Page 76 of Heart of a Hero

The name sent a jolt through Karen’s chest. She tried to stifle the sharp gasp that escaped her, but it was too late. Marty’s eyes darted to her face, his brows knitting in concern. She exhaled slowly, the weight of what she’d just heard settling heavily on her mind. Carefully, she moved closer to him, sitting on the bed, and took both of his small hands in hers. She needed him to feel safe, to know that what he had shared was important.

“Marty,” she said softly, her thumbs tracing comforting circles over his knuckles, “what you saw… it could be important. I think Mark should know about it.”

His expression hardened in an instant, the innocence of childhood slipping away as something darker and more adult crossed his face. “Alan was doing something he wasn’t supposed to, wasn’t he?” His voice held a sharp edge, too harsh for a boy his age.

Karen’s heart broke a little at the sight of him—so young yet forced to carry the burden of understanding things no child should. She swallowed, keeping her tone calm. “Honey, I don’t know for sure what Alan was doing. I can’t say if it was right or wrong. But I do feel like this is something important for Mark to know. He can help us figure it out. But I don’t want you to feel?—”

“It’s fine, Miss Karen.” His voice sounded too harsh for such a little boy. “I never liked him, and if he was doing something wrong, then I want to tell the police.”

Karen’s chest tightened, a deep sadness washing over her. She pulled Marty into a gentle hug, holding him close, her hand smoothing down his back. His bravery both inspired and hurt her, but she knew this was the right thing to do.

“Okay,” she whispered into his hair, her voice soft but resolute. “We’ll tell Mark. Together.”

And as they sat there, the weight of the moment wrapped around them like a heavy blanket, Karen couldn’t help but feel the shifting tide of their lives. The world felt darker, but there was still hope in that darkness—a hope for truth, safety, and the love that connected them all.

Pulling her phone from her pocket, she quickly dialed Mark.

“Hey, babe. You guys having a good evening?”

“Mark, I’m not sure what to do, but Marty has just given me information about Alan that I think you need to know.”

Immediately, his voice took on a different tone. “What’s going on?”

“I promise I wasn’t questioning him, but it came up in conversation. There are some things he saw in Alan’s possession that you should know about. I don’t want this to happen tonight so close to bedtime. How about tomorrow morning?”

“What about school?”

Karen closed her eyes and winced. She hated for Marty to miss any school and for her to miss more time out of the office. “It’ll be okay,” she said, forcing an upbeat tenor to her words.

“Once you drop the others off, come in. I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay.”

She was about to disconnect when he said, “Babe, I really hate this.”

“What?”

“We’ve barely been together, but I swear I hate being apart.”

“I know. I feel the same. We’ll talk more later. Let me get everyone down, and then we can talk.”

“Call me as soon as you can. Benji will be in bed about the same time as Marty, so you can call anytime.”

“Okay. Talk to you later.”

Disconnecting, she smiled at Marty, who held her gaze.

“I know you’re upset for me, Miss Karen, but it’s okay. We don’t know where Mom or Alan have gone. We don’t even know if they’re still together. I’ll go to the station and talk to Mark.”

“You’re very brave, Marty. And such a good young man.”

“Mr. Roscoe once said that sometimes doing the right thing isn’t always the easiest thing. But if it’s right, then we gotta take care of it.”

“He’s a wise man.”

Standing, she plastered a smile on her face, but Marty wasn’t finished.

“Miss Karen?”

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