Short story.

A widowed college professor retires, moves to a California coastal town, and buys a home. Digging in his garden one morning, he uncovers old love letters buried in a metal container.

He pries open the container, reads the letters and is emotionally moved. He becomes intrigued by what appeared to be a clandestine love affair between a married woman and a man she had known before she married.

He makes inquiries about the former residents to learn who wrote he letters. His real estate agent tells him that a WW II war hero bought the house before the war, later married, and his young wife moved in with him.

But the war hero's wife disappeared in a storm. Her body was never found. Was she one of the letter writers? Who was her lover?

The professor begins researching — a special talent of his — and learns the startling truth.

But what should he do with the information, go public, or let it remain a secret that will never be told?