“Yeah.”
He didn’t ask more.
That was Joseph.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
I booked the earliest flight out of Hartsfield-Jackson.
6:15 a.m.
No hesitation.
Then I went into my office.
I don’t know exactly why I opened the drawer.
Maybe instinct.
Maybe thirty-one years of family law had trained my hands before my heart knew what I was doing.
Inside was a small black recorder.
I turned it over in my hand.
I told myself it was only a precaution.
Sometimes facts need to be preserved before emotions distort them.
But deep down, I already knew why I was bringing it.
I did not trust Anthony.
That admission hurt.
He was my only son.
I raised him.
I taught him to drive.
I watched him graduate college.
I helped him buy his first house.
I sat beside him in the hospital when Alex was born.
I had always thought of Anthony as impatient.
Self-absorbed sometimes.
Too influenced by Natalie.
But not cruel.
