I had assumed grief was making everyone behave strangely. For seventeen years, I had believed my daughter-in-law Susan died in a tragic accident.
\nBut now, sitting in my living room seventeen years later, I could still picture the fear in Emily\u2019s eyes.
\n\u201cOh, my goodness,\u201d I whispered.
\nDaniel leaned forward.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cHer sister.\u201d
\n\u201cSusan\u2019s?\u201d
\n\u201cEmily. She accused Kevin of something at the funeral.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\n\u201cYou know what you did.\u201d
\nDaniel didn\u2019t speak for a moment.
\nThen he asked, \u201cDo you know where Emily lives?\u201d
\nI shook my head.
\n\u201cNot anymore. She moved away after Susan died.\u201d
\n\u201cDo you remember her last name?\u201d
\n\u201cHarper. Emily Harper.\u201d
\nDaniel wrote it down.
\nThen he looked at the clock.
\nIt was nearly six in the evening.
\n\u201cMrs. Larson, I\u2019d like to suggest something.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cLet me help you secure the money tonight. Tomorrow, contact Mr. Whitmore and ask him to review the letter with you. And we should find out whether Susan\u2019s accident was ever questioned.\u201d
\nI nodded.
\nBut another thought had already entered my mind.
\n\u201cDaniel?\u201d
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\n\u201cWhy would Kevin want that letter so badly?\u201d
\nDaniel looked at the envelope.
\n\u201cMaybe he knows what your husband discovered.\u201d
\nI felt cold.
\n\u201cThen he might also know what\u2019s in the blue envelope.\u201d
\n\u201cPossibly.\u201d
\nI stared toward my front door.
\nSuddenly, the quiet little house Walt and I had shared for forty-three years didn\u2019t feel safe anymore.
\nJust then, my telephone rang.
\nI nearly jumped out of my chair.
\nThe caller ID showed an unfamiliar number.
\nDaniel looked at me.
\n\u201cDo you want me to answer?\u201d
\nI shook my head.
\n\u201cNo. I need to stop being afraid of the telephone.\u201d
\nI lifted the receiver.
\n\u201cHello?\u201d
\nA woman\u2019s voice answered.
\n\u201cMrs. Peggy Larson?\u201d
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\n\u201cMy name is Laura Whitmore. I\u2019m Arthur Whitmore\u2019s daughter.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\n\u201cIs your father all right?\u201d
\n\u201cYes, ma\u2019am. He\u2019s fine. He asked me to call you.\u201d
\nI exhaled.
\n\u201cThank goodness.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m also an attorney. I work with him on certain estate matters.\u201d
\n\u201cAll right.\u201d
\n\u201cMrs. Larson, my father told me about your conversation. He also asked me to check the status of any court proceedings involving you.\u201d
\nMy grip tightened.
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\nShe hesitated.
\n\u201cYour son filed a petition this morning.\u201d
\nMy heart began pounding.
\n\u201cFor guardianship?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nKevin hadn\u2019t merely threatened me.
\nHe had already started.
\nLaura continued.
\n\u201cThe petition alleges that you\u2019re unable to manage your finances and may be vulnerable to exploitation.\u201d
\nA bitter laugh escaped my lips.
\n\u201cExploitation?\u201d
\n\u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d
\n\u201cMy son sold my car without my permission, kept the money, and now he\u2019s accusing other people of exploiting me?\u201d
\n\u201cI understand why you\u2019re upset.\u201d
\n\u201cNo,\u201d I whispered. \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone understands.\u201d
\nLaura\u2019s voice softened.
\n\u201cMrs. Larson, filing a petition doesn\u2019t mean the court has granted it. You have rights, including the right to contest the allegations. My father wants to help you obtain proper representation.\u201d
\nI swallowed.
\n\u201cWill I lose my house?\u201d
\n\u201cNot simply because your son filed paperwork.\u201d
\n\u201cWill someone take me away?\u201d
\n\u201cThere\u2019s no reason to assume that. We need to review exactly what was filed and respond appropriately.\u201d
\nI nodded, trying to steady myself.
\nThen Laura said something unexpected.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s another matter. My father asked whether you found Walter\u2019s personal letter.\u201d
\nI looked at Daniel.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cDid you read both sides?\u201d
\nMy breath caught.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nThere was a pause.
