While we ate our first taco, I tried to savor the moment of quiet with the rippling water below and the covered bridge just to my right, but the longer Tuck stayed silent, the more anxious I became until finally I said, “Okay, what do I need to know?” My voice was a bit shriller than I’d expected, and Tuck actually winced.
“You okay?” he asked. “I mean, considering.”
I sighed. “Sometimes. But just now, I’m eager for you to tell me what you want to tell me so I can stop imagining the worst.”
Tuck studied me for a minute. “That brain of yours, Harvey. It’s a gift and curse, huh?”
“You said it.” I took a deep breath and then looked at my friend again.
“Okay, so here’s the thing. Roger Birmingham is, indeed, Catherine’s foster father. For the most part, social services had only good thing
