I’ll let you be on your way.” She re-entered the house, and the siblings returned to the car.
****
Levin’s stomach turned when he saw the yellow paper–identical to the one the investigator showed him the night before. He kept the discovery to himself, as Rana didn’t need another reason to stress.
When they re-entered the car, both Dayla and Scott looked at them expectantly. Levin read the note aloud.
“What’s the Paddle Dog Motel? Sounds like a fancy pet boarding place,” Scott said.
Levin shrugged, pulled his phone from his pocket, and did a search for the name. “Nothing’s coming up here.”
“Can I see the note?” Dayla held her hand toward the front seat.
“Sure, I guess.” He gave it to her.
She held it with both hands over her lap and examined it. “Does anyone have a pencil?”
“Why?” Levin asked.
“I want to see something.”
“Okay.” He opened the glove compartment in front of Scott and jostled its contents. “I have a pen. Will that work?”
“Yeah.”
He handed her the pen and watched her write. She drew lines from Paddle Dog Motel and wrote the letters in different orders beneath it.
“You think it’s an anagram?” Rana asked.
“Yep. ‘Paddle Dog Motel’ is meaningless. So the real meaning is hidden.”
Scott smiled at Dayla. “You’re very smart.”
“Thank you,” she said without looking up from the paper. Scott chuckled.
Levin pulled the car into the street. “I need coffee, and it’s almost dinnertime. Let’s see if Dayla can figure that out before I get to a restaurant. Loser pays for dinner.”
Dayla grinned at him and went back to writing on the paper. “Everyone, be quiet.”
He laughed to himself. Five minutes into the drive, worry filled his gut.
What if she couldn’t figure it out? They’d be stuck with this meaningless message and no other clues to follow.
As Levin drove into the parking lot of a fast food place, Dayla asked, “Does ‘gold plated dome’ mean anything?”
“Maybe. The capitol building downtown has a gold-plated dome,” Rana said.
“I guess you win.” Levin faced the back seat and winked at Dayla.
****
Rana had to admit the clues provided a welcome distraction from last night’s traumas, though unease took hold in her gut when she considered how close whoever took her mother must be to leave the clues. She didn’t voice her concern in case no one shared it.
They arrived at the capitol building as the sun lowered behind the mountains. Levin found a spot on a side street to park the car, and the group walked together to the building. Rana glared at Scott. Why did he join them? He didn’t contribute much to their efforts, and he worked on his phone constantly.
Rana pointed to the top of the building. “See, Dayla? That’s the gold-plated dome. It’s covered with thin sheets of real gold.”
“Cool.” Dayla scanned the rest of the building. “What are we looking for?”
Levin strolled towards the building’s front steps. “I’m not sure. I guess we should walk around and search for something meaningful.” He jogged up the steps, tried one of the doors, and found it locked. He turned and examined the tall arches guarding the entryway. The rest joined him, scanning different parts of the building.
“What’s that?” Rana pointed to a small blue square taped to the inside of one of the arches about ten feet above the ground.
“I don’t know, but it looks out of place.” Levin jumped, trying to grab it. After three attempts, he searched for another solution. “Dayla, come here and sit on my shoulders.”
He crouched so she could climb on, and he held her legs as he returned to standing. When he swerved to adjust her weight, Dayla yelled and grabbed his hair.
“Ow! I’ve got you. Don’t do that.”
She giggled. “Sorry.”
Levin stood close to the arch while Dayla reached up and grabbed the blue square. “It’s an envelope.” She pulled the tape from the surface, handed it to Rana,
****
Levin’s stomach turned when he saw the yellow paper–identical to the one the investigator showed him the night before. He kept the discovery to himself, as Rana didn’t need another reason to stress.
When they re-entered the car, both Dayla and Scott looked at them expectantly. Levin read the note aloud.
“What’s the Paddle Dog Motel? Sounds like a fancy pet boarding place,” Scott said.
Levin shrugged, pulled his phone from his pocket, and did a search for the name. “Nothing’s coming up here.”
“Can I see the note?” Dayla held her hand toward the front seat.
“Sure, I guess.” He gave it to her.
She held it with both hands over her lap and examined it. “Does anyone have a pencil?”
“Why?” Levin asked.
“I want to see something.”
“Okay.” He opened the glove compartment in front of Scott and jostled its contents. “I have a pen. Will that work?”
“Yeah.”
He handed her the pen and watched her write. She drew lines from Paddle Dog Motel and wrote the letters in different orders beneath it.
“You think it’s an anagram?” Rana asked.
“Yep. ‘Paddle Dog Motel’ is meaningless. So the real meaning is hidden.”
Scott smiled at Dayla. “You’re very smart.”
“Thank you,” she said without looking up from the paper. Scott chuckled.
Levin pulled the car into the street. “I need coffee, and it’s almost dinnertime. Let’s see if Dayla can figure that out before I get to a restaurant. Loser pays for dinner.”
Dayla grinned at him and went back to writing on the paper. “Everyone, be quiet.”
He laughed to himself. Five minutes into the drive, worry filled his gut.
What if she couldn’t figure it out? They’d be stuck with this meaningless message and no other clues to follow.
As Levin drove into the parking lot of a fast food place, Dayla asked, “Does ‘gold plated dome’ mean anything?”
“Maybe. The capitol building downtown has a gold-plated dome,” Rana said.
“I guess you win.” Levin faced the back seat and winked at Dayla.
****
Rana had to admit the clues provided a welcome distraction from last night’s traumas, though unease took hold in her gut when she considered how close whoever took her mother must be to leave the clues. She didn’t voice her concern in case no one shared it.
They arrived at the capitol building as the sun lowered behind the mountains. Levin found a spot on a side street to park the car, and the group walked together to the building. Rana glared at Scott. Why did he join them? He didn’t contribute much to their efforts, and he worked on his phone constantly.
Rana pointed to the top of the building. “See, Dayla? That’s the gold-plated dome. It’s covered with thin sheets of real gold.”
“Cool.” Dayla scanned the rest of the building. “What are we looking for?”
Levin strolled towards the building’s front steps. “I’m not sure. I guess we should walk around and search for something meaningful.” He jogged up the steps, tried one of the doors, and found it locked. He turned and examined the tall arches guarding the entryway. The rest joined him, scanning different parts of the building.
“What’s that?” Rana pointed to a small blue square taped to the inside of one of the arches about ten feet above the ground.
“I don’t know, but it looks out of place.” Levin jumped, trying to grab it. After three attempts, he searched for another solution. “Dayla, come here and sit on my shoulders.”
He crouched so she could climb on, and he held her legs as he returned to standing. When he swerved to adjust her weight, Dayla yelled and grabbed his hair.
“Ow! I’ve got you. Don’t do that.”
She giggled. “Sorry.”
Levin stood close to the arch while Dayla reached up and grabbed the blue square. “It’s an envelope.” She pulled the tape from the surface, handed it to Rana,
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