Page 116 of In the Air Tonight

“No problem.”

“Yes, it is, and I appreciate it.”

“If it helps to build the case, then it’s worth coming back here.” She stands for a long time, staring at the clearing. “It’s amazing, isn’t it, how one person’s actions can change so many lives forever.”

“Yes, it is.”

“What do you think will happen to him?”

“Hard to say for certain. If he’s convicted, he’ll probably do a long stretch in prison.”

“Do you know his wife?”

The question surprises me. “I’ve met her a few times.”

“What’s she like?”

“She’s very nice.”

“Are they happy together?”

“They’ve seemed to be.”

“What about their kids?”

“They have three. A son and two daughters.”

She looks over at me. “What’ll happen to them?”

“I don’t know, Blaise.” I study her for a second, but her expression is unreadable. “Are you okay?”

She shrugs. “It’s just what I said before about how one person’s actions can affect so many lives.”

“Like what you’re doing?”

“Yes. What’re the odds his wife knew anything about this? His arrest will be like a bomb going off in her life. Not to mention what it’ll do to innocent kids.”

“It’s kind of you to have compassion for them. Hell, I do, too. But that doesn’t change what he did.”

“No, it doesn’t. He should pay for that. I just hate that innocent people who had nothing to do with it will pay a big price, too.”

“I know. It’s upsetting all around, but you’re doing the right thing.”

“Are you sure? Would it have been better to leave the past in the past?”

I lean on the arm of the metal detector. “What he did was deplorable. It was a crime.”

“Yes, it was, but I’ll be honest… When I came here and sought you out, I thought only about assuaging my own conscience. I didn’t give a single thought to his wife or children or anyone else who might be hurt by me coming forward.”

“Please tell me you know you’re not the one hurting them. He is.”

“I get that, but still… If I hadn’t done what I did, they’d be going on with their lives like nothing happened.”

“Let me ask you this. If you’re his wife, would you want to know you’re sleeping with a rapist, or would you rather not know?”

“When you put it that way, I’d rather know than not know. But it must’ve come as a terrible shock to her.”

“I’m sure it did, but that doesn’t change the facts of the case.”

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