\n\u201cThen you know about Susan.\u201d
\nI sat up straight.
\n\u201cYou know?\u201d
\n\u201cSome of it.\u201d
\nMy voice trembled.
\n\u201cPlease tell me.\u201d
\nLaura hesitated.
\n\u201cMrs. Larson, I don\u2019t want to frighten you with information that hasn\u2019t been fully verified.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019ve spent seventeen years believing my daughter-in-law died in an accident. I think I deserve to know why my husband questioned that.\u201d
\nLaura took a slow breath.
\n\u201cShortly before Walter died, he asked my father to help him locate an investigator who had worked on Susan\u2019s case.\u201d
\nI couldn\u2019t speak.
\n\u201cThe investigator had received information suggesting Susan was afraid of Kevin during the final weeks of her life.\u201d
\nTears filled my eyes.
\n\u201cAfraid?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cDid Kevin hurt her?\u201d
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t know that, Mrs. Larson. But apparently Susan had told someone she was considering leaving him.\u201d
\nI pressed a trembling hand over my mouth.
\nLaura continued.
\n\u201cAnd there was a financial issue.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat financial issue?\u201d
\n\u201cA life insurance policy.\u201d
\nMy heart seemed to stop.
\n\u201cHow much?\u201d
\n\u201cTwo hundred thousand dollars.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nI remembered Kevin buying a new truck six months after Susan died.
\nI remembered the expensive vacations.
\nThe way he suddenly seemed to have money after years of struggling.
\nWhen I asked him about it, he told me he\u2019d received a promotion.
\nI had believed him.
\nI always believed him.
\n\u201cDid Kevin receive the insurance money?\u201d I whispered.
\n\u201cAccording to the records my father kept, he was listed as the beneficiary. But the existence of a policy or payment doesn\u2019t establish wrongdoing.\u201d
\nI nodded, though my thoughts were spinning.
\n\u201cDid the police know?\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s one of the things we need to verify.\u201d
\nI looked down at Walt\u2019s letter.
\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t my husband tell me?\u201d
\nLaura was quiet for a moment.
\n\u201cFrom what my father remembers, Walter was afraid of accusing his son without enough evidence. He was trying to learn the truth before saying anything.\u201d
\nTears slipped down my cheeks.
\nThat sounded exactly like Walt.
\nCareful.
\nPatient.
\nAlways wanting to be certain before speaking.
\n\u201cAnd then he died,\u201d I whispered.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI wiped my face.
\n\u201cLaura, what\u2019s in the blue envelope?\u201d
\nShe paused.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not certain of everything inside. My father retained records relating to the safe-deposit box, but Walter arranged for some materials to be sealed separately.\u201d
\n\u201cCan we open it?\u201d
\n\u201cWe need to confirm the bank\u2019s access requirements and who is authorized. My father is making those arrangements.\u201d
\nI glanced at Daniel.
\n\u201cCould we do that tomorrow?\u201d
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll try.\u201d
\nThen Laura lowered her voice.
\n\u201cMrs. Larson, there\u2019s something else you should know.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cYour son contacted our office this afternoon.\u201d
\nA chill moved through me.
\n\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d
\n\u201cHe demanded to know whether you had called.\u201d
\nMy stomach twisted.
\n\u201cWhat did you tell him?\u201d
\n\u201cThat we couldn\u2019t discuss confidential client matters.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cHe became very angry.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nLaura continued.
\n\u201cHe claimed you were being influenced by a stranger who had recently entered your life.\u201d
\nI looked at Daniel.
\n\u201cHe means Daniel.\u201d
\n\u201cI assumed so.\u201d
\n\u201cDaniel returned my stolen savings,\u201d I said. \u201cHe hasn\u2019t asked me for anything.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m glad someone helped you. But we need to document what happened carefully, especially with the guardianship petition pending.\u201d
\nI nodded.
\nThen Laura said, \u201cMrs. Larson, please keep the original letter safe. Don\u2019t give it to Kevin or anyone claiming to act for him.\u201d
\n\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd one more thing.\u201d
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\n\u201cDo you remember a woman named Emily Harper?\u201d
\nThe air seemed to disappear from the room.
\n\u201cSusan\u2019s sister?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cOf course.\u201d
\n\u201cShe contacted my father yesterday.\u201d
\nI nearly dropped the telephone.
