"Hello."
The line was silent for a moment. Then, ina soft, melodic voice, the caller asked, "Is this Theresa Osborne?"
"Yes, it is." Theresa leanedback in her chair and started twirling her hair.
"Are you the one that wrote the columnabout the message in a bottle?"
"Yes. How can I help you?"
The caller paused again. Theresa couldhear her breathing, as if she were thinking about what to say next. After amoment, the caller asked:
"Can you tell me the names that werein the letter?"
Theresa closed her eyes and stoppedtwirling. Just another curiosity seeker, she thought. Her eyes went back to thescreen and she began to look over the column.
"No, I'm sorry, I can't. I don't wantthat information made public."
The caller was silent again, and Theresabegan to grow impatient. She started reading the first paragraph on the screen.Then the caller surprised her.
"Please," she said, "I'vegot to know."
Theresa looked up from the screen. Shecould hear an absolute earnestness in the caller's voice. There was somethingelse there, too, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "I'm sorry,"Theresa said finally, "I really can't."
"Then can you answer aquestion?"
"Maybe."
"Was the letter addressed toCatherine and signed by a man named Garrett?"
The caller had Theresa's full attentionand she sat up higher in her seat.
"Who is this?" she asked withsudden urgency, and by the time the words were out, she knew the caller wouldknow the truth.
"It is, isn't it?"
"Who is this?" Theresa askedagain, this time more gently. She heard the caller take a deep breath beforeshe answered.
"My name is Michelle Turner and Ilive in Norfolk, Virginia."
"How did you know about theletter?"
"My husband is in the navy and he'sstationed here. Three years ago, I was walking along the beach here, and Ifound a letter just like the one you found on your vacation. After reading yourcolumn, I knew it was the same person who wrote it. The initials were thesame."
Theresa stopped for a moment. It couldn'tbe, she thought. Three years ago?
"What kind of paper was it writtenon?"
"The paper was beige, and it had apicture of a sailing ship in the upper right hand corner."
Theresa felt her heart pick up speed. Itstill seemed unbelievable to her.
"Your letter had a picture of a ship,too, didn't it?"
"Yes, it did," Theresawhispered.
"I knew it. I knew it as soon as Iread your column." Michelle sounded as if a load had been lifted from hershoulders.
"Do you still have a copy of theletter?" Theresa asked.
"Yes. My husband's never seen it, butI take it out every now and then just to read it again. It's a little differentfrom the letter you copied in your column, but the feelings are the same."
"Could you fax me a copy?"
"Sure," she said before pausing."It's amazing, isn't it? I mean, first me finding it so long ago, and nowyou finding one."
"Yes," Theresa whispered,"it is."
After giving the fax number to Michelle,Theresa could barely proofread her column. Michelle had to go to a copy storeto fax the letter, and Theresa found herself pacing from her desk to the faxmachine every five minutes as she waited for the letter to arrive. Forty-sixminutes later she heard the fax machine come to life. The first page throughwas a cover letter from National Copy Service, addressed to Theresa Osborne atthe Boston Times.
She watched it as it fell to the traybeneath and heard the sound of the fax machine as it copied the letter line forline. It went quickly — it took only ten seconds to copy apage — but even that wait seemed too long.Then a third page started printing, and she realized that, like the letter shehad found, this one too must have covered both sides.
She reached for the copies as the faxmachine beeped, signaling an end to the transmission. She took them to her deskwithout reading them and placed them facedown for a couple of minutes, tryingto slow her breathing. It's only a letter, she told herself.
Taking a deep breath, she lifted the coverpage. A quick glance at the ship's logo proved to her that it was indeed thesame writer. She put the page into better light and began to read.
用户评论