Once Upon a Winter Night by MARY KELLY REED

Author:MARY KELLY REED
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: 7 SEASONS
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

“In my experience, the closer you get to the truth, the more nervous the culprit gets.”

“In your experience?”

ALLY and DANNY

In the morning, before venturing off to Silver Lake, I stop by to see Mr. Wyler. I hope if I tell him everything I know, he can help me make sense of it.

“Ally, come in, please,” he welcomes me with a smile.

His house is warmly decorated, and the living room, filled with books, was always my favorite place. I loved spending time here when his wife was still alive and my father would come visit them. While he and Mr. Wyler discussed politics and philosophy and I listened in fascination, Mrs. Wyler would serve us cake. She always wrapped up a few pieces for us to take home, too.

“I’m guessing you’re here because you have more questions about Dylan.”

“That’s right.” I tell him about the different people I’ve talked to, and mention the possibility of Ronald being in love with Stella.

“Well, Ally, I never thought of that. Stella always seemed madly in love with Dylan and Ronald was a good friend to both of them, but given his reaction, I’m starting to see things in a different light. Who can tell what a teenager is really feeling? I wouldn’t discount the possibility. Still, you shouldn’t get too carried away. Even if that were the case, I doubt things ever went beyond friendship between him and Stella.”

“And what do you think of what Mrs. Hopkins said about Ronald?”

“She’s probably right. I have sometimes thought that Ronald was overshadowed by Dylan. But I knew Dylan would never take advantage of the situation, so I never really worried about it.”

“But you agree it couldn’t have always been easy for him, seeing Dylan get all the attention?”

“I don’t know, Ally. Plenty of people are happy to hang back a bit. Not everyone wants to be the center of attention. I see you don’t agree with me,” he adds, noticing the skeptical look on my face.

“No, I do believe that’s possible, but not when you’re in love with someone. In that case, you don’t want to be their second choice. What was Ronald like at school?”

“He was a hard worker, but nowhere near as smart as Dylan. Dylan used to help both Ronald and Scarlett with their homework. We had extra help sessions after school and Dylan used to come and tutor.”

“So Scarlett wasn’t a very good student, either?”

“Scarlett was very intelligent, but also very sensitive. She was a solitary child, and very creative. She had some problems at school, but nothing too serious. She loved Dylan and her sister. That’s why it’s so surprising they’re not in touch anymore.”

“Wait, Stella isn’t in touch with her sister? How do you know that?”

“I promised you I would ask around for information. That’s what I did, and I learned that Stella hasn’t spoken to her sister in years.”

“Is that just a rumor, or is it true?”

“It’s true. I already knew she cut off contact with her family; her father told me that shortly before he died.

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