He rolled over slightly groaning as he felt pain spike through his leg. He buried his face deeper in the pillow, trying not to remember why his leg hurt badly. He stretched his hand out, looking out for his wife's warm body. He opened his eyes when he didn't feel her beside him.

"Clarisse?" He called looking around without getting up, "Clarisse!" He called, suddenly becoming worried, his sense becoming all too aware.

"Joseph, Joseph, what's wrong?" Clarisse asked hurrying out of the bathroom. He collapsed against the pillows.

"I…I" he shook his head, he had felt terrified. Clarisse could apparently read it in his eyes, she sat down and placed her hand against his forehead.

"You're still running a fever, Joseph I'd feel better if you let me get the doctor for you."

"I'm fine Clarisse, and if everything works out, this will all be over soon," he whispered looking at her. She nodded.

"I certainly hope so; you don't look like you can take much more of this."

"Joseph!" Steven, on of the security men; came bursting into their room, Joe looked up at his friend with surprise on his face.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"We just got this a few minutes ago," Steven said holding the letter out.

Dear Joseph

So you have completely figured me out, now your biggest problem is figuring out who I am. Good luck with that. As you know this will continue Joseph…each day another will die until you either locate me or I kill you. You know what I want Joseph, and I want you,

Positively Yours

Prince

He shook his head…then suddenly a thought popped into his head, "Steven, go find Mia and Nicholas, get them here, without bring them near any windows." Steven nodded and hurried out the door.

"What's wrong Joseph?" Clarisse asked gently.

"It's someone in our staff Clarisse, I swear it is, it must be, I've had two cards with the guy basically telling me he knows I know. Clarisse he couldn't possibly know that unless he was in the briefing room with us when Lily figured the thing out. I have the feeling you were yesterday's target until he shot Lily, the day after Lily figured out his pattern. It makes sense. It's someone in this palace."

"Any ideas who?" Clarisse asked.

"A few, but…I want him to give it away, the fact is he has the chance to come and get me any time. I can't exactly get up and run away, so I'm going to try and trick him out of this."

"I don't like the sound of that Joseph."

"You're worried about me being sick, if I can fake sick and you tell the security guys about it, maybe he'll come and try to get me tonight and kill me. Look it may be the only way, he's getting clumsy."

"Joseph…"

"Shh…." They paused when Nicholas, Mia, Lily, and Steven came inside.

"Morning grandpa, how are you feeling?" Mia asked. Joseph eyed Steven, not oblivious to the look he was getting from the man.

"Um, not so hot," he replied. Mia was slightly surprised by this, Joseph was not a person to openly admit feeling bad, "Steven, could you go find Shades and Lionel and bring them back here, Shades should be out of bed."

"Yes sir," with that the man in black disappeared.

"You think it's Steven?" Clarisse asked as the three friends entered the room, closing the door behind them, "Joseph he's been here longer than you have, he was here two years before you were here."

"This is exactly why it would make sense that he's angry at me. Think about it Clarisse, he was passed up to be your security officer, instead he got put on the boys, until they were adults, he also got passed up for the job of head of security. Wouldn't you be mad if that happened to you?"

"It does make sense Grandma…or at least it would if I understood what you were talking about," Nicholas chuckled as did Joseph and Clarisse.

"Joseph thinks one of our own is trying to kill him, apparently he thinks it's Steven."

"It wouldn't put it past him, he's got a nasty temper," explained Lily.

"So what do we do?" Nicholas asked.

"We lure him to us, he wants me, we give him a shot at me, literally."

"Such as?"

"I pretend I'm much sicker than you thought, you bring in the doctor, have him make a very loud comment, with Steven in the room that I've got an infection, and that I may no make it through the night. Then tonight we get Shades, Lionel, Kip, and four of our other security officers, and we give him a shot at me."

"No Joseph… absolutely not, I won't let you take this risk."

"There's really no option, based on what I've read already someone else is going to get shot today, and I think it may be Nicholas or Mia. I can't let them get hurt, this may be the only way, besides I trust them all. You'll be telling Mia something in their room, out of the way, as soon as we know everything is safe…well you'll know."

"I don't like this," Mia stated.

"I don't either," completed Nicholas.

"I don't see another option, think about Lily, Steven was in the room when you were going over the letters wasn't he."

"Of course we all were."

"Was he anywhere nearby when I was shot?" Lily thought for a moment.

"No, he had been assigned to do crowd duty…" Nicholas replied.

"And when Shades got hit?"

"He was on break…"

"And he's the only other person who knows Bobby Cranston, because Bobby used to work for us at the palace until he retired."

"Sir, here are Shades and Lionel," Steven said reporting back.

"Great, thank you Steven, could you go do a perimeter check please?" Steven nodded again and headed out.

"What's up boss?" Lionel asked.

"Shades how do you feel?"

"Much better Joseph, I'll feel better when we catch the guy whose doing this."

"Good because we're going to catch them. And here's how…"