Summary

In Chapter 16, Trevor figures his father is failing his mission on purpose, in order to solve a deeper issue. After the adults are gone for the day, he tries to better explore the secret room where he had seen Ben during the night. He follows a series of narrow corridors and stairways to a small alcove lined with bookshelves. He finds Elijah Riddell’s journals there, and begins to read. The first entry is from 1904, just after Ben had died, and Elijah claims his dead son visited him to tell him how to right his wrongs against the world. He promises to look over the North Estate until it is returned to the forest.

In Chapter 17, Trevor visits Observatory Hill, a peak on the property and the Riddell family graveyard. When he tries to go to bed that night, it is difficult to...