“Mom, where did you find this?” Gary rubbed his chest, but the pain was unreachable. The picture, three twelve-year-old boys, arms linked, goofy smiles as wide as the Colorado sky, was sepia toned.
“I’m finally cleaning out the garage. It was in that leather trunk of your dad’s. Along with an old camera and a bunch of other photographs. This is the only one I thought you’d be interested in.”
She leaned over his shoulder and gently tapped the far-left figure.
“Jeremy’s been dead twice as long as he was alive.” She sat heavily on the opposite kitchen chair. “Your dad was never the same after that. Looking for that child’s body, did something to him.”
Gary turned the photo over, in bold black marker Dad had written ‘Honesty is the price of forgiveness’.
The photo had been taken two days and five hours before Jeremy’s death. Gary knew this because he’d been there when Jeremy had died. Gary had been one of two boys pushing Jeremy back into the water with long sticks, teaching him to ‘swim’.
“Oh, I also found this old marble in the case.” His mom laid a red and gold Cat’s Eye Marble on the table. It rolled until it hit his fist.
Zeus. He hadn’t seen Zeus since that terrible day at the river.
Dad had known. Had known and kept Gary’s secret for twenty soul draining years.
“Mom, would you go to the police station with me? There’s something I need to do.”