“We’re twins. We’ve always been in tune with each other. I think that’s why I went over there. I knew she wouldn’t go to the pond unless I made an effort to make amends with her. I should have gone earlier. Damn it, why did I wait till the last minute?”

“Okay, blame yourself then,” Boomer said. This time his voice was firm and practical.

“What about Cady?” Pete asked hesitantly. He waved away the volunteer with the coffeepot.

“I think it’s pretty safe to say she’s fed up with all of us, and me in particular. She’s got almost all of her memory back now. Just one more piece, and that’s the ball game,” Boomer said as he impatiently brushed his hair back from his forehead.

“Does that mean there’s no point in all of us going to her and fessing up?” Pete asked.

“You can do whatever you want, Pete. You, too, Andy. She already knows we all lied. What’s the point?”

“To explain. To tell her we’re sorry,” Andy said. “To try to make her understand we were scared out of our wits. I don’t know about you two, but I want to look at her when I tell her what I did. I want to see her face, and I want her to see mine, so that she knows I’m sorry. I am sorry. I want her to know I suffered just the way she did. Not the pain part but the mental part. I can’t walk away until I do that.”

“What about Amy’s part?” Pete asked.

“I can’t speak for Amy any more than either of you can. I’ll take whatever is coming to me, and, no, I will not cover up for Amy if that’s your next question. I just want this to be over and done with before I do something stupid like Amy did. Now, what’s it going to be?”

Pete stood up and carried the check to the cashier. He paid the bill, walked back, and left a tip on the table. “Okay, let’s do it! Right now.”

Boomer stood up, and so did Andy. They followed Pete to the main lobby, where Andy asked them to wait while he got an update on what was going on with his sister.

“You look pretty frazzled, Boomer. Are you and Cady…”

“Were is the operative word. She hates my guts right now. I saw so much emotion in her. She can’t comprehend that we all lied. I have trouble believing it myself. Let’s just get this over with,” Boomer said grimly.

Andy caught up with them in the parking lot. “Amy’s on her way to the burn center. They’re afraid of pneumonia. She’s not responding to anything, but it’s still too early. I am hoping Arnie’s with her. He told the nurse to tell me he’d call me when he knew something more. His parents are taking the girls to their house.”

“Shouldn’t you call your parents, Andy?” Boomer asked.

Andy snorted. “I did call them from the house. My mother said I better not be calling to ask for money because they didn’t have any to give. She also said she wasn’t going to the hospital because that’s why they have nurses and doctors. They were never, nor will they ever be, Parents of the Year. Let’s go.”