Page 132 of I Will Find You

Rachel zooms in and right away I feel my heart race. The online quality of the photograph is excellent, especially against the version I saw in that visitors’ room, where Rachel snapped a photo of the photo and then had it printed out. I don’t know how many pixels this file has, but as she gets closer to the boy’s face, pressing the plus key to slowly zoom in, I feel my entire body well up. I risk a quick glance at Rachel. She is seeing it too. The blur is gone. Soon the boy’s face takes up the entire screen.

We look at each other. No doubt about it anymore.

It’s Matthew.

Or again, is that just a projection on our part? Want becoming reality. I don’t know. I don’t care. But as I start to wonder whether this is a dead end, Rachel starts to hit the right arrow key. The image slowly moves off the boy’s face.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

Rachel doesn’t respond. She hits the right arrow key some more. We are traveling up Matthew’s little arm toward his hand. And when we do, when we reach his hand, I hear Rachel gasp out loud.

“Rachel.”

“Oh my God.”

“What?”

She points to the man’s hand gripping my son’s. “That ring,” she says.

I can see the purple stone and school crest. I squint and try to get a better look. “Looks like a graduation ring.”

“It is,” she says. Then she turns to me. “It’s from Lemhall University.”

Chapter

36

Do you want to tell me what the hell is going on, Max?”

Sarah was driving. Max was in the passenger seat. Her eyes were on the road, but it felt like her gaze was boring through his skin.

“I’m not sure Burroughs did it.”

“Did what?”

“Killed his kid.”

“You’re a defense attorney now?”

“No,” Max said. “I’m a law enforcement officer.”

“Who is assigned to capture an escaped convict,” Sarah said. “If he didn’t do it, there are courts and laws and an entire legal system that can remedy that. It’s not your job. It’s not my job. Our job is to bring him in.”

“Our job is about justice.”

“He broke out of prison.”

“That’s up for debate.”

“What?”

“He had help. We both know that.”

“You’re talking about the warden.”

“Yes. I spoke to him.”

Max filled her in. Sarah’s face reddened.

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