LU 72 - Dr. Thornberry 18

I left today at dawn. The journey wasn't actually as ling as I thought it would be. But by the time I got there, I stood on a hill right outside staring at the remains of homes and watching the sun set. When night came I got the courage to walk around. The blood on the ground was washed off over time but the inside of houses was a devastating sight. The head I had hung up on the pole in the middle of town was decayed, just a skull on the ground. But then I saw it. The lab. It was the only building there that didn't look worn down. I ran to the entrance and took a deep breath as I stepped through the doors. I slowly walked down the stairs. Taking in the nostalgic sites of his cramped lab. The table where he showed me brews, the cage where we kept that bear, and the operating table. Where I killed him. But there was one thing that was different from when I had fled. There was no sight of the remains of his body and there were two lecterns in the middle of the room, each with one book. Suspicious, I picked up the first book.
"Dear Vice,
I know this note may come off as a shock to you, as I assume you think of me as dead. But I'm not. I awoke recently, after you left. I will now take my leave, in search of you." 
He was alive? I was so utterly confused. I had killed him! What does he mean he's alive? I picked up the second book. It was coded, the same code he had taught me so long ago.
"J bn opu xip zpv uijol Jbn. J'wf ofwfs cffo. Wjdf, zpv bsf cfdpnjoh upp tjnimbs up nf. Ju't hpjoh up dbvtf qspzmfnt J eje ny cftu up nblf tvsf zpv ejeo'u gpmmpx nz qbui. Cvu ju tffnt ju ibqqfofe bozxbz. J xjmm gjoe zpv Wjdf. Tppo."
I cried. Bawled even. I held his books to my chest and cried until I heard the birds chirping the next morning. I had to find him. He was looking for me! But before I did that, I had to help Ophello with his research. I told him I'd find the perfect guinea pig to do his tests on and I found exactly that. After thinking long and hard about who may be best for the tests, I made up my mind. I'll be taking them under my wing soon. I quickly wrote a letter to Space, detailing that I wouldn't be coming back to the town for a while as something came up. Now that I had a working alibi, I have to get that Starborne...