The Gift of Destruction Chapter 1

A Gift of Destruction

1865

Zylpha and Tryphena were walking along the rocky path of the River Towy, still in view of Carmarthen Castle. The air was cooler coming off the water which was the reason they first started to take this walk. The air was cool but moist and smelled a bit like fish. This isn’t completely true. People often call it a fishy smell, but if you touch a fish, the slime on your hand is much different. The one thing that is true, is the smell is unique and calming. The smell of the river even before the river is in view has a calming effect.

There was no denying that they are sisters. They were often mistaken for twins when they were younger. Tryphena out grew her by an inch and in curves. She was the prettier one and everyone knew it, including her sister. Zylpha had a more subdued beauty. She also dressed more modestly, while her sister preferred better advertisement. Zylpha didn’t like her hair. It was long enough to do any kind of braid. She like that, but hated the color. She didn’t even know what color it was. It was too dark to be blonde and too light to be brunet. Tryphena said they were calling it dirty blonde in Paris. She said it like it was good thing. It was an easy opinion for someone who has beautiful blonde hair.

They often walked this way in the early afternoon. For Zylpha it was the sound of the water and the shore birds along the way. For Tryphena it was the men on the boats sailing by who would whistle and call her name. Despite Zylpha’s protest, Tryphena was showing more shin that usual even for her. This would not go unnoticed by the sailors.

“They are scaring the sandpipers away. All the hooting and hollering is disrespectful,” Zylpha said in a condescending tone. “You will bring shame to father and our family name.”

“Father is a tailor,” Tryphena retorted. “I need to bring a little more to the table to move up in society.”

“A sailor is not going to help that in the least, and the officers aren’t going to take you as a wife,” her sister explained.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Tryphena said with a wave to a bridge officer of the ship passing by. The officer tried to stay dignified, but a smile did spread his lips. He gave in and tipped his hat. He quickly straightened up and looked forward once again. The smile grew.

“You don’t even know his name. Quit, flirting with him. He is an officer for heaven’s sake,” Zylpha continued to chastise her sister.

“I will one day. I will one day,” Tryphena said with confidence.

Tryphena was not on the river bank at this time of day by coincidence. She knew this particular ship would be traveling this way at this particular time. She also dressed this particular way for this particular sailor.

This particular sailor is Ensign John Osborn. We was born in Kent, third son of the Kent Lord William Osborn. As an aristocrat, John was fulfilling his duties to service his country.   He was in his second year as a helms officer on the HMS Valiant. He joined the crew in 1863 for its maiden  voyage. Due to a shortage in guns and cannons, it entered the Queen’s Navy with no major guns. This limited its usefulness in a military campaign. The limited duties of the Queen’s ship is what lead it to sailing up and down the River Towy. It was primarily a supply ship but also transported prisoners to the newly renovated gaol in Carmarthen Castle.

It is this lack of supply that placed Ensign John Osborn in the sights of the daughter of a tailor.

“I don’t know what I am going to do with you,” Zylpha said.

“I bet he does,” her sister said with a thirsty grim.

“Try-fena!” she said in shock.

Even though she had known her since the day she was born, Tryphena still found ways to shock her.

Tryphena grabs her sister’s hand and pulls her forward down the river path.

“Relax, you are too up tight. If you don’t relax you will never get a man of your own. And I will be force to take care of you when you are an old maid,” Tryphena teases. “Come on let’s go to the bend, it has the best spot to watch the ships go by.”

“How many more sailors do you have to wave to?” Zylpha asks. She rolls her eyes at her sister, but gives in and runs along side her. They continue on until Tryphena lets out a gasp. They both stop abruptly, still hand in hand. Each of them hold their breath as they look to the edge of the water.

Zylpha speaks first, “Breath sister.”

Tryphena lets out her breath. Their hearts pound in unison as shock over takes them. Their hand hold turns to grasping each other’s arms.

“Is that?” Tryphena starts to say something but stops.

The sisters stare unmoving at the water. There in the water was a red coat. It was floating with only the back visible to the young ladies. Like a military coat it was very long.

Zylpha let go of her sister and rushes to the coat. She slowed as she navigated the wet rocks that lined the shore. Carefully selecting each rock and each step she moved forward as quickly as safety would allow. Once she was within reach, she got down on her knees and reached for it. The red coat had air trapped in the arms making it look like it still had a  body within its seams. The would-be rescuers grabs the red cloth and pulls. She was expecting the weight of a man. Since it was just a coat, her force caused her to fall back on the rocks behind her. This caused her sister to let out a loud laugh, as the relief of no body and the silliness of her fall, takes her.

