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“Were they wrong?” Geneva said, her eyes filling with terror. “I hear that man in my nightmares almost every night. You really think someone else might have been there? I just don’t remember it that way. But everything is so foggy.”

“If you’ve truly never told another soul what he said to you, it means Sidney told someone. That’s what I’ll try to find out. At some point, we need to bring the police in.”

“They won’t believe me,” she said. “None of this is a crime.” She waved her phone at me. She was right. It didn’t mean we couldn’t ask for help.

“Let me talk to Holland. I can kill two birds with one stone. He lives in Florida now, not very far from my mother. I was planning to fly out the day after tomorrow. How about we meet again in a week after I’ve had a chance to pick his brain?”

“Okay,” she said.

“And you’ll need to pay my retainer. There’s a QR code on the bottom of that fee sheet.”

She nodded. “I’ll handle it within the hour. Mercy, thank you. I’ve felt so alone with this. I can’t even talk to my family. This whole thing is too upsetting for them. I don’t want them to worry.”

“All right. Then I have my marching orders. If there’s anything else you can think of, you have my cell.”

She reached over and hugged me. She felt so frail. This woman had been through hell and back. If I could give her closure and peace of mind, I was honored she chose me to try.

We said our goodbyes and I offered to show myself out. I made it as far as the living room. Kevin Bell sat alone, blocking my path to the front door.

“I know why she asked you here,” he said, his tone flat, almost ominous.

“I can’t discuss that with you without her permission.” I looked over my shoulder, hoping for backup. We were alone.

“She knows how I feel about all this. About her dredging up the past. No good can come of it. Geneva’s moved on with her life. What happened to her tore this family apart. She left us. That killed her mother and broke my heart. She doesn’t remember what it was like. Geneva died that night, too. For the longest time.”

His reaction surprised me. He was protective of his daughter, which was understandable. But his tone almost sounded like he was blaming her for something.

“She wouldn’t talk. She wouldn’t eat. She barely even blinked. Nothing would pull her out of it. Nothing. Not me. Not her mother. Not even the family dog. We thought we were going to have to commit her. Then, when she finally pulled out of it, she packed her bags and drove away. She wanted nothing to do with Helene; that included us. She said it was too painful. I told her mother we had to let her go. That she’d come back to us. But she didn’t. Not until now. Not until it’s way too late to heal her mother’s broken heart. My wife died three years after Geneva left. She never got to see her baby girl again. I will not allow that to happen all over again, Ms. Gale. Not on my watch.”

“I appreciate you telling me your side of it,” I said. “I hope you can help Geneva understand how you feel. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve taken up far too much of your time.”

When I took a step forward, he rolled out of my way and let me pass. His cold eyes drilled into my back as I hurried down the porch steps and back to my car.

When I turned around, Kevin Bell glared at me through the screen door. Then he rolled himself away.

Landon was in the side yard, riding a lawnmower. He nodded at me, killed the engine, and hopped down. Terrific, I thought. I wasn’t in the mood to be his punching bag, too. This was the last time I planned to meet Geneva on her home turf.

“Hey,” Landon said, pulling out his earbuds. “Did he give you a hard time?”

I didn’t want to answer. “I’ve seen worse,” I said. “My dad’s Tom Gale.”

This got a laugh out of Landon. “Yeah. I guess you probably know how to take care of yourself. Listen, I’m sorry for all that. My dad’s just worried about Geneva. I promise, his bark is worse than his bite.”

“Your family has been through a lot. I understand.”

Landon’s face fell. “I’m glad to have my sister back. I won’t lie. I mean, I hate that my dad is struggling, but I didn’t realize how much I missed her, you know?”

I wondered what it would be like to have a sibling to lean on. I felt a twinge of unexpected jealousy.

“She’s lucky to have you,” I said.

“Yeah. We’re both lucky, I guess. It might not seem like it, but my dad has gotten so much stronger since she got here. It’s like the fight is back in him. Before he was just kind of giving up. He’s a pain in the ass, but I kinda like when he’s ornery, you know?”

“I do.”

“If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know. Geneva told me a little of what she’s going through and why she wants your help. I don’t remember a lot about that time either. But I don’t want to lose her again. Do you think she could be in real danger?”

I didn’t know how to answer. Ethically, I wasn’t sure if I could.