Andrew Johnson

Ian makes a few brief stops before heading to a place where he's sure to find answers.

I left Tommy's house and went back to the school to talk to Frank. I told him what I already knew and threatened to tell the police if he didn't tell me what happened to Toby's body and what happened to Eleanor.

"I swear I didn't touch the body. I don't know who did. But I'll tell you something I never told anyone else; not even the other singers knew. One day, maybe two or three years after the infestation, I swear I saw Toby, alive and well!"

"Where?" I asked skeptically.

"He was at the park with an older man in his forties. I asked my mother if she knew that man and she said that he was Andrew Johnson. She said to stay away from him- that he was emotionally unstable after the death of his son."

"Do you know where I could find one of Andrew Johnson's relatives?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know."

I left the school, completely forgetting about Eleanor. I needed to find Toby. If what Frank said was true, then it was possible that Toby was still alive somewhere.

I went back to Jack's house and asked him if he knew what had happened to Toby after the infestation. I told him what I knew, and that I wanted answers if he wanted me to keep the information to myself.

"Toby's dead. I'm one hundred percent sure of it. Okay, well maybe ninety nine percent. But still."

"How do you know?"

"Because after everyone else went home, I snuck back to the Radio- that's the treehouse- and moved the body. He was still breathing when I found him, but he was knocked out, possibly even in a coma. I was afraid he'd come around and tell people what we'd done. I didn't want to go to prison! So I moved him."

"Where?"

"To the lake. I knew Toby couldn't swim; he was afraid of water. So I left him there. There's no way he could have survived. I'm almost positive."

"And you never saw him again after that?"

"No, never! Of course not. I just told you, he's dead!"

"I'm just asking. I was told something that suggests otherwise. Do you know who Andrew Johnson was?"

"Yeah! My parents always warned me not to go near him. Apparently he went crazy after his little son died. He was only six or seven I think. But he was the one person everyone steered clear of. His wife's name was Lilly. She ran the Lilly's Local Cafe. It was the only place in Boston that was free from tourists."

"How did their son die?"

"I'm not sure. I think he drowned or something."

I left after that and grabbed a phone book from the bank. I found Andrew and Lilly Johnson's address in the book. There were a lot of Andrew Johnsons in Boston, but not a lot of Andrew and Lilly Johnsons. I followed the address to a secluded, wooden, yellow-painted house and knocked on the door.