Chapter 19 - What Forgiveness Isn't
Six months after the fall, I sat across from Audrey in a county detention center. There was a table between us and an officer by the door. She wore plain clothes, and for the first time in years she had no papers she wanted me to sign.
"I used to wait for you to come home," she said. "After Mom got sick, I thought if I could keep the company running, you'd finally look at me."
"I looked at you," I said softly. "I didn't always see you."
Her eyes filled. "I blamed Jonah because it was easier than admitting I was losing control. Then the first false invoice worked. After that I kept telling myself I'd fix it with the next deal."
"And the lake?"
She held my gaze. "I knew you couldn't swim without help. I pushed you anyway. I'm not going to call it an accident."
I wanted to ask how my own daughter had become someone capable of that sentence. I wanted to hold the little girl I'd raised. Both wishes sat uselessly in my hands.
"I love you," I told her. "But I will testify to what happened. Love doesn't make the truth smaller."
"I know."
Audrey pleaded guilty to serious charges arising from the attack and the financial fraud. The court later sentenced her to a lengthy prison term. Pike faced a separate prosecution over the fraudulent transactions and destruction of evidence. Restitution proceedings began, though no court order could immediately replace every lost dollar.
Jonah attended the sentencing with me. On the way home, he pulled into the diner Nora loved and ordered two slices of pie.
"We still have work to do," he said.
"I know."
May you like
He pushed my plate closer. "I'm not talking about the marina."
I looked at my son. For the first time in a long time, neither of us turned away.