\n\u201cYesterday?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAfter seventeen years?\u201d
\nLaura hesitated.
\n\u201cShe said she\u2019d recently found something belonging to Susan.\u201d
\nMy heart hammered.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cA small cassette tape.\u201d
\nI stared at the wall.
\n\u201cA tape?\u201d
\n\u201cApparently Susan recorded herself speaking shortly before her death.\u201d
\nI felt dizzy.
\n\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d
\n\u201cEmily wouldn\u2019t discuss the full contents over the phone.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d
\n\u201cShe said she wanted to give it directly to someone she could trust.\u201d
\nMy mouth went dry.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nLaura\u2019s next words made my heart ache.
\n\u201cYou, Mrs. Larson.\u201d
\nI couldn\u2019t speak.
\nSusan had been gone for seventeen years.
\nAnd now a recording of her voice might finally tell me what she had been afraid to say while she was alive.
\nLaura continued.
\n\u201cEmily plans to meet with my father. If you\u2019re comfortable, we\u2019d like to arrange for you to speak with her.\u201d
\n\u201cYes,\u201d I whispered. \u201cPlease.\u201d
\nAfter we ended the call, I sat holding the receiver against my chest.
\nDaniel watched me.
\n\u201cMrs. Larson?\u201d
\nI looked at him.
\n\u201cSusan left a recording.\u201d
\nHis expression changed.
\n\u201cWhat kind of recording?\u201d
\n\u201cSomething she made before she died.\u201d
\nDaniel slowly sat down.
\nFor a long time, neither of us spoke.
\nThen I turned toward the framed photograph on my mantel.
\nWalt and me, standing outside our house on our fortieth wedding anniversary.
\nHe was smiling.
\nHis arm wrapped around my shoulders.
\nI had spent ten years wishing I could ask him one more question.
\nNow I had a hundred.
\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me, Walt?\u201d I whispered.
\nDaniel looked away, giving me a moment.
\nThen his phone buzzed again.
\nHe glanced at the screen.
\nAnother message from Kevin.
\nThis time, it wasn\u2019t words.
\nIt was a photograph.
\nDaniel frowned.
\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d I asked.
\nHe turned the phone toward me.
\nThe picture showed a small white house with blue shutters.
\nI knew that house.
\nI had been there many times.
\nIt was the house where Susan and Kevin had lived.
\nThe house Kevin sold shortly after her death.
\nUnderneath the photograph was a message.
\n\u201cTELL MY MOTHER TO STOP DIGGING. SOME THINGS WERE BURIED FOR A REASON.\u201d<\/strong>
\nI felt my skin turn cold.
\nDaniel immediately saved the message.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s concerning,\u201d he said.
\nBut I barely heard him.
\nBecause something in the photograph had caught my attention.
\nThe front porch.
\nThe little wooden railing.
\nAnd the flowerpot beside the steps.
\nI remembered Susan standing there one afternoon, looking nervous as Kevin walked toward us.
\nI remembered her slipping something into my coat pocket while he was distracted.
\nA folded piece of paper.
\nShe\u2019d whispered, \u201cPeggy, please keep this somewhere safe.\u201d
\nAt the time, I thought it was a shopping list.
\nI had put it in the drawer of my bedside table.
\nAnd then I\u2019d forgotten about it.
\nSeventeen years.
\nSeventeen years, that little piece of paper might have been sitting in my house.
\nI gripped my walker.
\n\u201cDaniel, I need to go to my bedroom.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Susan gave me something before she died.\u201d
\nHe stood immediately.
\n\u201cWhat did she give you?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. I never opened it.\u201d
\nHe helped me rise.
\nWe moved slowly down the hallway.
\nEvery step hurt my healing hip.
\nBut I barely felt the pain.
\nI reached my bedroom and pointed toward the old wooden bedside table.
\n\u201cBottom drawer.\u201d
\nDaniel opened it.
\nInside were old birthday cards, a broken watch, my mother\u2019s rosary, and a bundle of folded papers tied with faded ribbon.
\nHe carefully lifted the bundle.
\n\u201cThese?\u201d
\nI nodded.
\nMy heart was pounding.
\nHe handed them to me.
\nI untied the ribbon.
\nOne by one, I unfolded the papers.
\nOld receipts.
\nA photograph.
\nA handwritten recipe.
\nThen I found it.
