Page 56 of The Summer that Changed Everything

“Will he talk to Friedman?”

“Claims he will.”

“I wonder if he’ll stand by his words once his parents find out what he’s been saying,” she said skeptically.

With what she’d experienced, he could see why she might be reluctant to trust Darren—or anyone else. “I believe he will. He told me he thought it through before he approached you—that he’s been thinking about it for fifteen years and is convinced that telling the truth and finding the real culprit is the only way he’ll ever be able to feel good about himself.”

“If he’s beenthattroubled, why didn’t he come forward earlier?”

“Because it’s a gamble. He could be ripping away what little closure his parents have been able to achieve. And what if we can’t figure out who did it? Then they might never have the answers they need.”

“That could easily happen.”

He adjusted the air-conditioning vents. “Hey, where has all your confidence gone?”

“It wavers,” she admitted. “I have moments of doubt where I think... who am I to solve this? Especially if the police couldn’t do it.”

“Maybe you’re more determined than they were. You’ve already uncovered a piece of the puzzle they didn’t have.”

“If you’re talking about Darren, he claims he said the same thing back then. It was just that in the horror of finding my father’s DNA at the Matteo crime scene, no one bothered to listen to him—or they assumed he didn’t have his facts straight. People could ignore what we say, too. In this situation, denial is far easier than acceptance.”

Unlike Lucy, Ford was used to being heard. Now that he felt it was important to follow the facts, he wasn’t worried about being shoved to the side. “We’re fifteen years older. We’ll be the ones making the decisions, not those around us. And I think we can count on Darren. I get the impression he feels it’s about time he spoke his mind, that he’s glad we’re trying to do something about the situation, because he should’ve done something long before now. In any case, I recorded the conversation,” he added with a laugh.

“You didn’t!”

“I did.”

“Doesheknow that?”

“I told him I was going to.”

“That was brilliant! But the poor guy’s in a tough spot. It would bereallyhard to come forward, knowing your parents might disown you.”

Shewouldn’t know what that might be like. She’d never had parents—not parents like his or Darren’s or Chet’s, anyway. And that was the saddest thing of all.

Ford stopped at the light as he came into town. “We must reach the truth, Lucy. The truth is what matters.”

“I feel the same. I’m just pointing out that there will be a cost—and maybe not a small one.”

“It’ll be worth it. You’re as important as anyone else involved in this. And Friedman should make a big difference. Once we gather more proof, we’ll get other people on board.”

“Not your friend Chet,” she said. “I don’t thinkanythingcould convince him.”

Ford remembered how passionate he’d been when they were talking about Lucy. Even his wife had questioned why he felt so strongly about Lucy’s presence in North Hampton Beach. “Don’t worry about Chet. He doesn’t really have a stake in all this, so what he thinks and feels doesn’t matter.”

“If you say so,” she said. “Did you talk to Reggie?”

“On my way to his place now.”

“I wish you wouldn’t go there. You never know what he might do. He’s completely unhinged.”

“Youwent there.”

“I was hoping he’d grown into a decent adult. But he hasn’t.”

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “How’d the Zampinos treat you?”

“I spoke with Vickie. At first, she wasn’t very welcoming. But then she softened and told me what she could. I got a video of the house and yard, as well as her permission to share it with the investigator.”

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