I turn my head to look at her.
“How?” I ask.
She holds my stare for a second because she knows what I’m asking.
“Flash floods in tropical areas like that can happen fast,” she says carefully. “The water builds, creating mud shifts, and in anelevated space like a mountain, it has nowhere to go but down. So, if the vehicle was below it …” She stops.
“Say it.”
“It would have been sudden,” she says. “Violent. The force alone, combined with the impact,” she swallows.
“Blunt force trauma in that kind of scenario would mean catastrophic injuries,” she says. “Likely to the head and chest.”
My stomach twists.
“Saint, as severe as it sounds,” she adds quickly. “They likely didn’t suffer because it would have been immediate.”
Immediate.
I nod slowly.
I’m not sure if it helps knowing that, but I can’t think about her suffering.
“Until we see the autopsy reports, I won’t know the specifics.”
I lean back and close my eyes.
Savannah and Chris, gone, in a second.
My chest tightens, and I exhale sharply through my nose.
“Next steps,” Presley says, gently.
I open my eyes, hearing the shift in her voice.
“You’ll need their death certificates as soon as possible,” she says. “We can coordinate with the local authorities for that.”
We.Because she’s here with me.
“The bodies will need to be transported back to North Carolina,” she continues. “I’ll help arrange that. My father has offered to help with the logistics and whatever needs to be expedited.”
I’ll need to review their wishes for the funeral.
“Once you speak with the attorney,” she says, “you’ll need to start the process, but I’m sure you already know that.”
“Yeah, I do,” I say. “I remember some of it from when my dad died and I became Savannah’s guardian.”
“Okay, but just remember, you aren’t doing this alone.”
I look at her.
“I’m with you every step,” she says.
No doubt or hesitation.
“And my family will help in any way you need,” she adds. “Whatever you need.”
Something in my chest finally cracks, and tears spring to my eyes.