“Stop laughing and help me up,” Zylpha says with no humor in her voice.

“Yes, Ma-am. Right away Ma-am.”

Tryphena mocked her sister as she helped her up. Zylpha held the wet coat in her left hand.

“That’s a relief. I thought for sure there was a man in that coat,” Tryphena said. “I prefer my men breathing.”

Her humorous remark helps to take the stress off her sister, who breaks a smile. Together they examine the coat. It wasn’t just a red coat. It was a uniform. A red coat uniform of a Royal Army. It was the newer single-breasted style. The sleaves had three chevrons, making it the coat of a sergeant. It was cold from the river water and smelled like dead fish. It didn’t detour Zylpha in her examination.

The first thing she looked for was a name inside the collar. There was no name, but there were initials embroidered in the center back collar.

“E. M.” she said out loud.

“What?” Tryphena asked. She heard her sister, but didn’t know what she meant by the letters.

“There are initials embroidered inside the collar,” Zylpha said.

She held the coat up pushing out the collar with her thumb, showing the stitching to her sister. Tryphena was very interested, but jumped back to avoid the fishy water. There was an almost steady stream of water dripping from the saturated material.

“E.M. E.M. E.M,” Tryphena repeated. “Edward Miller.”

Zylpha lit up with the name. “Do you know an Edward Miller?”

“No, but it fits,” she replied.

“Why?” Zylpha asked, shaking her head. “Better yet, why am I asking why?”

“Do you have a name?” Tryphena asked back.

“No, but no name is just as good as a made-up name for someone we don’t know,” She tried to explain.

“You believe what you want. I am going to start looking for Sergeant Miller,” Tryphena said with confidence.

Zylpha ignored her. She flipped the coat around and started checking the pockets for anything that will help identify the missing body.

Zylpha’s heart rate was still up in anticipation for a possible find. Her eyes went wide when her hand felt paper in the front left pocket. She gently pulled out the water-logged paper. It appeared to have had something written on it at one time, but the water had washed it off. She slowly tried to pull it apart, as it looked like it was folded. The pages did not want to separate, and it began to tear.

“Moss!” Zylpha said loudly.

“What’s wrong?” Her sister knew the tone and the use of the word moss meant something went wrong. She moved to her sister’s side to see. “What does it say?”

“Nothing. It tore a little when I tried to unfold it.”

Tryphena looked closely at the wet paper. Something looked familiar about it.

“Let me see it.”

Zylpha was hesitant. “There isn’t anything to see. I will dry it out at home and try to see inside.”

“There is something.” Tryphena pointed at the bottom. “The purple smudge is definitely something.”

“Really?”

There was no way her sister had figure something out from a smudge. She barely paid attention to anything outside of herself and the men in the room.

“Yes, really,” Tryphena said sarcastically. “That color and location matches the stationary used by the Horton Inn over on Capital Street.”

Horton Inn was a very popular spot for soldiers and sailors to visit and spend the night. While there was no proof there was any prostitution going on, it was very suspicious. In any case proper ladies were not permitted to visit such an establishment. Forbidden by society at any rate, and mostly parents.

“You are not supposed to be anywhere near that inn. So, I am not going to ask how you know that. But are you sure?” Zelpha was embarred by her sister’s knowledge. “That does fit, as soldiers often stay there when on leave. It could be a soldier from the area or someone from a nearby fort. This maybe harder than I thought.”

“Oh, I know a constable that could help. Well, I don’t know him yet, but I soon will.” Tryphena said with an excitement that caused Zylpha to roll her eyes.

“It is in the water’s edge that puts in the jurisdiction of the harbor police. We should take this straight to their office. Come on, it is just on the other side of the ferry launch,” Zylpha said.

“Ok, but when your plan doesn’t work, we will go this my idea. You will see,” Tryphena said with sass.

She turned towards the ferry launch. She looked back at her sister with a questioning look. “Are you going to bring that smelly coat?”

Zelpha was trying to hold it far enough away from her body to avoid getting the dirty water that was dripping off it, from her dress. Her dress wasn’t very expensive, but it wasn’t rags either. Being from a family of modest means, they could afford the dresses that the aristocracies wore. Being the daughter of a tailor with an amazing seamstress mother, she had what most ladies of her status had. Her parents were able to recreate dresses in near likenesses of the best of Paris. This was of course minus the expensive lase. The materials, colors, and styles were very close. They put a little bit of a Welsch twist in each one. These dresses were at first just for their daughters, but soon drew a demand from others.  They began selling these dresses. It was these dress sales that have been the most impactful in their status. Their father was almost in the position to buy the building the store and their home was in. Just a few pounds from being a Lord.

