It had to be You

thewhole time the family was here,“ she went on. “I thought that slight smile was a good sign.“
    “So you kept him on? How long has he been here?“
    “Since I came home to take care of my mother in her final years. That was in late 1923, and the grounds hadn’t been cared for in years. It was a jungle out there. I thought if he liked flowers, he could occupy himself in the yard.“
    “And that worked out?“
    “Wonderfully. His parents took him to the front door to say their goodbyes, and when the door had closed, he turned to me and said, “Your yard is a mess. I’ll fix it.”
    Lily almost gave herself away with a gasp of surprise.
    “He really could talk?“ Walker asked.
    “He can. But he doesn’t like to. He seldom comes into this room and when he does it’s only for special occasions like birthday parties for the old ladies. Then he just sits and smiles. They think he’s a mute. He spends most of his time outside. There’s a little shed on the grounds behind the pines that has heat and light. He spends most of his time out there, even in the dead of winter. And in the spring and summer, he creeps in here and sets out lovely flower arrangements. Even Miss Jones and Miss Smith haven’t figured out where they come from. I tell them it’s from a secret admirer of mine,“ she said with a girlish giggle.
    “Does Mr. Farleigh still talk to you?“
    “Not often. But my suite of rooms are close to his. I’ve often heard him crying in the middle of the night. Not loudly and not for long. He gets up and dresses and goes to the shed to recover. I’m allowed to talk to him, however. And when I ask him to take on some project or another, he agrees and says, ‘I’ll start it right now.’ And if I compliment him on his work, he thanks me.”
    With a smile in her voice, she continued, “One time, three years ago, I asked him what we should do about a part of the backyard that was eroding, and he just said he’d take care of it. He spent the whole summer building the most magnificent brick wall you’ll ever see. And to this day, I don’t know how or where he got the bricks. He also added a heated greenhouse to the south side of the shed to grow flowers in the winter, and pot up seeds for spring plantings. He must have foraged the glass from the town dump.”
    Howard laughed, then asked, “Do his parents visit him?“
    “They did at first. But it just set him back. I advised them to just write to him if they wanted. And every month I write to them, telling them what projects he’s working on. They never reply to me, nor does he reply to them, as far as I know.“
    “Did he ever come in contact with Mr. Connor?“
    “I know he didn’t,“ Miss Twibell said. “The first day Sean Connor was here, he started shouting orders at everyone. What he didn’t like to eat. How rough the sheets felt. Trying to get me to go out and buy him whiskey. I saw Mark almost come through the door to this room, but when he heard Mr. Connor’s tirade he fled. He hasn’t been back here since that day three months ago.“
    “You’re sure his... well, mental and emotional condition isn’t abnormal?“ Walker asked.
    “Absolutely certain. I’d stake my own life on that. He’s the least dangerous person I’ve ever known.”
    There was such a note of finality to this that Lily backed out the storeroom door, dragging the heavy waste bin. She turned and said, “Oh, I didn’t know anyone was out here. Miss Twibell, where can I empty this? I’ve been sorting things out....“
    “Just take it into the hallway and I’ll have it taken care of. Thanks for tidying up in there. I was planning to do it myself this afternoon. Where are Robert and Betty, do you know?“
    “They went down with the laundry a while ago.”
    Miss Twibell opened the door to the hall and went on her way to fetch them back via the bell system in her room, and Howard relieved Lily of the heavy waste bin, took it to the hall, and then came back into the living room.
    “You heard every word of that conversation, didn’t you?“ he said with dangerous blandness.
    Lily felt her face get hot. I did. But I promise you I’ll never tell.“ She was so embarrassed, she knew she meant it. She’d have loved to tell Robert what she’d heard. She never would though.

    * * *

    When Miss Twibell, now wearing her carpet slippers again, came back from summoning Robert and Betty, she said to Howard that she had to get back to work, but he could come back