“I was terrified of telling you that I had seen your husband alive and unhurt, and then lost him while your sons died in that vehicle,” he sobbed.

“I knew you’d hate me forever if you knew the truth.”

“That still doesn’t explain why the official police report was falsified!” I argued fiercely.

“No,” he said, his voice dropping to a low, hollow tone.

“It doesn’t.”

“What else are you hiding from me, Austin?” I demanded.

There was a long, painful silence on the line before Austin spoke again, his voice barely audible.

“The body that was eventually recovered from the creek three days later… wasn’t Brandon.”