CHAPTER FIVE
A short time later, Kayla, Steve, and Hope arrived at the Pub. Ciara immediately rushed to hug her mother. "Mom, where have you been? We've been worried about you."
"I…" Hope looked at Kayla and Steve, and recalled Steve's order not to tell anyone what was going on. "I went to the hospital to check on your grandmother. She got a little dizzy, the stress of everything, but she's going to be all right."
Ciara breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. We don't need anymore tragedies, that's for sure."
Hope touched her daughter's cheek. "I second that, Sweetie. Don't worry, everything will be fine."
"But how?" Ciara demanded. "With Dad gone…I don't see how anything can ever be fine again."
Hope wanted to reassure her only daughter, but she had to hold her tongue. Hopefully, in 24 hours, their family could be whole again. She was determined this sick soul who had left the note in Bo's casket would not get away with it. And he would pay, and pay dearly.
If it even was a he. It was all so puzzling, Hope didn't know what to think.
Wearily, she sat down at an empty table. "Shawn, why don't you take your sister home?" she asked her son. "I have some things to do."
Shawn eyed her suspiciously. "What things? Mom, you look exhausted. You need to get some sleep. There is nothing that can't wait until later, is there?"
"Shawn Douglas, you know better than to argue with your mother," Hope said.
Shawn chuckled, though it could hardly qualify as laughter. "I'm my father's son, too—and he argued with you better than anybody."
"That he did." Hope sighed as she absently traced her fingertip against the tabletop. As she did so, she felt something underneath the tablecloth. Trying to appear casual, she said to her son, "Just take Ciara home with you tonight, ok? I'm afraid I'm in no shape right now to be any comfort for her, and like you said, you are your father's son. She needs you right now. Please, do this for me."
Shawn still didn't look certain, but he finally relented. "All right. I'll call you in the morning, ok?"
The kids reluctantly kissed their mother goodbye, then left, leaving Hope, Kayla, and Steve alone in the nearly-empty restaurant. As soon as the door closed, Hope ripped off the tablecloth, and saw an envelope taped there.
"He's been here," she gasped.
"What does it say?" Steve demanded as she ripped open the envelope.
Clue # 1:
Congratulations on finding the first clue; I didn't think it would take you long. You are a police officer, after all, good at seeking out clues and bringing criminals to justice. But I'm afraid you won't catch me, no matter how hard you try. It's the thrill of the hunt that excites you, not the capture itself. Keep that in mind.
Start by going back to the first place you ever kissed your husband. Look in the area where you planted your little tree. I think you'll be surprised by what you see.
"The first place I ever kissed my husband," Hope said. "That would be the park…we had some of our happiest moments there. What is this guy trying to do to me?" Angrily, she grabbed a vase off a nearby table and flung it against the window, shattering the glass.
"Wait…there's something else," Kayla said as she took the envelope. Three red tickets emerged, and Hope couldn't help but smile at the memory.
"I will find you, Bo," she whispered. "I don't know who's doing this, but I will find you. Just hang in there."