Harmon watched it without expression. He asked Devin to preserve the original recording and its metadata. He made the same request of several other people who had been filming.
“This isn’t a decision about charges,” he told Owen after taking his account. “The sheriff’s office will review the evidence. You’re free to go when they’ve finished the initial statements, but they may contact you.”
Owen appreciated the precision.
As the ambulance doors closed, Bryce caught sight of him through the opening. His face had swollen at the jaw. He looked more frightened than furious, though he was trying to hide both.
For an instant, Owen saw not an arrogant fighter but a young man who had made a stupid decision and was about to learn how much of the rest of his life could be affected by it.
The doors shut. The ambulance pulled away.
When Owen finally walked Caleb back to the truck, the boy was still holding his hand. On the seat lay the half-eaten corn dog and the paper tray stained yellow. The sight of it made Owen unexpectedly tired.
His phone vibrated. Megan’s name filled the screen.
How’s my favorite boy? Any trouble?
He stared at the question. He typed, deleted, and typed again.
We’re okay. Coming to see you soon.
It was true as far as it went. He knew the part he had left out would not stay hidden for long.
Chapter 6 — Six Pounds, Four Ounces
The drive from Riverside Park to Valley General took thirty-eight minutes. Caleb spent most of it looking through the passenger window. He had moved to the front seat of the parked truck while Owen checked his booster arrangement, then returned to his proper seat without protest. The small ritual made Owen feel absurdly grateful. Ordinary rules had suddenly become reassuring.
For ten miles, neither spoke.
Then Caleb asked, “Why did he get so mad?”
Owen looked in the mirror.
“I don’t know everything about him. But sometimes people feel embarrassed, and instead of admitting it, they try to make somebody else feel smaller.”
“It was just mustard.”
“I know.”
“Mustard washes off.”
“Usually it does.”
Caleb twisted the strap of his backpack. “If he told you sorry, would you forgive him?”
Owen let the question settle. Forgiveness seemed easy when the person asking for it was not in front of you. He had forgiven people in theory and discovered later that his body still tightened at the sound of their footsteps.
“I’d be willing to listen,” he said. “But an apology doesn’t erase what someone did. They still have to make it right.”
Caleb nodded slowly. A mile later he asked whether his grandfather had learned to fight in the Army.
