Page 95 of Everything All at Once

“What’s my proof?” I said, grabbing the book back fromhim, poking the circled word with my forefinger. I took the red journal from my bed and opened it and thrust it into Abe’s hand, showing him picture after picture of Aunt Helen and Sam, turning the pages and jabbing at each one.

And the letters.

All the letters were stacked on my desk; I picked them up and started going through them, reading any relevant passages I found:

“I’ve kept a secret for a very, very long time. And now (in death, as it were) it seems like the perfect time to loosen my grip on it a little bit.”

“But I think if even one immortal boy could identify with Alvin’s struggles, it will have all been worth it.”

“Is Alvin based on a real person? Oh, of course...”

“Some nights I can imagine I am in high school again or living in your father’s garage or running after an immortal boy.”

“AN IMMORTAL BOY, Abe!” I said, breathing too hard, fully understanding now the secret my aunt had been leading me toward. “And she left him something in her will!”

“What was it? Did he tell you?” Abe asked, still holding the journal, still flipping slowly through the pages, studying every picture.

“No,” I said. “I don’t think he’s even gone to get it yet.”

“Really? So that means Harry still has it?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Interesting.”

“You don’t think I should—”

“Why not? If you’re really going down this path, don’t you want to know what it is?”

I didn’t waste any time.

I got Harry’s cell phone number from Aunt Helen’s computer and called him from Abe’s phone. He answered on the second ring and sounded genuinely pleased to hear from me.

“Lottie Reaves! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I figured out who Mr. Williams is, the person from my aunt’s will. I know him.”

“Really? That’s wonderful. Do you have his contact information?”

Yeah, sitting useless in my shattered cell phone.

“He’s kind of hard to reach,” I said, improvising. “Off the grid, you know? I thought I could bring it to him? If it’s small enough to fit in my car, I guess?”

Had Aunt Helen left Sam a piano? A boat? I didn’t know.

“No, it’s quite small enough, but... Well, I don’t love that idea, to be honest,” Harry said. “There’s paperwork, you know.”

“I could take that too, and then bring it back to you?”

“If it was anyone else, I’d have to say no. But since it’s you, and I knew your aunt so well... I’m inclined to make an exception.”

“Great! I can come by now? If that’s okay with you. I can meet you at your office or I can come to your house,whatever you’d like.”

“I guess we’d better meet at the office then, that’s where the last of your aunt’s things are. I can be there in a half hour or so; I have some work to do anyway. Thanks for calling, Lottie.”

“Thank you.” I hung up the phone and handed it back to Abe, who’d been listening so close to me that our cheeks were almost touching. He pulled back, thoughtful.

“You don’t think it’s...” He trailed off, shaking his head slightly.