Dearest Edwin,
My heart is no longer my own, as you shall soon discover. As I sat in church yesterday morn and listened to Reverend Mathers, I could not focus attention for the pain I was experiencing. Guilt and shame threatened to bleed my soul of any portion, but I could not, would not, give up. Yet, even as I sit here and write this by the light of a full moon, I wonder what course I should take. Shall I have the courage to leave you this note? I can only pray that for once, I will do what is right in the eyes of my God.
Please know that my love for you was as real as the air I breathe. I shall never forget you, not even if I could live a thousand lives.
Forever in your gratitude,
D
Jack sunk onto the stool at the counter. He pulled off the gloves and ran a hand through his nearly black hair. Even after reading the letter twice, he didn’t know what to make of the contents. The words were hauntingly beautiful, achingly woeful.
Who wasD? Who was Edwin? What experience had caused her to write such a painful letter? Uncomfortable emotions rode his spirit. Reading the letter felt like an invasion of D’s privacy, yet he didn’t regret his actions. Perhaps she’d never meant for anyone to find it, but he couldn’t shake the conviction he was meant to stumble upon that bottle this morning.
Maybe he was getting ahead of himself. For all he knew, the letter could be fiction. Anyone could have written it. Possibly to cause a stir or bring more attention to Grace Harbor now that the treasure gossip had died down.
That still small voice inside him whispered the letter was authentic.
“What am I supposed to do with it?” he asked, more to himself than the walls around him.
He needed help, but he wasn’t ready to divulge his find to just anyone. Only one person came to mind who he knew would appreciate what he’d found, but whom he could also trust to not spread the news around town.
Grabbing his phone, he scrolled through his phone and found Anna Forde’s number. Anna and Kelly had been best friends since childhood, and since Jack and Anna were both emergency contacts for Reagan at school, Kelly wanted them to have each other’s contact information should anything ever happen.
Anna also happened to be a history teacher and knew in-depth centuries of Grace Harbor’s history. If anyone could decipher D’s letter, Anna could. He hit dial, waited for her to answer.
“Hello,” she said, sleepily.
“Anna? Did I wake you up?” He glanced at the time, not realizing how early the hour was.
“Yes, yes, and who is this?” Her voice sounded farther away from the phone then she came back, her voice alert and concerned. “Jack? Did something happen to Kelly? Is the baby fine?”
“She’s fine, everything is fine.” He kicked himself for not thinking this through. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it’s not even eight yet.”
“It’s fine,” she answered, her tone confused. “But why are you calling if Kelly is fine?”
“It’s nothing. I can call you back later at a reasonable hour.”
“I’m awake now. What’s going on?” Footsteps echoed through the line and then a fumbling that he recognized suspiciously as getting a pot of coffee brewing.
“When I was out for a run this morning, I found something interesting.”
She snorted with disgust. “Normal people don’t get up that early on a Saturday for a run.”
Her reaction made him laugh. “I never claimed to be normal. Besides, the rain got to me. The minute I woke up and saw it had stopped, I had to get out.”
“Can’t fault you there.” Another round of fumbling sounds crossed the line. “So, what did you find?”
He drew a long breath, let it out slowly. “I believe it’s a message in a bottle from the eighteen hundreds.”
“No, way.” The last traces of sleepiness left her voice. “What does it say?”
“It’s…a lot without saying many words. Do you think you could look at it and see if it’s authentic?”
“I’d love to.” Excitement laced her tone. “When’s a good time?”
“Are you busy today? I know it’s short notice, so if you can’t, I understand.”
“Today’s fine.” She paused. “Do you want to meet at the library?”
