The front door of Luke's house stood open. The stranger stepped inside and closed it quietly behind him. He didn't turn on the lights. He knew the house well enough to move through it in darkness.. .
He crossed the living room and stopped beside the old fireplace. For several seconds he simply stood there. Then he reached beneath the mantel.
His fingers found a loose board. He pulled. Nothing.
He frowned. The compartment was empty. "Sam," he whispered.
He looked around the room. "Where did you hide it?"
He searched the desk. The bookshelves. The cabinet beside the kitchen. Nothing.
Finally, he walked into Sam's old bedroom. The room had remained almost untouched. Luke had kept the rooms just as Sarah had left them.
The stranger ran his fingers along the headboard. Then stopped. A tiny mark had been carved into the wood. A crescent moon. Beneath it were two initials.
S.M.
The stranger smiled. "You really did hide it here."
He reached beneath the bed. His hand touched something. A wooden box. He pulled it free. Inside was an old leather-bound journal.
He opened it. The first pages contained nothing but weather observations and farm expenses.
Then the writing changed. The entries became shorter. More careful. The stranger turned pages.
October 17, 1931.
He stopped. The page contained only one sentence.
Evelyn came tonight.
The stranger's hand began to tremble. He turned another page. She says William knows. Another. The boy is not safe. Another. I promised her. Then a final entry. If I fail, the river will remember.
The stranger closed his eyes. "Sam..."
He turned to leave. Then he heard the floorboard creak behind him.
He spun around. Luke stood in the doorway. The stranger froze.
For a long moment, neither man spoke.
Then Luke looked at the journal in his hand. "Put it down."
The stranger did not move.
"Who are you?"
The man's face softened. "You really don't remember me?"
Luke shook his head. "No."
"I saw you when you were a boy." "Where?"
"Across the road from your father's farm."
Luke's pulse quickened. "You're Evelyn Mercer's son."
The man's eyes filled. "Yes."
"What's your name?"
He hesitated. Then finally answered. "Thomas Mercer."
Luke stared at him. "Why have you been following me?"
Thomas looked down at the journal. "Because your father promised my mother something."
"What?"
"That if she ever needed him, he'd help her."
Luke stepped forward. "My father died trying to keep her safe."
Thomas nodded. "I know."
"Then why are you here?"
Thomas looked at him. "Because my mother is still alive."
Luke's heart stopped. "Evelyn?"
Thomas nodded. "She's been waiting for you."
Luke stared at him.
"Why me?"
Thomas's voice broke. "Because she wants to tell you what happened to your father."
Luke felt the room tilt. "What happened?"
Thomas shook his head. "Not here."
"Then where?"
"The river."
Luke frowned. "Why the river?"
"Because that's where it began." Thomas handed him the journal. "And where it ends."