“I know,” Arthur whispered softly.
“You knew they were dead all along?” I demanded.
“The state police called me the very next morning after the wreck,” Arthur admitted.
“Why would they call you?” I asked, thoroughly confused.
“Because I was the very last person Paige called on her phone,” Arthur revealed.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
“She called you?” I whispered in shock.
“She left a quick voicemail that afternoon,” Arthur said, staring blankly at the ceiling.
“Saying what?” I pressed, my voice shaking.
“She said, ‘Dad, we’re driving through town at nine tonight, and I want you to meet your new granddaughter,'” Arthur recalled slowly. “I still have that voicemail saved on my phone.”
My knees went completely weak, forcing me to hold onto the metal bed frame for support.
“That awful night, they left Harper at my home,” I recalled aloud, pieces of the past falling into place. “Paige told me they were going out on a long dinner date. Ninety miles away for a dinner date?”
