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Alex stepped inside and was shocked to find the living room neat and clean. She’d expected Willow to have let the place go back to the mess it was before she’d moved in. She’d also been afraid entering this house would trigger a reaction she wouldn’t be able to explain. But even the furniture was different. This wasn’t the house she’d lived in.
“Let me have your coat, honey,” the woman said. “I just started a fire in the fireplace. It’s nice and warm in here.”
“That’s okay. I’ll keep it,” she said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to find anyone else here. May I ask who you are?”
The woman had extended her arm for Alex’s coat, and she let it drop. “Oh dear. I’m sorry. You’re right. I should have introduced myself. I’m Nettie Travers. I live here with your aunt.”
“What do you mean you live here?” The words tumbled out before Alex realized she sounded rude.
Rather than look offended, Nettie smiled. “Why don’t you sit down? I’ll explain everything. Willow is napping, but after we talk, I’ll wake her up so you two can visit.”
“I don’t have a lot of time,” Alex said. “I’m here on a matter of urgency.”
“Then I don’t suppose you’d like a cup of tea?” Nettie asked.
“No. No tea. Thank you.”
Nettie gestured toward the couch, and Alex sat down. Nettie took a seat in the matching chair next to the couch. Alex was surprised by how nice the furniture was. Not like the secondhand junk her aunt had once owned.
“I’d been living next door to your aunt for a while before she had a stroke. It was three years ago now,” Nettie said. “Some of the neighbors tried to help her, but she needed more care than a few casseroles could provide.” She shrugged. “Although I thought the best thing for her was a nursing home, she wouldn’t leave. No amount of reasoning would change her mind. My Charlie had passed away two years before, so I asked her if she’d like me to move in and care for her.”
She leaned back into her chair. “You see, Charlie was also a stroke victim, and I took care of him for four years before he passed. I felt I had the expertise to help Willow, and she agreed to my suggestion. So I sold my house and moved in. She was living in squalor, Alex. For their sake, I was almost glad all her cats had died by then. I cleaned up, got rid of the furniture, and moved in my own. Hers wasn’t in very good shape.”
“I don’t doubt that.” Alex frowned at her. “But what are you getting out of this?”
Nettie smiled slowly. “Sorry. I thought I’d made that clear. I was lonely. Sitting alone in my house was withering my soul. Now I get to help Willow, and I feel needed. Wanted.”
“I know my aunt’s disability check isn’t much,” Alex said. “I sent her checks over the years as I could, but none of them were ever cashed. Are you paying her bills?”
Nettie stood and went to a small antique-looking desk against one wall. She pulled open a drawer and reached inside, then brought over an envelope and checkbook. She placed them on the coffee table in front of Alex.
“All your checks are in that envelope,” Nettie said softly. “I never wanted you to think I was trying to take advantage of your aunt.” Then she pushed the checkbook toward Alex. “All her SSI checks are still deposited directly into the checking account you set up for her, and every penny spent is accounted for. I pay for half of everything.” She sighed. “Your address was on your checks. I wanted to write to you—to tell you about your aunt’s stroke—but Willow wouldn’t allow it. She wanted you to come back on your own.”
Alex went through the envelope and then scanned the checkbook. Nettie was telling the truth. She looked up and met her gaze. “I’m sorry. This is just so unusual.”
Nettie’s eyes misted. “You haven’t known much kindness, have you, honey?”
The woman’s look of compassion angered her. “Look, I really don’t have time for this. Whatever you and my aunt want to do is fine with me. I don’t care. I’m here because I need something from Willow.”
“What is it?”
“A book. A very special book.”
Nettie’s kind expression turned guarded. “What’s the title of the book?” she asked.
“It has no title. My aunt and people she knows just call it The Book.”
From behind her, an unearthly screech rose in intensity, causing Alex to jump. She turned to see her aunt standing in the doorway, a look of terror on her face.
