from my sewing basket and cut around the area of the bag where the tape had been applied. He handed the bag to Reggie who put it in yet another bag. I pictured any one of the many forensic shows I’d watched and could only hope their ability to solve crimes wasn’t solely based on some super cool woman in a white lab coat down in the basement. I didn’t have a lab coat, much less a basement.

Shaking my head, I concentrated on what Landon was doing, my fingers locked around my coffee mug. The flight aspect of the fight or flight impulse was screaming at me to run, but I was determined to keep myself anchored. Everyone in this room was here for me and I’d stand with them no matter what it cost.

I was trying to figure out how Landon was going to get the tape off the paper without destroying it when I realized he wasn’t attempting to do that. Instead, he was carefully using just the tips of the scissors to cut what I realized was another plastic bag. This one was much smaller, about the size of a business card… or a folded piece of paper. The second bag had served as protection against the ice and water while in the cooler. It took a few minutes but when Landon used a pair of tweezers to pull the slip of paper free, I wanted to jump up and throw my arms around him.

Remaining seated, I held my breath until he pressed one side of the slip over so it was no longer folded. Though I couldn’t read the words, I could see black ink against the white of the paper.

“Read it, Daddy,” I said softly.

He looked up and I saw a man I’d never seen before. There was a look in his eyes that had me catch my breath before I recognized it as the one I imagined any soldier who’d stood face to face with an enemy wore. A determination that if necessary, he’d give his life to hold the line, to protect those in his care. Though I felt my eyes welling, it wasn’t from fear of this man. It was pride. The honor of being in his presence, in the presence of everyone seated around my table.

“I’m okay, read it so we can find him and end this.”

He didn’t nod, just dropped his gaze to the paper and read:

You’ll not know the day, the minute, nor the hour,

But you’ll learn it is I, not he, who possesses the poweR.

I was about to speak when he looked up at me.

“There’s another line.”

“Another? There’s never been more than two lines,” Matt said.

“What letter is capitalized?” Zeke asked.

“The ‘R’ in power,” Reggie said, evidently able to read upside down from where he sat.

I heard the others, but I kept my eyes on Landon. “What do you mean another line?”

Landon turned it so I could see the note even as he read the words aloud while I read them silently.

Soon, Augusta?—

“Wait, it’s a woman?” Tommy asked.

“No, I don’t think so. I don’t think it’s a signature, I think he’s addressing Fiona,” Audra said.

“But her name isn’t Augusta.”

“Yes, it is.” While the others’ glances bounced between Audra, Landon and I as we’d spoken those words at the exact same time, Landon’s eyes moved to look not at his team, but at the shelves across the room.

“Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?” Zeke reached across Reggie to grab the note, snarling, “I’m not an idiot!” when Tommie reminded him to be careful.

“I know who it is,” I whispered and when Landon’s eyes shot to me, I jumped from my chair. “Oh my God! I know who it is!”

I tried to climb over Landon who was tilting his chair back, not to block me, but to keep from getting hot coffee from pouring into his lap. I’d totally forgotten I’d been holding a full mug of coffee, simply dropping it when the puzzle pieces clicked into place.

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