Page 27 of Willowbrooke
Leo was sitting at the desk at the far end of the library, his shoulders hunched over. Whatever the call had been about…Leo seemed distraught.
He looked up, his eyes pained when they met mine. “It’s okay. You can come in,” he said.
“Are you alright?” I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I knew he wasn’t okay.
“What did you need, Penny?” He ignored my question.
“I came to apologize about last night.” I approached the desk cautiously, unsure of what kind of response I would receive.
Leo’s brow furrowed. “Apologize?”
“What I said about…” I didn’t want to say it out loud, but Leo didn’t seem to understand. “...about your mom…” I said the last words so quietly I barely heard myself, but Leo definitely heard me.
He sighed. “Have you thought I was upset with you all day?” Leo somehow saw right through me.
I was frozen. “You—missed coffee,” I stuttered.
“I left you a cup,” he said defensively. “I’m not mad at you. I had an early meeting—I should have said something yesterday, but I forgot.”
“Okay,” I replied, unsure of what else to say.
Leo raked his hand through his hair as he stood. He turned away from me to look out the window toward the cliffside. It was a cloudy night, so not much could be seen beyond the illumination of the outdoor house lights.
“Maybe you were right about this place being haunted,” Leo murmured. “But if there’s anyone haunting this house, it’s surely my father.”
Surprised by his admission, I could only ask, “Why?” as I approached him at the window.
“Restoring the house wasn’t my father’s only request on his deathbed, you know.” Leo fiddled with a tassel on the curtains. “He also asked that a private autopsy be conducted after his death.”
I stayed silent, knowing that it would be inappropriate for me to interrupt Leo’s confession. He was rarely this vulnerable with me, but I would be there for him, whatever he was about to confide in me.
“It turns out, it wasn’t the cancer that got him in the end—he was close, but not quite there yet. The forensic pathologists said there was strong evidence he was…suffocated.” Leo’s voice trembled as he shared his discovery.
“And they’re sure?” It seemed so out of left field.
“I’ve gotten several opinions, and they’ve all come back with the same findings.” He sighed. “The one I met with today said I need to stop looking for more opinions and face the truth.”
“Leo…” I breathed. I didn’t know what to say.
Leo turned to me then. “Penny—you’re the only person in this house I can trust.” His face was solemn, but resolute.
“Why me?” I said quietly.
“Because I didn’t even know you at the time—whatever happened to my father, I know you weren’t involved,” he told me. “You also seem to be incapable of lying to me, much to your detriment.”
I couldn’t help but give a short, humorless chuckle at that. He was right. I was a terrible liar at the best of times, but I also wondered if he knew that even if I could lie to him, I wouldn’t want to. I only ever wanted to be honest with Leo.
“I’m so sorry,” I told him.
“I know.”
Seeing Leo standing there so broken and alone, I did the only thing I could think to do to comfort him…I hugged him.
I was surprised when Leo returned the embrace, holding me tightly to him, as if he hadn’t been hugged in ages…and perhaps he hadn’t.
CHAPTER 6
Last Days
