“Hi,” Brian said. “This is going to sound strange, so just bear with me for a second. My name is Brian Mercer. I recently moved into a rental house outside town, and my dog dug up a buried box in the backyard. There were photos in it. Letters. A cassette tape labeled For Jamie. I found an old article about Daniel and Mara Whitaker, and I think this may have belonged to your family.”
Silence. Brian almost thought the call had dropped. Then James said, carefully, “What house?” Brian gave him the address. Another silence followed, longer this time. Finally, James said, “I’ve been trying to find that place for years.” Brian frowned. “You have?”