My Elderly Neighbor Died — After His Funeral, I Received a Letter From Him Revealing He’d Buried a Secret in His Backyard 40 Years Ago 1

“Then let’s find out what he left you. Together, if you want.”

My husband kissed my hair and then went back to plating the girls’ dinner.

I felt steadier.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. I wandered the house in circles, pausing at the back window. I caught my reflection, brown hair pulled into a fraying ponytail, eyes tired, pajama pants sagging at the knees.

It wasn’t the picture of a woman ready to dig up the past.

I wandered the house in circles, pausing at the back window.

I thought about the lessons my mother told me as a kid:

“You can’t hide what you are, Tanya. Eventually, everything finds its way to the surface.”

I wasn’t a messy person; my life ran on lists and calendars.

But the letter in my pocket made a liar out of me.

***

The next morning, I waited until Gemma and Daphne left for school and Richie had gone to work. I called in sick, then put on my gardening gloves, and walked out the back door, shovel in hand.