Chapter 12 - Denise Makes Richard a Promise
The criminal case moved slowly.
Richard hated that.
He wanted answers immediately.
Denise reminded him that truth did not become stronger by rushing it.
One evening, Ethan had a nightmare.
Richard found him sitting in the hallway outside Laura’s room.
“I miss Mommy.”
Richard sat beside him.
“Me too.”
“Did Rebecca hurt her?”
Richard hesitated.
He could have lied.
Instead he said, “The police are figuring out exactly what happened.”
Ethan nodded.
“Is Rebecca bad?”
Richard thought carefully.
“She did bad things.”
“Why?”
“Because she was angry and made terrible choices.”
Ethan leaned against him.
“Are you angry?”
“Yes.”
“Will you do terrible things?”
Richard’s throat tightened.
“No.”
“How do you know?”
Denise, standing quietly at the end of the hall, heard the question.
Richard answered:
“Because being angry doesn’t get to choose what I do.”
Ethan seemed satisfied.
Later, Denise told Richard she would stay as long as Ethan needed her.
Richard shook his head.
“You’ve already done enough.”
“No.”
She looked toward Ethan’s room.
“I should have trusted Laura’s fear sooner.”
Richard understood.
They both carried guilt.
Neither could change the past.
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But they could stop using guilt as a reason to miss what was happening
now.
