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Monday - September 13

Claire picks up the photo and begins to run her fingers over each man. Looking at the photo, and the scanned enlargement on the monitor, she notices something on Gerald's lapel. The object had reflected the sunlight, which caused a glare to be captured in the picture. Zooming in on the object, Claire adjusts the picture until she recognizes something familiar. It was a golden pin in the shape of the letter U. But, that's only one part of the Neptune symbol.

Slamming her hands down on the desk, Claire says, "What does this all mean: Neptune, pin, raw fish?" Leaning the chair back, she tries to make sense of everything that she has discovered so far. But nothing makes sense to her at all.

The wall clock annoyingly ticks away each second. Running her fingers through her hair, she wonders what she should do now. Picking up the photo, and looking at it again, she realizes she has to figure out who the other men are in the photo. Knowing that Aunt Ruth would have been the most logical source to ask, Claire has to try to figure out a way without causing any suspicion of any kind; but how?

Claire looks at the wall clock and sees that it's nearly six o'clock. She rises from the chair, and takes a long stretch. Starting to feel hungry, she decides to stop playing detective, and instead, decides to make a sandwich for dinner.

Claire goes to the kitchen and opens the refrigerator to take out all the makings for a sandwich. As she nears the finishing touches of her quaint feast, she hears a faint ding sound. Not wanting to move, she listens to hear it again. A few seconds go by, and then she hears the sound once more. Knowing what she heard, Claire rushes to the living room, and cautiously walks over to the computer, and becomes startled when she hears the ding again. Leaning in closer, she notices that someone wants to chat with her. It's Danielle.

We need to talk. Meet me at Wyler's drug store at eleven o'clock tomorrow. Come alone.

Claire reads the message several times before she replies.

Who are you?

Waiting for a response from Danielle, Claire knows that she has discovered something; but what?

Tomorrow.

The session ends.

___________________________________

Aunt Ruth wraps her scarf around her mouth as she makes her way home in the cold, chilly night in Atlanta. As she scampers across the street, she nearly slips. Being careful not to fall, she continues her walk, until she comes to a bookstore that looks closed. Aunt Ruth looks around, making sure she's alone. Cautiously, she opens the front door and quietly enters the musty establishment. Seeing there are no customers, she walks slowly towards the back of the store, when abruptly a man pops out from behind a shelf asking, "What can I help you with, ma'am?"

Startled by the man's sudden appearance, she calmly asks, "Do you have any books on raw fish?"

As Aunt Ruth waits for a reply, the man walks to the front door, looks around, sees no one who wishes to enter, pulls the window shade down, then locks the door. He walks back towards Aunt Ruth, and reaches over to turn off the front lights, and says, "Raw fish? I may have some old articles stored in the back. Follow me." He leads Aunt Ruth back into the darkness.

The old wooden floor creaks with each step they take. Being careful not to trip over piles of stacked books covering the walkway, Aunt Ruth follows the man until they come to a room containing two chairs, a table, and a lamp. Aunt Ruth's heart beats frantically. The man reaches down to turn on the lamp, then says with an ardent voice, "Hello, Ruth. How long has it been?"

Projecting a small smile, Ruth replies, "Hello, Henry. It's been a while. But I guess we both have been waiting for our reunion to happen. Haven't we?"