what was i made for, walker

048. tell somebody

The three siblings are at an outdoor cafe, still trying to figure out the necklace, Stella giving them new information. Janie sits next to her brother, her head propped up in one hand as she stares mindlessly at her half empty mug of hot chocolate.

She barely got any sleep last night, Jeremy Green filling her mind the entire time with nightmares. Even Nutmeg couldn't get her to relax. Cordell mentioned in passing he had reported the man broke his restraining order and the cops arrested him, but his wife bailed him out. They apparently weren't taking any further action, simply giving the despicable excuse of a human a warning.

Cordell hadn't talked to her much longer before leaving the house that morning, a light pat on the shoulder being the only form of goodbye or comfort he could be bothered to provide.

"Okay, well, this is a good thing, right?" August asks. "The fact that it's legit written on his battle plans."

"Yeah, I thought that, too, but now I'm not sure that it means anything at all." Stella says. "I sent it to Sadie, and it's just as confusing to her. I keep reading it over and over again. Joanna was very clear to me, I had one day to find this necklace, and I am nowhere closer now than I was last night."

"Well, that's obviously not great." August comments.

"And then there's these." Stella holds out envelopes to August who takes them.

"The goodbye letters dad wrote." He says, handing Stella hers. He holds Janie's out to her, the girl still zoned out. "Janie?" He calls, waving the envelope around. "Jane?" He shakes her arm.

"Hm?" The girl jolts, bringing brought back to reality. "What? You find something?" She looks between the two. Her older siblings share a quick but concerned look.

"Goodbye letter dad wrote." August says, holding it up.

"Oh." She mumbles, taking the envelope. She looks down at 'Janie Bug' written in her father's handwriting. Her heart clenches knowing her father thought he'd never see the three of them. She couldn't imagine what would've happened to her family if he had never made it back.

"I figured reading them was something we should decide together." Stella says.

"Well, you, uh, you said it yourself -- we don't have time." August says. "Besides, whatever he said back then will still be here tomorrow, right?" He asks, putting his letter on the table.

"Exactly." Stella puts her letter on top of his.

"Yeah." Janie mumbles, adding hers to the pile.

"This reads like a love letter." August says, skimming Hoyt's letter to Geri again.

"There's that, but then there's all this unnecessary cryptic stuff, like "nothing of value."" Stella points out.

"Well, "I know you'll find what I've left behind" is pretty straightforward." August says.

"Yeah, but "the embers," the "wine."" Stella says.

"Wait, wait, wait." August notices something. ""You and Bear." Uncle Hoyt always called Mawline "Abby Bear.""

"That's right. You know, the part about safety actually made me think of our family." Stella says.

"You remember how dad and Hoyt always had those secret hiding places?" August asks. "Like the tree house of truth and the barn..."

"And the fireplace." Janie adds.

"Exactly." August nods. "Look. "Bear." "Safe." "Embers." It all feels very connected. I mean, look, he-he literally calls himself a phoenix in this."