I had refused to press criminal charges against Brandon or leave Victoria without a roof over her head, and the trust now gave them a modest housing stipend.

I sat in Walter’s old unpainted fishing boat, turning the brass key fob in my palm as I looked out across the calm water.

I set Walter’s blue pocket ledger on the wooden boat bench and gazed across the clear water.

The dusk light settled softly over the lake as the mist began to rise from the shore again.

The next morning, I stood on the quiet wooden dock in the dawn light, watching the sun shine across the open water of Lake Anne.

“I’m finally home, Dad.”