Page 43 of What You Never Knew

She gives a little shrug. “Not very well.”

“West worked for us. At Avril Island. If I remember correctly, you came out now and again to help with gardening.” I’m not going to let her get away with pretending she didn’t know my family. That we were just summer residents who might have passed her on the street. That we don’t have a family drama sitting between us like some two-headed elephant in the room.

She cocks her head to the side, as though trying to conjure something up. “I don’t really remember. It was a long time ago.”

I decide to try another angle. “I read in one of those newspaper articles about my father’s disappearance that they thought West might have had something to do with it. Do you know anything about that?”

A pained look flits across her face, and I can tell I’ve struck a nerve. “It was so long ago,” she says. “I don’t remember too many details. The police came one day, and West, he …” She trails off, a dazed look coming into her green eyes.

She glances around the room as though looking for something and then focuses back on me, sitting across from her. “Oh dear,” she says. “How rude. I haven’t even put on the kettle.” She starts to struggle out of her chair.

“That’s fine, Willa. I don’t need any tea.” I lean forward to stop her, but she moves quickly and is up and disappearing into the kitchen before I can say another word. I fall back into my chair with a huff of frustration.

There’s a stretch of silence. It goes on long enough that I wonder if she’s forgotten all about the tea and gone out the back door. Then the sound of cupboards being opened and closed and dishes being arranged reaches me out in the living room. Willa starts talking quietly to herself, one long string of conversation, as though someone else is in the room.

I stare out the window at the cloud-like blossoms blowing gently in the wind and the birds fighting one another for room at the feeder. I’m just trying to figure out a way to make a quick escape, to end this failed charade, when Willa reappears, empty-handed. She looks shocked when she sees me sitting there. “How did you get in here?” she asks, fury in her eyes.

“I came through the back door,” I answer, gesturing toward the kitchen.

She moves right into the room to stand in front of me. “How dare you show up here again.” The shine of tears appears. “We had a deal,” she says, the whisper of it full of emotion.

It’s what I came for, getting Willa to think I was my mother, but I didn’t realize how upset she’d be. Still, I can’t turn back now. I need answers.

I slowly get up from my chair. “Can you remind me of that deal, Willa? I seem to have forgotten.”

She points a finger at me, and I notice her hands are shaking. “You know what deal,” she hisses. “You promised never to come back, and I promised to never tell.”

“Never tell what, Willa?”

“About Simon or the girl. Or the affair.” She sinks down into a chair, tears now streaming down her cheeks. “My West.”

“What about Simon and the girl, Willa? Who’s the girl?” There’s a frantic edge to my voice.

“Stop it,” she says, turning away and holding a hand up to keep me at bay.

“Please, Willa, just tell me about Simon. What happened to Simon?”

Her head suddenly whips back in my direction. “Get out of my house,” she screams, startling me.

“June?” I jump again at the sound of my name. Turning, I find Ezra in the doorway of the living room, his expression a mix of fear and confusion. “What’s going on?”

I glance down at Willa and then back at him. “I just came for a visit. I thought it would be nice for her, since she’s alone so much. I didn’t mean any harm, Ezra.” I shake my head. “Really I didn’t.”

He looks me up and down. “Can you please go wait for me outside?”

I turn back to Willa to apologize once again, but her hands cover her face while she cries. “I’m sorry,” I say to Ezra instead, as I leave the room. He doesn’t say anything or meet my eyes as I pass by.

Walking down to the boathouse, I look back and see Ezra on his knees, trying to comfort her. I take my shoes off and toss them in the boat, then sit down on the edge of the dock with my feet in the water. I feel like a complete asshole.

I’m carefully going over everything Willa said when Ezra arrives on the dock. “I know why you’re here, June.” His voice is stern and, for the first time since I’ve been back, unfriendly. “It’s wrong, what you did.”

I get to my feet. Looking at his face, I realize there’s no point in trying to play innocent here. He can see right through me. He always has. “I’m sorry, Ezra. I didn’t realize how bad it was. That I’d upset her so much.”

“How could you not? You brought up the most painful time in her life.”

“But I think she might have some answers about what happened to my father. I think it was more sinister than we thought it was.”

“Because you think my dad killed him?”