What it bought him was the clarity to go and find the son who was real, and to open his home to the caregiver and the grandchild who had, without wanting anything from him, actually loved him.

That was a trade he was willing to make.

The hard truth, he told me once, is at least a foundation you can build on.

The comfortable lie is sand.

Chapter 23 — The Records He Kept

Christopher walked out of the house without another word, and the officers did not stop him, because at that moment they had told him only that he was not under arrest but must remain available for questioning, a sentence that seemed to frighten him more than handcuffs would have.

He did not remain available for long.