he’d told her that Sarah would be unable to keep his secret. Despite her worries about him, about her future with Miles, she would want him to turn himself in. That was her nature; above all, his sister knew what it was like to be betrayed, and keeping silent would be a betrayal of the worst kind.
It was the reason, he thought, that he’d told her.
Brian spotted her just before he parked the car, outside the Episcopal church, where he’d once attended Missy’s funeral. Sarah was sitting on a bench, one that overlooked a small cemetery, so old that most of the writing on the headstones had worn away over the centuries. Even before he stepped out the door, Brian could see her plainly. She looked forlorn, truly lost in a way that he’d seen only once before.
Sarah heard him pull up and turned, though she did not wave. A moment later, Brian sat next to her.
Sarah, he knew, must have called in sick. The school where she taught, unlike his, had another week to go before vacation. As he sat there, he couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened had he not come home for Thanksgiving and seen Miles at the house or if Otis hadn’t been arrested.
“I don’t know what to do,” she finally whispered.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
“You should be.”
Brian could hear the bitterness in her tone.
“I don’t want to go over all of it again, but I need to know that you were telling me the truth.” She turned to face him. Her cheeks were flushed in the chill, as if someone had pinched them.
“I was.”
“I mean about all of it, Brian. Was it really an accident?”
“Yes,” he said.
She nodded, though his answer didn’t seem to comfort her. “I didn’t sleep last night,” she said. “Unlike you, I can’t ignore this.”
Brian didn’t respond. There was nothing he could say.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked at last. “When it happened, I mean?”
“I couldn’t,” Brian answered. The day before, she had asked the same question, and he had answered in the same way.
She sat in silence for a long moment. “You have to tell him,” she said, staring out over the headstones. Her voice sounded like a shadow of itself.
“I know,” he whispered.
She lowered her head, and he thought he saw tears beginning to form. She was worried about him, but it wasn’t her worry that caused the tears. Sitting beside her, Brian knew that she was crying for herself.
Sarah went with Brian to Miles’s house. As she drove, Brian stared out the window. The movement of the car seemed to drain Brian of energy, but he was strangely unafraid of what was coming. His fear, he knew, had been passed to his sister.
They crossed the bridge, then turned on Madame Moore’s Lane, following the winding curves until they reached Miles’s driveway. Sarah pulled alongside his pickup and turned the key, extinguishing sound.
Sarah didn’t get out right away. Instead, she sat, holding the keys in her lap. She took a deep breath, then finally faced him. Her mouth was set in a tight, forced smile of support, then vanished. She slid her keys into her purse, and Brian pushed open the door. Together they started toward the house.
Sarah hesitated at the step, and for a moment, Brian’s eyes darted to the corner of the porch, where he’d stood so many times. As soon as it happened, he knew that he would tell Miles about the crime, but just as he had with his sister, he would keep silent about the other things he had done.
Steeling herself, Sarah walked to the door and knocked. A moment later, Miles opened the door.
“Sarah... Brian...,” he said.
“Hi, Miles,” Sarah answered. Her voice, Brian thought, was surprisingly steady.
At first, no one moved. Still upset from the day before, Miles and Sarah simply stared at each other, until Miles took a small step backward.
“Come in,” he said, leading them inside. He closed the door behind them. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, thank you.”
“How about you, Brian?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“So what’s up?”
Sarah absently adjusted her purse strap. “There’s something I...I mean we, have to talk to you about,” she said awkwardly. “Can we sit down?”
“Sure,” Miles answered. He motioned toward the couch.
Brian took a seat next to Sarah, across from Miles. Brian took a deep breath, almost starting then, but Sarah cut him off.
“Miles... before we start, I want you to know that I wish I didn’t have to be here. I