The sisters made their way on the uneven rocky foot path.

“Careful! You that coat almost dripped on my shoe,” Tryphena complained.

“Don’t walk so close to me,” Zylpha shot back. “If you would grab the other end of this coat, it would be a lot easier to carry. This is getting pretty heavy.”

Tryphena just shook her head and said, “I’m not touching that thing. It is wet and smelly. And, it may have had a dead body in it.”

“All the more reason to get this to Shore Patrol Officer Samual Beddoe.”

“Did you just say Officer Beddoe?” Tryphena asked with a new interest. “So, when did you meet Officer Samual Beddoe? Why haven’t I hear of him before now?”

“Do you have to turn everything into something it’s not? This is one reason I don’t tell you anything. I was at the last charity bazar. He helped me with a package I had dropped.”

“You better be careful. That kind of chivalry leads to marriage, or worse,” Tryphena kidded her sister.

“What do you mean; worse? Wait don’t answer that I don’t want to know.” Zylpha said shaking her head.

They continued down the rocky path towards the police station. They soon were walking on the much smoother cobblestone streets. Zylpha’s arms were trembling from the strain of holding the coat away from her body. The coat had lightened as the water dripped away, but the length of holding it out was much more of a factor.  She could see the police station, but wasn’t going to make it. She took the still soaking wet coat and threw it up on a stone wall, that now separated them and the river.

The waist high wall was a perfect spot to lay it out. Once the weight was off her shoulders, she shook out her arms. The blood began to flow again, as she wiggled her arms back and forth. With her arms in less pain, she turned her attention to the heap that was her evidence. The red wet ball looked nothing like a coat. She unfolded it and smoothed it out. She used the stone wall to support it as she draped it over the top. One arm was on one side and the other arm was on the opposite side. She straightened the collar to her left and pulled the hem to the right.

With the coat settled and stretched out, she could now do a better inspection. She worked over the left side of the coat lifting the sleave up to inspect.  There was a small cut or tear near the armpit. The cut was frayed. This made it clear to Zylpha that it had been like that for a while and wasn’t new.  She found nothing in the left pockets. She checked for a hidden pocket on the inside. She found nothing on the left.

“Let me see,” Tryphena said. She was leaning in trying to get a better look.

“I wouldn’t want to get you dirty,” her sister said in a sarcastic voice.

Tryphena backed up as soon as she got close. She waved her hand in front of her face.

“Oh, that stinks. How can something smell worse than the water it was pulled out of? I mean the water smell kind of refreshing when we stole along the river. But when something get wet from the same water, it smells disgusting. Fish smell like fish and they are in the water all the time. Oh no, look! It got on my shoe,” Tryphena complained.

She lifted her left foot and shook it. “I loved these shoes. I will never get that smell out.”

“They smell fine,” Zylpha said.

Zylpha continued to search the coat. She found nothing. She lifted the coat and turned it around to place the right sleave on her side of the wall. The dripping has slowed down quite a bit, but was still letting go of the river it held. After smoothing out the coat over the wall, she began to check the pockets. She found three shillings in the inside breast pocket. Inside the front pocket she felt something. It was some kind of parchment.

“Found something,”  Zylpha said excitedly. “Tryphena.”

She began to slowly pry it away from the sides of the pocket. Carefully as to not tear the soggy paper. She knew it was going to be a very difficult task. She had it loose from the back, when she called for her sister again.

“Tryphena.”

Her sister didn’t answer. Zylpha continue to extract the note. She gave a small grunt when a small piece came away on her hand. She pulled it out and verified it was the type of parchment that a note would be written on. She reached back in and managed to get the rest of the parchment out without tearing any more off. With the potential clue in hand, she turned to where her sister should have been.

“Tryphena, where are you?”

Zylpha turned to see her sister a few paces away looking not at the coat, but at the river. She was more accurately was looking at the ships going by. She was in mid-wave to a merchant vessel, when Zylpha called again.

“Tryphena please stop hitting on sailors. I found something.”

“I’m trying to find something too,” Tryphena replied with a wicked grin. “What did you find?”

