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"You can read them," he said tightly.
She perused the two notes he'd already read, then glanced back at him. "She loved you. But why? I don't understand the relationship."
"Neither do I. I have no idea why this woman would write to me, tell me she loved me, or try to send me presents."
"She must be related to you. Maybe she was your grandmother."
"I know the names of my grandmothers. Neither one was Eleanor or Ellie."
"Are they still alive?"
"Yes. But I've never met my maternal grandmother or grandfather. My mother's parents disowned her when she got pregnant at seventeen."
"They didn't come to her funeral?"
"I don't think so. I met my dad's mother once or twice, but my father didn't have a good relationship with her, so she wasn't in my life. My paternal grandfather took off when my dad was a toddler, so I know nothing about him." He tried to pace, because he needed to move, but there was nowhere to go in this small, crowded house, and he felt like he was going to suffocate. "I need air." He pushed open the door and stepped out onto the porch, drawing in several deep breaths of air.
Chloe stepped out on the porch, keeping the door to the house open. She had the two remaining letters in her hand. "You should read these. Maybe there are more clues."
He hesitated, then took the first envelope out of her hand and opened it.
Dear Decker,
I got an ice cream today at Sugar Dreams and couldn't stop thinking about how much you loved that ice cream. You ate it so fast that the chocolate smeared across your face. You were so cute. I hope you're eating ice cream wherever you are. I was shopping today, and I found a miniature ice cream shop. I think you'd love to play with it. I have it at my house. It will be waiting when your dad brings you back for a visit. I hope that will be soon. Miss you, Decker. Tell your dad that we miss him, too.
He handed the letter to Chloe to read and then tore open the last one.
Dear Decker,
I guess you're not getting my letters. I thought I would try one more time in case you're back from one of your adventures. It's been almost two years since I saw you. You must be so big by now. I think you're probably in the third grade. Time goes by so fast. I'm still picking up presents for you that I hope you'll be able to open one day. Tell your dad I know he's a great father, and I hope he brings you back soon. There are people here who love you. Someday, I hope I can tell you that in person.
He shook his head as he gave the letter to Chloe to read. "It's more of the same and it doesn't make sense why this woman was writing to me."
"She keeps wanting you to tell your dad things, that he's a good father, that she wants him to bring you back, but why didn't she write to him?"
He shrugged. "Who knows?"
"Maybe she wrote to him, and you haven't found those yet."
"That's certainly possible. I'm not sure I want to find anything else."
"What are you worried about?"
"Lies," he said shortly. "Lies that might have been told to me by the one person in my life I trusted more than anyone else. My father was so big on honesty. I don't want to believe he had a big secret he didn't share with me."
"Maybe it's not about lies. Ellie might not have been a blood relative. She could have been a friend of the family. It sounds like there was a lot of estrangement. Maybe she was one of your grandparents' friends or a neighbor or a former nanny. She could be anyone."
"That's true. She doesn't say she's my grandmother or an aunt or anything."
"Did she ever appear in your life again?"
"I don't think so. I know we never came back to Whisper Lake. I don't believe that I ever saw her anywhere else. It's puzzling."
"It sure is, but I wouldn't jump to any conclusions until you have more information."
"I rarely do that, but this town, this house, is throwing me off-balance." He drew in another breath. "I made some progress in the dining room, so that's something."
"That's good." She paused. "I hate to throw some bad news at you, but Joel called me and said to tell you he can't do the bike ride this afternoon."
