Henry had personally tended those trees for years, trimming them carefully on countless Sundays.
Their familiar shapes reminded her of him.
Daniel waited on the opposite side of the gate.
He looked thinner than he had at his wedding.
Several days of beard growth covered his face, and his expression carried a shame that his casual suit couldn’t conceal.
“I found this in Claire’s bag,” he said.
He passed the envelope through the narrow opening.
Evelyn took it and examined the contents.
Inside was the key to Henry’s office.
She recognized it instantly.
Years earlier, she’d tied a small green ribbon around that particular key so she could identify it easily.
For a moment, she simply stared at it.
“I didn’t know she had that one too,” Daniel said. “She swore they were only going to use the guest wing. But I found messages with her father. They wanted to move in permanently. They wanted to convince you after they were already inside.”