\nA small sheet of yellow paper folded into quarters.
\nOn the outside was Susan\u2019s handwriting.
\n\u201cPEGGY \u2014 IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME, PLEASE READ THIS.\u201d<\/strong>
\nMy breath caught.
\nDaniel stepped closer.
\n\u201cMrs. Larson?\u201d
\nI unfolded the paper.
\nInside, Susan had written only three sentences.
\nBut they changed everything.
\n\u201cKevin has been putting something in my medicine. I found the bottles he hid in the garage. If I disappear or have an accident, please don\u2019t believe him.\u201d<\/strong>
\nI couldn\u2019t breathe.
\nMy knees began to buckle.
\nDaniel caught my arm before I fell.
\nAnd beneath Susan\u2019s final sentence, she had written one last thing.
\nA date.
\nThe date was three days before her death.
\nThen a name.
\n\u201cASK WALT. I TOLD HIM EVERYTHING.\u201d<\/strong>
\nI stared at those words through my tears.
\nMy husband hadn\u2019t merely suspected something.
\nSusan had gone to him for help.
\nAnd now the woman my son claimed had died in an ordinary accident was telling me, from seventeen years in the past, that she had been afraid for her life.
\nBefore I could say another word, Daniel\u2019s phone rang.
\nHe answered.
\n\u201cHello?\u201d
\nA woman\u2019s frightened voice came through loudly enough for me to hear.
\n\u201cIs this Daniel Brooks?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cMy name is Emily Harper. Arthur Whitmore gave me your number because Peggy isn\u2019t answering her phone.\u201d
\nDaniel looked at me.
\n\u201cShe\u2019s right here.\u201d
\n\u201cPlease,\u201d Emily whispered. \u201cTell her not to open her door to Kevin.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s face tightened.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nEmily began crying.
\n\u201cBecause I just found the rest of Susan\u2019s recordings.\u201d
\nI gripped the yellow paper.
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\nEmily\u2019s voice shook.
\n\u201cKevin wasn\u2019t the only person Susan was afraid of.\u201d
\nThe room went silent.
\nThen Emily said something that made me feel as though the floor had disappeared beneath my feet.
\n\u201cPeggy, Susan said the second person helping Kevin was someone in your own family. Someone you trusted with your life.\u201d<\/strong>
\nEND OF PART 4 \u2014 TO BE CONTINUED\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\nPART 5 \u2014 THE PERSON MY HUSBAND WARNED ME NEVER TO TRUST<\/h1>\n
\nNow her younger sister was telling me that someone in my own family had helped Kevin keep a terrible secret.
\nI gripped the yellow note Susan had slipped into my coat pocket three days before her death.
\nMy hands wouldn\u2019t stop trembling.
\n\u201cEmily,\u201d I whispered, leaning toward Daniel\u2019s telephone, \u201cwho was it?\u201d
\nOn the other end, Emily Harper began crying.
\n\u201cPeggy, I wish I could tell you everything right now.\u201d
\n\u201cPlease. I\u2019ve already lost seventeen years.\u201d
\n\u201cI know. And I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d
\nDaniel switched the call to speakerphone and placed the phone on my bedside table.
\nEmily took a shaky breath.
\n\u201cSusan made several recordings before she died. I only found two of them until recently.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere were they?\u201d
\n\u201cInside a box of her belongings my mother kept. When Mom passed away last month, I started sorting through everything.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nPoor Susan.
\nEven after death, she\u2019d been waiting for someone to listen.
\n\u201cEmily, you said another person was helping Kevin.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nEmily hesitated.
\nThen she said, \u201cPeggy, do you remember your niece, Patricia?\u201d
\nMy heart seemed to stop.
\nPatricia.
\nMy sister Margaret\u2019s only daughter.
\nShe had practically grown up in my house.
\nAfter Margaret died, I helped pay Patricia\u2019s college tuition.
\nWhen she struggled through her divorce, Walt and I let her stay with us for six months.
\nShe called me Aunt Peg.
\nShe remembered every birthday.
\nShe brought soup when I was sick.
\nAnd three weeks ago, when I was recovering from hip surgery, she was the one who had offered to help Kevin organize my paperwork.
\n\u201cOh, no,\u201d I whispered.
\nDaniel looked at me.
\n\u201cWho is Patricia?\u201d
\n\u201cMy niece.\u201d
\nEmily continued.