She joined her sister at the wet coat. Zylpha found the flattest spot on the rock wall. She then laid the parchment on the spot. Upon examination, she noted that it was folded in fourths.

“I think it’s a clue. Don’t touch it,” Zylpha said sharply.

Tryphena jumped back. “Don’t be a bruit.”

“I don’t want to tear it. Please give me space as I unfold it,” Zylpha said quietly as if the sound will upset the parchment.

Slowly she unfolded it to a half. Her sister was leaned in touching her shoulder. Zylpha leaned back into her and took a deep breath. She shook her hands to loosen them up. Then returned to the surgical action. She carefully fingered the corner. Slowly she continued the unfolding, until she had it lying flat. The sisters leaned back for a second and then leaned in closer.

“It doesn’t smell bad like the coat. I wonder why. It’s the same river water,” Tryphena said unexpectedly.

“We have a possible clue, and the sent is your main focus.”

“Well, there isn’t anything written on it. It’s not a clue.”

“You have no patience.”

Zylpha was talking to her sisters back , who was looking for the next ship. She turned back to the parchment and carefully lifted it off the wall. The water had it sticking more than she expected and it tore in half. She took both halves and laid them back down upside down. She could see something. It was words.

“Gift something dest something,” Zylpha said to herself.

She was reading the words upside down, so she gently turned them around right side up.

“What gift starts with D-E-S-T?” She asked herself. “Destine, Destain, Destrier.” Those aren’t gifts.”

She analyzed the word. Eleven letters. The last letter was an ‘N’. Tryphena returned unnoticed.

“Gift of Destruction? What does that mean?” Tryphena asked, turning her gaze back to the river. “That is a terrible gift.”

Zylpha looked at her sister, then back the parchment and back. She stared without saying a word, mouth wide open. She looked back to the paper and tried to see it. Even knowing what it said, she could only get half the letters.

“How did you do?” Zylpha didn’t finish the question.

“It’s a gift. I am good with puzzles,” Tryphena said half-heartedly. “When can we go? I want to see the handsome bobbies, in those uniforms.”

“Seriously? This coat maybe holding a clue to life or death, and you want to see men in uniform,” Zylpha chastised.

“Only to help us with the clue of course,” she said with that grim she is famous for.

“I have two more pockets to search.” Zylpha turned back to the coat.

She continues the search and ends it with no more finds. The coat had stopped dripping but the smell was still strong. Zylpha carefully folded the coat. With the Coat folded, it was much easier to carry. Tryphena was still not interested in holding it.

“Here it doesn’t smell as bad any more. I got a lot of the dirty water out of it,” Zylpha said holding it out to her sister.

“I can smell it from here. Just leave it there. If the bobbies want it, they can come and get it. No one is going to touch it.”

Zylpha gives her sister a slight smile and starts walking to the police station. It was just a short walk from there. As they approached the two-story brick building, two officers exited the station.

“Excuse me, my sister and found a coat,” Zylpha said holding up the coat.

“That’s nice, I found a rock earlier. It was shiny,” one of the men said without stopping.

The second officer added without looking back, “let me know if you find my missing socks.”

“That was good,” the first officer said to his friend as they walked on.

“You are really bad at this. No wonder you are single,” Tryphena said.

She stepped in front of her sister and prepared to approach the office. The office must be busy today as another man in uniform came out of the office before they could get to the steps.

“I love your uniform. Those hats are very sharp,” Tryphena said stepping in front of the man, keeping him from easily getting by.

“Thank you miss,” the man said tipping his hat with a head nod. He moved past them quickly. “If you ladies will excuse me. I have rounds to make.”

“He has rounds. I bet he does rounds better than any other bobby ever. I can tell by looking at him.” She directed this towards her sister loud enough for the man to hear it clearly.

Zylpha interrupted her, “you don’t even know what a round is.”

“I don’t have to.”

Zylpha walked up the stairs and entered the station. The large room she found herself in was full of men in uniform and some with suits and ties. They were moving in what looked like random actions, all of which were frantic. Tryphena followed her in.

“Wow, look at all this potential,” Tryphena said. Her eyes scanned the chaotic station.

There wasn’t a front desk or any place to check in. The large room had desks along both walls. In the back was an actual printing press used to make copies of active cases. It wasn’t for the papers, they made copies so the bobbies could each have details of their own. The smell of paper and ink was a surprise to the girls as they navigated the crazy room.

“Excuse me sir,” Zylpha said to the closest man in uniform.

