Dear Daddy

Lane DeGregory: NEW PORT RICHEY -- She painted her toenails black for the funeral. Her mom said she could wear make-up, just a little, so her big sister helped her line her blue eyes.

Jillian Landes, 11, is finishing sixth grade at Hudson Middle School. On this day she "wanted to look good, you know, grown up." For her dad.

In the pocket of her shorts she had a note for him. She took it out now, to show her sister. She had torn a page from a spiral notebook, folded it into a small square. Large, loopy letters in blue ballpoint crawled across the page.

"I wrote it the night after he died," she said. "I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. They wouldn't let kids into that part of the prison."

Her sister, Jenna Knight, 22, curled onto the couch next to Jillian. Jenna has the same mom as Jillian but a different dad. She smoothed her sister's letter in her lap.

"I want to read it at the church tonight," Jillian said softly.

"I want him to hear it. But I'm sorta, kinda ... not really worried," she sniffled. "I just don't want to start crying and mess up all the words. Or my make-up."