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He stared at me "Eva spoke to you about that?"

"Is that so surprising?"

Owen shook his head "She never really talked to me about what happenedAll she ever said was that Phillip didn't hurt Salina, but obviously that wasn't true I assumed she'd blocked most of it out, that it was just too traumatic for her to realize or reave up trying to get her to talk about it I didn't want to bring it up over and over and have her constantly be haunted by that night "

I didn't tell him that Eva had been too scared of the water ele brother That was Eva's part of the story to tell - not mine

I leaned forward "I believe Eva She's telling the truth about what happened - and so is Kincaid, like it or not "

Owen didn't say anything, but he shook his head again, and I could see the saht

"Think about it, Owen," I said before he could speak, before he could stick up for Salina again "Forget your feelings for Salina and really think about things You walked in and found Kincaid beating Salina No one's disputing that But he hat, fifteen then? Still a scrawny kid And Salina was the saht? About nineteen, four years older than Kincaid?"

He nodded, confir the information in Fletcher's file

"So Salina was older Not only that, she had eleic Even if Kincaid had tried to rape her, ould he attack her in the bathroom, of all places? With Eva only a few feet away in the tub, a tub with all that water in it? Why didn't Salina use her water ht him off? Why did she insist you beat him to death instead?"

Owen didn't say anything, but I could see hi with an objective eye He sat there, working through it all I leaned back inhiht ones this time

"It could have happened the way you think it did," he finally said "Maybe Phillip didn't try to rape Salina But ere they fighting? Why was he beating her? What did she do to him that was so terrible? Because he would have killed her if I hadn't come back when I did "

Noas time to rip the scabs off all the old wounds - noto hurt Owen

I drew in a breath "They were fighting because Salina was torturing Eva with her waterher power to hold Eva down under the water in the bathtub She was drowning Eva again and again "

All around us, everything went on as usual The other diners talked and laughed; the waitstaff hurried from one table to another; Sophia dished up plate after plate of food; the chatter of the customers and the clink-clink-clink of dishes and silverware sounded; and the air srease mixed with smoky spices

Yes, the world went on just like it had before But for Owen, everything had changed