“Richard.”
His face had gone gray.
“Four days before the crash.”
I stared at the laptop.
Michael spoke his final words.
“If Mom gets angry, I’ll call you afterward.”
The video ended.
Black screen.
Rain.
My own breathing.
I looked at Richard.
“He told her.”
Richard closed his eyes.
“What?”
“He said he was going to tell her tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
“And three days later he died.”
“Emily—”
“The truck crossed the median.”
“Yes.”
“Was the driver ever tested?”
Richard stared at me.
The question changed something.
He opened his laptop again.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking at the investigative file.”
His fingers moved quickly.
He stopped.
The driver of the truck had survived.
Blood alcohol negative.
Mechanical inspection—
Richard’s face changed.
“What?”
He turned the screen.
The report contained a sentence buried halfway down the page.
STEERING FAILURE COULD NOT BE CONCLUSIVELY RULED OUT DUE TO FIRE DAMAGE.