\n\u201cSusan mentioned her on the recording.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d
\nEmily\u2019s voice lowered.
\n\u201cShe said Patricia was helping Kevin prepare documents. Susan believed they were planning to take control of something that belonged to Walt.\u201d
\nI stared at the bedroom wall.
\n\u201cMy husband\u2019s inheritance.\u201d
\n\u201cPossibly.\u201d
\nI pressed a hand against my chest.
\n\u201cEmily, was Patricia involved in Susan\u2019s death?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. Susan was frightened of her, but that doesn\u2019t prove what happened. I don\u2019t want to accuse anyone of something I can\u2019t establish.\u201d
\nHer caution made the words even more frightening.
\n\u201cCan I hear the recording?\u201d
\n\u201cYes. But I think we should do it with Mr. Whitmore present. He wants to make copies and help us preserve the originals.\u201d
\nI swallowed.
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201cTomorrow morning.\u201d
\nI nodded even though she couldn\u2019t see me.
\nThen Emily said something unexpected.
\n\u201cPeggy, did Susan ever give you a yellow piece of paper?\u201d
\nI nearly dropped the telephone.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cYou found it?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m holding it.\u201d
\nEmily began crying harder.
\n\u201cOh, thank God.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Susan told me she had given you a warning. I thought Kevin might have found it after she died.\u201d
\nI looked at Daniel.
\n\u201cWhat else did Susan tell you?\u201d
\nEmily took a trembling breath.
\n\u201cShe told me that if anything happened to her, Walt would know where to look for the truth.\u201d
\nI glanced at the note.
\nASK WALT. I TOLD HIM EVERYTHING.
\nMy husband had known.
\nAnd whatever he discovered had frightened him enough to hide a warning in my car.
\n\u201cEmily,\u201d I whispered, \u201cWalt died ten years ago.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cBut he left me a letter.\u201d
\nEmily went silent.
\nThen she asked, \u201cDoes it mention a blue envelope?\u201d
\nI felt the blood drain from my face.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cPeggy, you need to get that envelope before Kevin does.\u201d
\nDaniel leaned forward.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nEmily\u2019s voice became urgent.
\n\u201cBecause Susan said there was a second set of documents. Documents Kevin had been trying to find for years.\u201d
\nMy chest tightened.
\n\u201cWhat documents?\u201d
\n\u201cBank records, handwritten notes, and something Walt kept about Patricia.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nThe people I loved most were becoming strangers.
\n\u201cEmily, I need to ask you one thing.\u201d
\n\u201cAnything.\u201d
\n\u201cDid Susan ever tell you that Kevin was putting something in her medicine?\u201d
\nA long silence followed.
\nThen Emily whispered, \u201cYes.\u201d
\nMy heart broke.
\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she go to the police?\u201d
\n\u201cShe told me she was collecting evidence. She wanted to leave him, but she was scared.\u201d
\nI looked down at Susan\u2019s handwriting.
\nA young woman had reached out to me.
\nAnd I\u2019d left her warning unopened in a drawer for seventeen years.
\n\u201cI should have read her note,\u201d I whispered.
\n\u201cPeggy, you couldn\u2019t have known what it said.\u201d
\n\u201cBut she trusted me.\u201d
\nEmily\u2019s voice softened.
\n\u201cThen help her now.\u201d
\nThose four words settled into my heart.
\nHelp her now.
\nI wiped my tears.
\n\u201cAll right,\u201d I said. \u201cTell Mr. Whitmore I\u2019ll be there tomorrow.\u201d
\nAfter the call ended, Daniel helped me back into the living room.
\nI felt older than seventy-nine.
\nBut for the first time since my fall, I also felt determined.
\nDaniel brought me a glass of water.
\n\u201cMrs. Larson, there\u2019s something we should discuss.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cYour niece Patricia. Does she have a key to your house?\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nHis expression darkened.
\n\u201cDoes anyone else?\u201d
\n\u201cKevin. Patricia. And my neighbor Mrs. Bell, for emergencies.\u201d
\nDaniel looked toward the hallway.
\n\u201cThen I think we should have the locks changed as soon as possible.\u201d
\nI nodded.
\nHe helped me call a locksmith with an emergency evening service.
\nThe locksmith said he could arrive within the hour.
\nWhile we waited, I pulled out my address book.
