That was when the door creaked open.
Grace stood in the hallway light.
She was clutching something against her chest.
The door creaked open.
“I need to talk to you,” she said.
“Grace, it’s almost midnight.”
“He said the day after. Not sooner. Not later. The day after.”
I sat up slowly.
The thing she was holding was a wooden box, about the size of a book.
“What is that?”
“I need to talk to you,”
“He gave it to me the week I moved in. He made me swear I’d only open it in front of you, and only once he was gone.”
My mouth went dry.
“Grace, my husband just died. Whatever this is, can it not wait one more day?”
“No.” She stepped inside and shut the door behind her. “I’ve been waiting my whole life to stop being a secret. I can’t wait one more day.”