“You can have whatever you want, sweetheart.”
He whispered, “Pancakes?”
I laughed through tears.
“Of course.”
He looked down.
“With strawberries?”
I touched his cheek.
“With all the strawberries in the world.”
***
Later that evening, Owen began telling us what happened.
We sat together in a quiet room.
Hannah held his hand.
Lucy rested her head against my shoulder.
Detective Ellis listened.
Owen stared at the floor.
“We never went into the river.”
My heart tightened.
“What?”
“Dad stopped the truck before the bridge.”
He swallowed.
“There was another vehicle blocking the road.”
I remembered Aaron’s report.
The washed-out crossing.
The overturned truck.
The conclusion that all three had drowned.
Owen continued.
“Two men got out.”
My hands began shaking.
“Did you recognize them?”
He nodded.
“One was Aaron.”
I closed my eyes.
Owen’s voice became smaller.
“Dad told us to stay inside.”
He swallowed.
“Caleb kept asking what was happening.”
