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He opened his eyes, and a tear ran down his face. “I want to get this off my chest before I go. I was the driver. I wasn’t drunk, though. I was scared. And I fled.” His chest heaved as if this were a great effort to get the words out. There was a long pause.
“I called Dace. He came and got me. Told me to keep my mouth shut, and I did.” The sick man seemed to sink farther into the bed. His hand rose slightly, and the eyes closed again.
Gabe looked up at Mrs. Aker. “How long does he have?”
“Six months ago, he wasn’t supposed to last two months. I’m not sure you’ll get much more out of him.”
“Mr. Aker, the evidence I’ve reviewed shows the other vehicle crossed the centerline, not you.”
Aker’s eyes stayed closed. Gabe waited.
“I think this is enough,” Idelle said.
Gabe nodded. “Thank you for your time.” He turned to leave, and Mrs. Aker moved to show him the way out.
“Do you know anything about what happened?” Gabe askedher.
“We almost divorced over it.” She stopped and put a hand on his arm. “Did you mean what you said? The other car crossed the line?”
“Yes. The photos show the other vehicle crossed. It’s a double tragedy. Pope caused the accident.”
Profound sadness crossed her features. “It’s only because I knew Anson wasn’t drunk when he got home that I never said anything. Dace Greeley was full of good reasons for us to keep quiet.”
“Good reasons?”
“Yes. Coming forward wouldn’t bring the Popes back. A nasty trial would make it harder for the surviving child—those kind of things.” Her brow crinkled. “If Anson didn’t swerve into the Popes, why did the Popes swerve into him?”
“I’m not sure we’ll ever know.”
She continued toward the door. “Did she send you here to finally get to the truth?” Mrs. Aker asked.
“She?”
“Yes, your boss, Elise White.”
Gabe was at a loss and frowned. “Mayor White is not my direct boss; Carolyn Madden is.”
“Oh, well, I just thought Elise wanted to put the whole thing to bed, since she’s in charge and all now.”
They reached the door. Gabe was still confused. “What interest would Mayor White have in this?”
“It was her family who died. She’s Elise Pope. Ira HoffmanSr. was a business partner of Mr. Pope. When the family was killed, he adopted Elise. He raised her as his own—kept it out of the papers, of course. He wanted her to grow up with some privacy. I think he didn’t want the tragic loss of her family to define herlife.”
