"Your father would be very upset with you, Willow."
Was she right? Would Daddy have disapproved of all of this, especially confronting my mother now?
"You had better come to me."
"No, Aunt Agnes. Thank you. Thanks for calling."
I hung up, and then I took the receiver off the hook.
I'll be gone today, and she won't be able to find me, I thought. No one will be able to find tree until I find myself.
10
Love or Madness?
.
Now that Aunt Agnes had stirred the cauldron of turmoil inside me like some witch who worked her curses over the telephone. I couldn't remain in bed. I ordered in my breakfast and packed my things. Fuming over her phone call. I decided to call Miles to see how much of what she was saying was purely exaggeration. It rang so long I thought he wasn't going to answer at all or that he might have already been driven out by Aunt Agnes. Finally, he picked up.
"De Beers residence," he said, and cleared his throat. He sounded as if he might have been crying.
"Miles, are you all right?" I asked immediately.
"Willow? Is that you?"
"Yes, Miles."
"Listen to me." he said in a throaty whisper before I could ask him anything. "I have strange and wondrous news to tell you."
"What?"
'The last few nights. I heard sounds coming from your father's office. At first. I thought it might just be field mice. so I laid some traps. I caught nothing. This morning, I rose before dawn and walked as quietly as I could to the office. You'll never imagine what I found."
"What?" I said, holding my breath. Had someone burglarized my father's office? Had Aunt Agnes, wondering why I had spent so much time there, gone back there to search it?
"Your father's computer was on It was on and running. There were words on the screen."
"I don't understand. Miles. What are you saying? Someone was searching my father's computer files?"
"No, no, no No one has come into the house uninvited."
"Then... what do you mean?"
'Don't you see, Willow? Your father is completing his unfinished work. All you will have to do when it's completed is print it off and send it to his publisher. He can't rest in peace until that happens. I'm sure of it.'
For a long moment. I couldn't speak. I had never heard Miles talk like this.
"Miles, are you positive the computer was on?'
"Oh, yes, yes. I saw the glow coming from the desk and looked very closely."
"Did you shut off the computer. Miles?"
"No. no. I didn't touch a thing. I haven't touched a thing in the office since... since your father's passing. When I went back and looked again, there were additional lines on the screen."
"Miles, be honest with me now Are you drinking? Aunt Agnes thinks you are."
"Oh, no, no," he said. "I'm fine. All is fine."