“Yes,” Austin admitted sorrowfully.

“And I failed him completely.”

“Did you ever go back up there to search for him?” I asked.

“I went back up into those woods dozens of times over the years, searching everywhere I could without making the department suspicious,” Austin said.

“Why didn’t you just tell me the truth years ago?!” I wept.

“Because the people who altered those maintenance logs and police reports had access to everything in the county,” Austin explained desperately.

“I truly believed that if I stayed close to you and your daughters, I could protect you from whoever was behind this mess.”