\nPatricia\u2019s name was written on the first page.
\nI stared at it for a long time.
\nThen I picked up my telephone.
\nDaniel frowned.
\n\u201cWho are you calling?\u201d
\n\u201cMy niece.\u201d
\n\u201cAre you sure that\u2019s wise?\u201d
\n\u201cI won\u2019t tell her anything about Susan. I just need to hear what she says.\u201d
\nHe nodded cautiously.
\nI dialed.
\nPatricia answered on the second ring.
\n\u201cAunt Peg! How are you feeling?\u201d
\nHer cheerful voice almost made me cry.
\n\u201cStill sore, sweetheart.\u201d
\n\u201cOh, you poor thing. Kevin told me you were having a difficult day.\u201d
\nI stiffened.
\n\u201cDid he?\u201d
\n\u201cYes. He said some stranger was confusing you about your finances.\u201d
\nI glanced at Daniel.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s interesting.\u201d
\n\u201cReally, Aunt Peg, you shouldn\u2019t let people into your home when you\u2019re alone.\u201d
\nI swallowed.
\n\u201cPatricia, did Kevin tell you he sold my car?\u201d
\nSilence.
\nThen she laughed lightly.
\n\u201cOh, honey, he was only trying to help.\u201d
\n\u201cBy selling something that belonged to me?\u201d
\n\u201cWell, you can\u2019t drive right now.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s not what I asked.\u201d
\nHer voice changed slightly.
\n\u201cAunt Peg, I don\u2019t want to argue.\u201d
\n\u201cNeither do I.\u201d
\n\u201cGood. Now, Kevin mentioned you\u2019ve been asking questions about old family documents.\u201d
\nMy heart hammered.
\n\u201cWhat documents?\u201d
\n\u201cYou know. Your husband\u2019s estate.\u201d
\nI looked down at Walt\u2019s letter.
\n\u201cWhy would that concern Kevin?\u201d
\nPatricia hesitated.
\n\u201cBecause you\u2019re recovering from surgery, and complicated financial matters can be overwhelming.\u201d
\nI felt a familiar anger rising.
\nNot the loud anger of younger years.
\nSomething quieter.
\nStronger.
\n\u201cI\u2019m old, Patricia. I\u2019m not incapable.\u201d
\n\u201cOf course not, Aunt Peg.\u201d
\n\u201cThen stop speaking to me as though I am.\u201d
\nAnother pause.
\nThen Patricia said, \u201cHas anyone given you anything from Walt?\u201d
\nI froze.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d
\n\u201cA letter, perhaps? Something in an old envelope?\u201d
\nDaniel lifted his head.
\nI tightened my grip on the receiver.
\n\u201cWhy do you ask?\u201d
\n\u201cOh, no reason. Kevin just mentioned there might be some paperwork missing.\u201d
\nMy stomach twisted.
\nKevin and Patricia were looking for the same letter.
\nAnd neither of them seemed concerned about my health anymore.
\n\u201cPatricia,\u201d I said quietly, \u201cdid you know Susan Harper?\u201d
\nThe silence was immediate.
\nFor several seconds, I thought the call had disconnected.
\nThen Patricia whispered, \u201cWhy would you bring her up?\u201d
\n\u201cJust remembering.\u201d
\n\u201cAunt Peg, Susan died a long time ago.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cThere\u2019s no reason to upset yourself thinking about the past.\u201d
\nI stared toward the photograph of Walt.
\n\u201cSometimes the past has a way of coming back.\u201d
\nPatricia\u2019s breathing changed.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\n\u201cIt means I miss her.\u201d
\n\u201cAunt Peg, listen to me carefully.\u201d
\nHer voice was suddenly cold.
\n\u201cYou need to stop letting strangers put ideas in your head.\u201d
\nI felt a chill.
\n\u201cGoodnight, Patricia.\u201d
\n\u201cWait. Have you spoken to Arthur Whitmore?\u201d
\nMy heart stopped.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Kevin said you might.\u201d
\nI looked at Daniel.
\nThen I said, \u201cGoodnight.\u201d
\nAnd hung up.
\nFor a long moment, I sat staring at the telephone.
\nDaniel broke the silence.
\n\u201cShe knows about the letter.\u201d
\nI nodded.
\n\u201cAnd the attorney.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nHe looked troubled.
