Annalisa looks at me, almost as if in confirmation, and I nod to reassure her.

“Yes. Yes to both of you. I mean, if you’ll help.”

“Of course we’ll help.” Aiden confidently reassures her, and everyone else chimes in their assurance.

If I can do one thing for Annalisa before I leave, at least it’ll give her some closure between her and her brother, and hopefully clear his name. It would be one step closer to reconciliation and healing between the two of them, and Annalisa deserves that, so after a bit of searching, we figure out jail visiting hours. Luke must have put us on the list thinking Anna would send us to talk to him on her behalf or something, but either way, it works out for us. Bright and early in the morning, we’ll drive the three hours to visit Luke.

7

Even though we’re exhausted from staying up late and waking up early this morning, Charlotte and Annalisa have a great time roasting Aiden when he pulls up in front of my house in his new, albeit temporary, ride. I can only giggle at his discomfort when Annalisa asks him where the soccer team is, causing Aiden to huff and shake his head, then get in the minivan and wait for them to run out of jokes, an annoyed expression on his face.

The jovial mood dies down quickly as Aiden turns onto the highway and we head south, toward where Luke is being held. Annalisa wraps her arms around herself and stares out the window at the passing trees, and even Charlotte doesn’t have any comforting words to offer her. I try to channel my inner Noah and think of a joke that will break the tension, but my mind comes up short. Instead, we settle into a quiet that’s punctuated only by the soft music playing on the radio.

Two hours into our journey, Aiden, looking in the rearview mirror at Annalisa and Charlotte, asks softly, “Do you think they’re sleeping?”

I twist in my seat. “Anna?” She doesn’t stir and neither does Charlotte. “Yeah, I think they’re sleeping.”

Aiden nods, and I take the silence as an invitation. “Do you think he’s innocent?” I ask.

“I guess anything is possible. Doesn’t look too good for him, though.”

I know Aiden’s glad that his stepfather’s dead, and as long as he’s not the one who killed him, he doesn’t especially care who did.

Eventually, we pass a sign for the jail, and I turn around to wake Annalisa and Charlotte up as we near it. When Aiden parks, we hop out to stretch. Annalisa looks paler than usual as she stares up at the imposing building.

“You ready for this?” I ask her.

Resolution settles over her face. “Let’s prove my brother’s innocence.”

We sign in and go through security checks, but eventually we have our visitor passes and are ready to go see Luke.

One of the guards tells us it’s two at a time only, and Annalisa grabs my hand without hesitating and pulls me forward. We follow the guard into a big room with a bunch of metal tables with metal chairs attached, armed guards at strategic positions around the room.