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I feel myself float into the building and turn to look over my shoulder to see him still there waiting to make sure I make it into the building safe and sound. I give him a little wave and he lifts his hand in reply.
Wouldn’t it be great to start every day like this?
I continue to float my way through the halls of the school, into the office to check my mailbox, and then head toward my classroom. I always get in early and get things powered on and ready for class so that Heidi doesn’t have to worry about anything before the bell rings.
I unlock the door and flip the light on and see that there’s an envelope on the floor. I add it to my pile of mail, power on all the computers and the overhead projector. As I log into my email, I remember the envelope.
I dig it out from under the other stack of papers I had picked up in the mailroom and nearly drop it when I see the writing on the front.
E. Jacobs
I know this writing and I know this is not good. This means that whoever this is knows what car I drive, my name and what classroom I’m in. What the hell have I done to somebody out there for them to want to scare me like this? I don’t want to open it, especially alone. Knowing that somebody was in the school after or before hours to place this letter here is disconcerting, to say the least.
I follow my first instinct and call Jonathan.
He answers on the first ring. “Hey baby, everything okay?”
This time his baby is a comfort and that is all I want to feel right now. I don’t want to feel the sick feeling that I have in the pit of my stomach.
“Jonathan…there was a note left under the door of my classroom.”
“What’s it say, baby?”
He sounds calm but I can hear the anger he’s fighting hard to hide.
“I don’t know. I haven’t opened it yet. It just says E. Jacobs on the outside of the envelope.”
“Okay, I want you to open it and tell me what it says. I’m right here, baby, and I’m turning the truck around and headed back to you.”
I can hear the wheels of his truck screech as he turns around to come back to me.
I open the envelope slowly making sure I don’t rip it, and when I unfold the paper a picture falls out. The moment I see the picture, tears fill my eyes and I feel as though my throat’s closing up.
I try to speak, but I have to try again and I barely get the words out. “Oh my God Jonathan…there’s a picture…it’s the three of us walking at the zoo with Ireland in the middle of us. They’ve seen her, Jonathan. This can’t be happening. Not my baby girl”
“Baby, I need you to take a deep breath and keep talking to me. Did they draw anything on the front or back of the picture?”
“No.”
“Okay, was there anything else in the envelope?”
“Yes, there’s a letter.”
“Read that to me, darlin’.”
Hope you, Ireland and your boyfriend had fun at the zoo?
Stay away from my family if you want me to stay away from yours.
“Oh my God, they know her name! Jonathan, they know her name!”
I suddenly notice that the halls are getting louder and the bell is about to ring. There will be students in the room any minute.
“What do I do, Jonathan? The bell is about to ring and Heidi isn’t here yet.”
“Just stay calm and try to act like nothing is wrong. I’m calling Blackburn right now and I’ll be there in five minutes. Hang in there, baby. I’m on my way and we’ll figure this thing out. Why don’t you take a picture of the letter and the picture and send it to me, okay?”
“Okay, I will. But, Jonathan don’t disrupt class. I don’t want the students to know that anything’s wrong. Just come in as soon as first period is over, okay?”
