Chapter 11: The Axe and the Truth
But what I didn’t expect was that as soon as Caleb returned, he was no longer the same man.
It was like the air changed the moment we crossed county lines, the past waiting for him like a shadow he couldn’t shake.
The local police showed us an axe, its handle worn smooth, the blade still stained with something dark. The indistinct fingerprint had been lifted from this very axe.
The room fell silent, tension thick as fog. The only sounds were the hum of the old computer and the flicker of a fluorescent light overhead.
Caleb’s eyes lit up instantly. “That’s my dad’s axe!”
His voice was different—sharper, more certain. It was as if a switch had been flipped, the mask slipping for just a moment. Everyone in the room exchanged wary glances, the truth finally knocking at the door.