How does the author create mystery in this story? the author explains that great-aunt gertrude spent the money she inherited on a school for orphaned girls, but never mentions if the school still exists. the narrator mentions that her aunt moved to the united states only two years before to be close to family, making readers wonder why the aunt hadn't moved sooner. the narrator mentions that great-aunt gertrude had always been a distant, shadowy figure and that the family knew very little about her adult life. the author mentions that the narrator's grandmother came to the united states when she was in her 20s, but never explains the circumstances.