Derek could see Travis’s hands.
He could see the bat.
He could see Noah close enough to danger that he was choosing every word like a step on thin ice.
The dispatcher asked, “Is your brother inside now?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Officers are close. Tell him to create distance if possible.”
I relayed it, but Derek did not answer me.
He was not listening to me anymore.
He was listening to the room.
Then another voice came through the phone from outside.
“What is going on?”
Lena.
She had come home.
I heard keys hit the porch.
I heard her say Noah’s name in a way that did not sound like language anymore.
“Stay back,” Derek told her.
“Where is my son?” she screamed.
“Lena, stay back. He’s still holding it.”
There are moments when a person collapses without falling.
I heard it happen to my ex-wife on that porch.
