Owen hesitated.
“Some of it was.”
“What does that mean?”
“There were two pages.”
Mrs. Parker stared.
“Two?”
“The beginning was in your music book. But the ending was missing.”
She seemed unable to speak.
Owen pointed toward the twelve former students.
“Mr. Mercer found the rest.”
Daniel stepped forward.
He was holding a yellowed sheet of music inside a protective sleeve.
Mrs. Parker stood so abruptly that the chair scraped backward.
“Where did you get that?”
Daniel’s smile disappeared.
“My father left it to me.”
Mrs. Parker stared at him.
“Your father?”
Daniel nodded.
“Thomas Mercer.”
The name seemed to strike her physically.
I saw her sway.
Owen grabbed her hand.
Daniel continued carefully.
“My father died three years ago. When we cleaned out his desk, we found an envelope with your name on it.”
Mrs. Parker’s voice was barely audible.
“Thomas was your father?”
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes.