The man was dressed in the traditional blue uniform with large helmet. He had a night stick tucked into his trouser belt. He looked very sharp and professional. He did however ignored her.

“Hey handsome, my sister is talking to you,” Tryphena said to the officer.

“Pardon me. The name is Patrol Officer Samuel Beddoe, and I expect to be addressed as such. Now if you excuse me, I have very important work to do. The safety of Carmarthen depends on me not being distracted by women looking for a date.” He finally replied.

He only glanced at them for a second. The glance was a second on Zylpha and two seconds on Tryphena, which was no surprised. He then returned to reading a crime report. Zylpha was beginning to feel a little hot. She did not like to be dismissed. She maybe a woman, but she is not less than a man. Tryphena, didn’t feel the same. She was more shocked. She wasn’t used to being ignored by men other than her father.

“That is why we have come,” Zylpha said to Officer Beddoe. “Officer Samuel Beddoe, I found this coat floating in the water. I think it may be a crime.”

“Patrol Officer Samuel Beddoe,” was his only response.

“It also had a clue in the pocket” Tryphena said. She moved in close to his face to be sure he couldn’t ignore her.

“Oh, a clue? Why didn’t you say so?” Officer Beddoe said sarcastically.

“I just did,” she leaned in further.

“Look ladies,” He turned to them taking a step back from Tryphena. “A lost coat is far from a crime. I don’t have any complaints about a lost coat. If I do I will be sure to call on you.”

“Call on me first,” Tryphena said. She smiled at him with a flirtatious look.

“But the note said, ‘Gift of Destruction’,” Zylpha interjected.

“That’s the whole clue? How do you know it isn’t the start of a poem or book?” He told them.

Before he could say any more a large explosion sound come ringing into the station. It wasn’t in the building but it was close. The building was emptied in seconds as everyone rushed out to see what had happened. This included the sisters. They could smell the fired gun power. 

Officer Beddoe started shouting out orders. This led to four men in uniform running towards the sound.

Samuel turned to the girls. He was clearly discussed that they had left the safety of the building. “You two need to go home and cook or something. This is no place for a lady.”

“I will tell you where a lady should be,” Tryphena said.

Officer Beddoe didn’t hear her. He was already running in the direction of the blast. Smoke was coming into view over the roof of a neighboring building. Several bobbies were rushing around the corner. Tryphena started to follow, but her sister stopped her.

“Hold on, lets sneak in after the excitement settles down,” Zylpha said.

Tryphena shook her head in agreement. They slowly walked towards the action. Screams were now heard, from both men and women. This caused the sisters to speed up their walking. When they reached the corner of the building, they cautiously looked around the corner. They both hugged the brick of the building as they spied on the scene. Tryphena was leaning on Zylpha as they peered around the corner. Being on top of her like that, Zylpha could only smell the lavender scent, her sister wore. Normally that bothered her, but it was masking the smell of the coat. She was still toting the coat with her.

Fear started to take hold of them as the scene before them unfolded. They spotted the source of the commotion instantly. There was smoke coming from the front door of a terraced house. Dust and debris was still in the air and falling everywhere. There didn’t appear to be any flames from the blast only smoke. The loudest screams were coming from the second-floor window. There were two ladies leaning out the window crying for help.

“Calm down ladies, there is no fire!” a bobby called up to the panicked females. 

“We need ot do something,” Zylpha said.

Tryphena gripped her arm hard. “I’m not going near there. These shoes are too expensive to risk.” She trailed off as she lost the words to say. The possibility of someone dying before their own eyes was too much for her. She turned away and hid behind the wall. Her sister on the other hand was stepping out into the open. She was debating what to do.

“Get back here,” Tryphena said without looking. She knew her sister was going to try and help.

Zelpha didn’t respond. She was compelled to move in. There was several bobbies and other men jumping to help. The sense of urgency was over whelming. She moved closer. Her adrenaline was pumping. She could feel her heart hitting her chest bone.

“What are you doing here!?” Officer Beddoe yelled at her. “Get back!”

“Oh, sure now you notice me,” she thought to herself. But she did stop her forward motion.

Officer Beddoe turned to her and put his hand on her arm to push her back. The feelings that rushed through her was conflicting. She was furious at first, but there was also a tingling as his firm hand touched her skin.

This was ludicrous. This arrogant man was not going to give any feelings, other than animosity. She had other things she needed to focus on right now. This wasn’t the first time her arm had been touched. Why did it feel so different? She took a deep breath to clear her mind.

