They tried to put him off, fearful it was another sign of some hidden mental problem, or that the frantic, traumatized teen would just upset the fragile old woman. His mother and father fought twice over it, long and hard, finally agreeing to forbid him, but Devin kept insisting, repeatedly and uncharacteristically. He didn’t whine about it like a child; he demanded it, in a tone of voice they’d never heard from him before. So finally they relented, on the condition his father drive. “You’re too upset for one, and we’re damned if we’re going to leave you alone again for a while,” his dad explained. He phoned the police, as he’d been instructed, to tell them where they’d be the next morning. They’d planned on leaving at nine A.M., but the police called to ask for more details and phone numbers, which delayed their departure until nine thirty. Finally, his dad, his face a mask, stiffly tossed a file stuffed with papers onto the floor of the SUV’s passenger seat. He started the engine and wordlessly waited for Devin to climb in and put on his seat belt.
