“Fifteen years!”
He did not react.
“You spent fifteen years pretending you couldn’t walk!”
“Yes.”
I slapped him.
Hard.
He accepted it.
“Why?”
He looked toward the river.
Garrett and Penelope were still on shore.
They could not see us.
Tobias lowered his voice.
“Because Mom and Dad’s accident wasn’t an accident.”
The anger disappeared.
“What?”
He looked directly at me.
“Their car was sabotaged.”
I felt the cold deepen around me.
“That’s impossible.”
“No.”
“The police said Dad lost control.”
“The police were wrong.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I was in the car.”
My mouth went dry.
“You told me you didn’t remember.”
“I lied.”
I stared.
Tobias continued.
“I remember the brakes failing.”
“I remember Dad pumping the pedal.”
“I remember Mom screaming.”
“I remember another car behind us.”
“What car?”
“A black Lincoln.”
I shook my head.
“That means nothing.”
“It belonged to Victor Vale.”
Garrett’s father.
I stopped breathing.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You’re saying Garrett’s father killed our parents?”
“I’m saying he helped cause that crash.”
“Why?”
“The shipyard.”
I stared at him.
Tobias kept his voice low.
“Victor had been trying to force Dad into selling Mercer Marine.”
“Dad refused.”
“Then company documents disappeared.”
“Contracts were sabotaged.”
“Suppliers were pressured.”
“Dad believed someone was trying to weaken us.”
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
“You were nineteen.”
