Some things you just know. Other things you’d rather you didn’t really know. Somewhere between these two Sissy meandered along the creaking boards of the wrap-around porch of the man who until recently had been the end-all and be-all to her young existence.

The musty odor of the river filled her nostrils adding to the fog of realization within her mind. Joanie ran away, she told herself, she just ran away. But the hulking agent, the things Joanie’s gramps said, and now all this.

She only vaguely remained aware of following Cole to where the porch turned around the house. The agent was shouting. Joanie’s gramps was shouting. Her own mind was screaming above and through it all. Details, stray comments, off looks…they all coalesced.

She didn’t have time to verbalize the epiphany that ripped her heart from its gilded perch. A feeble voice echoed amidst the cicadas and bullfrogs to silence the shouting of men. A tiny voice that told it all from the doorway.

“Gramps? Is that you?”