\n\u201cMrs. Larson, I think your son and niece are much more interested in your husband\u2019s estate than they\u2019re admitting.\u201d
\nI looked at the photograph on the mantel.
\nWalt smiled back at me.
\nFor ten years, I\u2019d imagined he had left this world with everything settled.
\nNow I wondered how much worry he had carried alone.
\nThe locksmith arrived forty minutes later.
\nDaniel explained that I wanted all exterior locks rekeyed.
\nI showed the locksmith identification and proof that I owned the house.
\nHe worked quietly while I sat in the living room.
\nWhen he finished, he handed me three new keys.
\n\u201cThese old ones won\u2019t work anymore, Mrs. Larson.\u201d
\nI held them in my palm.
\nSuch small pieces of metal.
\nAnd yet, they made me feel as if I had taken back one little piece of my life.
\nDaniel helped me place the money in a locked cabinet temporarily while I arranged safer storage through my bank.
\nThen he wrote down the messages Kevin had sent and helped me save copies.
\nHe offered to call someone I trusted to stay with me overnight.
\nI thought of my neighbor, Helen Bell.
\nShe had been my friend for thirty years.
\nShe knew Walt.
\nShe knew Kevin.
\nAnd she had never once asked me for money.
\nWhen I called, Helen arrived ten minutes later carrying a casserole.
\n\u201cPeggy Larson,\u201d she said as she stepped inside, \u201cyou look like you\u2019ve been through a war.\u201d
\nI burst into tears.
\nShe put down the casserole and hugged me.
\n\u201cOh, sweetheart. What\u2019s happened?\u201d
\nI told her enough for her to understand.
\nThe car.
\nThe money.
\nThe guardianship petition.
\nWalt\u2019s letter.
\nHelen listened without interrupting.
\nWhen I finished, she sat very still.
\nThen she said something that made my heart skip.
\n\u201cPeggy, I need to tell you something about Kevin.\u201d
\nI looked at her.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThree weeks ago, while you were in rehabilitation, he came to your house with Patricia.\u201d
\nI felt cold.
\n\u201cThey were here together?\u201d
\nHelen nodded.
\n\u201cI was watering my roses. I saw them carrying boxes out of your garage.\u201d
\nMy mouth went dry.
\n\u201cWhat boxes?\u201d
\n\u201cOld cardboard boxes. The ones Walt used to keep in his workshop.\u201d
\nI gripped the armrests.
\nWalt\u2019s workshop.
\nThe little room behind the garage where he kept his tools, tax records, and important papers.
\nKevin had told me he\u2019d cleaned it out after the funeral.
\nI hadn\u2019t been inside for years.
\n\u201cHelen,\u201d I whispered, \u201cdid they say what they were doing?\u201d
\n\u201cKevin told me you asked him to get rid of some old junk.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\n\u201cI never asked him that.\u201d
\nHelen\u2019s expression changed.
\n\u201cPeggy, there\u2019s more.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cPatricia was carrying a small metal box.\u201d
\nMy heart hammered.
\n\u201cWhat color?\u201d
\nHelen thought for a moment.
\n\u201cDark blue. Maybe navy.\u201d
\nI felt the room tilt.
\nA blue box.
\nWalt had told me to look for a blue envelope at the bank.
\nCould Patricia have taken something related to it from the workshop?
\n\u201cHelen, did you see where they put it?\u201d
\n\u201cIn Kevin\u2019s car.\u201d
\nI pressed my hand to my forehead.
\nDaniel leaned forward.
\n\u201cMrs. Bell, did you happen to take a photograph?\u201d
\nHelen looked surprised.
\n\u201cActually, I did.\u201d
\nMy heart leaped.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause I thought it was strange. Kevin was carrying boxes out of Peggy\u2019s house while she was in rehab, and she hadn\u2019t mentioned anything about it to me.\u201d
\nShe reached into her purse.
\nPulled out her phone.
\nScrolled through her photographs.
\nThen turned the screen toward us.
\nThere was Kevin, standing beside his truck.
\nPatricia was next to him.
\nAnd in her hands was a small blue metal lockbox.
\nMy breath caught.
\nBut it wasn\u2019t the box that frightened me most.
\nIt was the expression on Patricia\u2019s face.
\nShe was smiling.
\nAnd Kevin was holding what looked like a thick stack of papers.
