I explained to him about Dalton and the nine days in Arkansas. However, Dalton drove a silver sedan. This truck was black, with a bed-mounted toolbox, and neither witness could identify its driver.
I knew that suspicion, however strong, could never replace solid proof of what had happened. Clements recorded my account before I took Nora home.
That afternoon, Nora colored a purple horse at our kitchen table. Across from her, I struggled to sound normal.
“Why didn’t you want to go with Grandma Ruthie this morning?”
“I’m not allowed to say.”
“Who told you that?”
“Daddy. It’s a secret.”
I explained to her she could tell me and wouldn’t be in trouble. She switched crayons, then answered.
Daddy said Grandma Ruthie’s car would go bump. Then he would open her door, and they would go on an adventure to see the ocean. She wasn’t supposed to tell me because I would ruin it.
