what he did.”
Daniel never got the chance to answer me.
The doorbell rang.
“You’ve spent nearly twenty years avoiding one uncomfortable sentence.”
Nobody moved.
A few seconds later, it rang again.
Daniel looked at Evan.
Then at me.
I nodded.
Finally, he walked into the hallway and opened it.
The doorbell rang.
Mark came in holding a red plastic tool case.
“Sorry I’m late. Traffic was—”
He broke off when he saw Evan.
The tool case lowered slightly in his hand.
Mark’s face looked strange. Confused first.
Then frightened.
He broke off when he saw Evan.
“Who… are you?”
Evan’s jaw clenched. I watched him stand, watched his hands curl into fists at his sides, and knew Evan was going to face this head-on.
“My name is Evan. My mother was Claire.”
The tool case hit the floor.
Evan was going to face this head-on.
My daughter flinched.
Mark