\nDaniel carefully examined the photograph.
\n\u201cMrs. Bell, could you preserve the original and send Peggy a copy?\u201d
\n\u201cOf course.\u201d
\nHelen looked at me.
\n\u201cPeggy, I\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t tell you sooner.\u201d
\nI shook my head.
\n\u201cYou didn\u2019t know.\u201d
\nThen Helen frowned.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s something else I remembered.\u201d
\nWe all looked at her.
\n\u201cWhen Kevin and Patricia were leaving, I heard them arguing.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat about?\u201d
\n\u201cI couldn\u2019t hear everything. But Patricia said, \u2018If the old man kept copies, we\u2019re finished.’\u201d
\nMy heart seemed to stop.
\nThe old man.
\nWalt.
\nEven ten years after his death, my husband was still standing between them and whatever they wanted.
\nI looked at the photograph again.
\nThen I noticed a detail none of us had mentioned.
\nOn the side of the metal lockbox was a small white label.
\nHelen enlarged the picture.
\nThe letters were faded.
\nBut I could read them.
\nS. HARPER \u2014 PRIVATE<\/strong>
\nI covered my mouth.
\nSusan.
\nThe box had Susan\u2019s name on it.
\nFor seventeen years, I had believed all her belongings were gone.
\nAnd now Kevin and Patricia had carried a box with her name out of my husband\u2019s workshop.
\n\u201cDaniel,\u201d I whispered, \u201cwe have to tell Emily.\u201d
\nHe nodded immediately.
\nBut before he could reach for his phone, someone knocked gently at the front door.
\nWe all froze.
\nHelen looked at the clock.
\nIt was nearly nine.
\n\u201cWho could that be?\u201d
\nDaniel approached the window carefully.
\nA woman stood on the porch.
\nShe was about fifty, wearing a dark coat, holding a large brown envelope.
\nShe looked frightened.
\nDaniel called through the door.
\n\u201cCan I help you?\u201d
\nThe woman answered.
\n\u201cI\u2019m looking for Peggy Larson.\u201d
\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d
\n\u201cMy name is Rebecca Shaw.\u201d
\nI stared toward the hallway.
\nThat name meant nothing to me.
\nThen the woman spoke again.
\n\u201cI was Susan Harper\u2019s nurse seventeen years ago.\u201d
\nThe room went completely silent.
\nMy heart hammered.
\n\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d I called.
\nHer voice cracked.
\n\u201cMrs. Larson, I should have come to you a long time ago.\u201d
\nI gripped my walker.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Susan told me she was afraid someone was tampering with her medication.\u201d
\nTears filled my eyes.
\nRebecca continued.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t understand what she was trying to tell me until after she died.\u201d
\nDaniel glanced at me.
\nI nodded.
\nHe opened the door cautiously, leaving the security chain attached.
\nRebecca held up the brown envelope.
\n\u201cI brought copies of the notes I made back then. I kept them because something about her case never felt right.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cWhy are you bringing them now?\u201d
\nHer eyes filled with tears.
\n\u201cBecause Emily Harper contacted me. And because someone called my house yesterday, demanding that I destroy anything I had kept about Susan.\u201d
\nMy blood ran cold.
\n\u201cWho called you?\u201d
\nRebecca looked straight at me.
\n\u201cYour niece.\u201d
\nI felt my knees weaken.
\n\u201cPatricia?\u201d
\nRebecca nodded.
\nThen she said six words I will never forget.
\n\u201cShe said your husband knew everything.\u201d<\/strong>
\nI pressed a hand against my chest.
\nRebecca opened the brown envelope.
\nInside were several pages, an old photograph, and a handwritten note.
\nShe held the note against the glass.
\nI recognized the handwriting immediately.
\nWalt\u2019s.
\nAt the top were four words.
\n\u201cIF PEGGY EVER ASKS.\u201d<\/strong>
\nAnd beneath them, my husband had written something that made my breath catch.
\n\u201cSusan came to me the night before she died. She wasn\u2019t running away from Kevin. She was running away from Patricia.\u201d<\/strong>
\nEND OF PART 5 \u2014 TO BE CONTINUED\u2026
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"\ud83d\udc49\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/svg\/1f449.svg\")
PART 6 \u2014 THE WOMAN WHO KNEW WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO SUSAN<\/a><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"