Jesse’s expression hardens, he closes his eyes tight and drops his head into his hands. I move closer to him, wanting to comfort him but also not wanting him to stop talking. I know it must be painful for him, but I need to know. I’ve been in the dark for far too long.

“Take your time, Jess.” He looks up at me with so much pain in his eyes.

Jesse lies back on the couch, gesturing his chin down to the empty space beside him. I grab a pillow and prop myself up on my side, my back resting against his chest. Closing my eyes, I wait for him to be ready to continue.

“A few weeks later, I woke up to a phone call from Kyle. It would’ve been around 1am; some stupid hour. He told me that he was watching the house and was going to make a move — he was going in.”

“I don’t understand. Why did he want to go in there?”

“That night when he was watching —”

“Mmm,” I mumble, encouraging him to continue.

“— Meadow, he thought he saw your dad.”

I jump up into a sitting position. “Tell me you didn’t just say Kyle thought he saw my dad, the night before he was found dead?” Jesse tries to place his hand on my back in comfort but I shift away.

“He made me promise not to do anything; that I needed to protect you. There is something linking them to your family, and I think it’s more than just your dad investigating Lance. We knew it all the way back then and I still feel the same way now. You were in danger, Meadow. You are in danger.”

I disregard that last comment, I’m too angry. “You should have gone to the police!” I’m shouting, my compassion for the situation Jesse was put into has completely gone out the window. “How could you do this?”

“I did what I needed to do, I —”

“No, Jesse. You lied. You covered up a murder —” my lip trembles as I speak “— Kyle’s murder.” I step backwards, for the first time in my life I am walking away from Jesse. The heaviness of the truth is weighing me down. The pillows I had thrown off the couch to get comfortable in his arms only minutes earlier cause me to stumble and I fall flat on my ass.

“Meadow?”

Jesse is right there, he’s always been right there. I break into a sob.