Chapter Twenty-Two
The path to redemption.
Harlowe scooped up a stray stick from the floor and tossed it for his dog, which bounded across the muddy grass in pursuit. After a few moments of walking, he began talking again. “The loss of a child isn’t easy on anyone, even when it isn’t our own. Their teachers feel it too.”
I nodded, said nothing. What could I say?
“I’m going to tell you something I never told the police,” Harlowe continued, “because you will never stop hounding me if I don’t. I’m also going to tell you because, well I’m leaving soon, and I want to leave with a clear conscience. Plus, I trust, not being from the neighborhood, you won’t be so petty as to spread gossip that doesn’t concern you.”
“I never did have a taste for rumors. Besides, I’m a washed up old drunk, who’