“Please miss, back up to safety,” Officer Beddoe “I’m not going to ask you again.” His tone was falling short of being harsh. This made her smile. She yelled at herself in her head to get a hold of herself.

“I’m safe, the danger is over. I think I can help to calm those ladies down,” Zylpha told him.

The ladies had not stopped screaming even though the smoke was gone and the street was no quiet with the exception of themselves.

It was the angle from Zylpha to the ladies in the window that gave her the perfect angle to see something no one else did. A small piece of parchment was floating through the air. She took a step back to appease the bobbie. She wasn’t about to give away a possible clue to this knuckle britches. Another step back, but her eyes never left the parchment. It lost momentum and dropped to the cobble stone. It was right on the edge of a puddle, which made her heart skip again.

“Please don’t go in the water,” she said quietly to herself.

The  paper was glowing on one side. Maybe it did need to go in the water.

“Thank you,” Office Beddoe said. As he said this, he turn back to help control the scene.

Another officer shouted, “Will you please shut up!”

Zylpha took this distraction to get the paper. She only had to take five steps to the right and she had the parchment in her hand. The edges were still smoldering from the blast. She shuffled it out in her outer coat. Not wanting to give her treasure away, she tucked it in her pocket. She took a quick glance at the disastrous scene and turned away.

She didn’t go far. Just far enough to be out of sight from the police. Using the wall and her sister for a shield, she pulled out the parchment. Carefully she held it up. After she didn’t find anything, she turned the paper over and found six letters. ‘uction’.

“uction? What does that mean?” Tryphena asked.

“Are you serious? You were the one who figured out the clue. Look again, “Zylpha told her sister with some aggravation.

Tryphena looked again. “Same hand writing as the clue. This also said gift of destruction.”

Despite the fact both of their hearts have been racing pretty good since the blast, the excitement was felt. A different kind of excitement. This was s good stimulation. They had found, not only clue, but a clue that ties it to the mysterious coat that had found in the river.

“This is what we needed to tie it together with the coat. Office Beddoe will have to take us seriously now,” Tryphena said. She had a large grin.

“He is not going to get any of this evidence. The explosion happened a block in from the river, making it the townies jurisdiction. Once this chaos dies down, I will take this to the city police station. Perhaps, I will get a more civilized welcome there.

“Let’s go,” Zylpha told her sister. She walked past at a quick pace.

“Where are we going?” Tryphena asked.

“Home,” Her sister said.

They both hurried along the cobble stone of King Street, towards their home.

Ten minutes later, they are outside a building made of stone with dirty windows. Despite the dirty windows, one could still see inside. There on display, were a dresses and a jacket, set as a pairing with hats and gloves. It was Tryphena’s job to keep the windows clean, but she felt she had out grown such trivial tasks. Her father did not agree.

“To my room,”  Zylpha said opening the door.

“That was the only option, as you are not taking the smelly coat near my room.”

Zylpha ignored her sister and ran up the stairs. Her sister was close behind. The stair case followed the wall and cut to the right at a ninety-degree angle to a walkway with a banister. Zylpha’s room was the second door. The girls entered and closed the door behind them.

She Hung the coat up on her coat rack.

“It’s dripping,” Tryphena said, curling her nose.

“it’s not too bad,” her sister replied with little concern.

“Glad it’s your room that will smell like fish,”

Zylpha ignored her. She was removing a couple items from her desk to make room. Tryphena turned back toward Zylpha, who was laying both parchments on the desk. The original clue was still damp and stuck to the desk. Zylpha moved the new clue next to the first and aligned it to view the writing. Just as they suspected. It was the same hand writing on both.

“But what does Gift of Destruction mean?” Tryphena asked.

It was clear the two notes matched. It was also clear the notes had to be a warning of some kind. The gift part wasn’t as clear.

“The destruction part has to be the explosion. This note was clearly in the explosion as in was on fire when we found it. The blast had to have shot it into the air,” Zylpha deduced.

“Was the gift the explosives?” Tryphena asked.

Both sisters thought about this. It seemed too far-fetched to be real. The excitement of the day’s events started to wear off. Zylpha sat on the edge of her royal green bed spread covered bed. She was feeling the exhaustion of the stress press down on her. Tryphena in turn sat in the wicker chair beside the desk.

“So, now what?” Tryphena asked.

“Supper,” she replied. “Mother will need our help soon to get the meal ready.”

As if on que, they heard their mother’s voice. “Girls, I need you.”