Stopping Time

• Stopping Time

The Bitter Disappearance's Sweet Truth

Lily: "Arthur? Henderson, Mr. Are you inside?

Postmaster Glen: "Good morning, Lily. Are you also trying to find Arthur? He never received his pension. He's not like that. Not at all like him.

Lily: "His door isn't locked. Let me just take a quick look inside. Hi there? Mr. Henderson?

Officer Miller: "There doesn't appear to be any disturbance. No indication of a struggle. Miss, you mentioned that something was missing.

Lily: "His timepiece. The pocket watch made of silver. It's on the mantelpiece all the time. He would never go without it. Never.

Officer Miller: "A missing watch, an elderly man... Most likely became disoriented and wandered off. We'll look in the typical locations.

Lily: "He wasn't perplexed! Something else must be involved. You're missing something.

"The trash goes out today," Lily murmures to herself. If he hurried off, or oh."

Lily: "It's crucial. The small key to wind his watch. Why would it end up in the trash?

On the phone, Lily: "Hello, Mrs. Greer? It's Lily. Have you ever heard from Mr. Henderson? "Why did he purchase that licorice each week?"

"Not a word, dear," said Mrs. Greer in a crackling voice. Just a "thank you" and a nod. I always thought it was for the memory. For that Eleanor Reed.

Lily: "Eleanor Reed? Who is that?

Librarian: "My dear, the local papers are on microfilm. What are you trying to find?

"An obituary," Lily said. For Eleanor Reed, a woman. from roughly two weeks ago.

Librarian: "Yeah. Here it is. Before moving, she lived in Oakhaven her entire life. She passed away quietly, leaving behind her niece."Oh, take a look at that."

Lily: "What? "What does it say?"

Librarian: "It reads, 'The family suggests enjoying a simple pleasure in place of flowers. She especially enjoyed black licorice.

Whispering, Lily says, "Oh, Arthur..."

Piecing it together, Lily says to herself: "The Tuesday ritual wasn't for him. It was for her. A tribute to the licorice. She must have been the owner of the watch. He was in route to her with the diner bag. to bid farewell. He halted time by breaking the key.

Glen, the postmaster: "Lily! For you, something. A postcard.

"It's from the coast," Lily said. No return address is provided.

"What's it say?" asked Postmaster Glen.

"It just says... 'Thank you.'" Lily said in a gentle, sympathetic voice.

Glen, the postmaster: "That's it? What's that small illustration underneath it?

"It's a watch," Lily said. A pocket watch made of silver. without hands.

Glen, the postmaster: "No hands? What does that signify?

Lily: "It signifies the conclusion of the mystery. And he's at peace at last."