Chapter 10
Then he wrote something I hadn't expected.
I know that nothing I say can undo what my son has done. But I want you and Megan to know that I support your right to be safe and to seek justice.
I cried when I read it.
For years, I'd thought Samuel was cold and distant.
Now I realized that Logan's descriptions of him had been shaped by resentment and self-interest.
Megan and I began attending counseling.
We had both developed anxiety after the incident.
Megan struggled whenever she heard a car make an unfamiliar noise.
I found myself checking door locks repeatedly and becoming frightened when someone called from an unknown number.
Our therapist helped us understand that these reactions were common after frightening experiences.
We worked on practical coping strategies, rebuilding routines, and recognizing when fear was responding to a present danger versus a memory.
Progress was uneven.
Some days, I felt almost normal.
Other days, a sound or a familiar street could send my heart racing.
But gradually, the fear became less overwhelming.
My mother was another source of support.
She had initially been devastated by the news.
For several days, she kept asking herself whether she'd missed signs that Logan was dangerous.
Megan and I reminded her that Logan had spent years presenting different versions of himself to different people.
We couldn't change the past.
But we could support one another in the present.
On Mom's next birthday, we held a small dinner at Megan's apartment.
There were no elaborate plans.
No expensive restaurant.
No designated driver.
We ordered food, lit candles, and ate chocolate cake at the kitchen table.
At one point, Mom looked at both of us.
“I almost lost you.”
Megan reached across the table and took her hand.
“But you didn't.”
Mom began crying.
I moved my chair closer and embraced her.
For several minutes, the three of us sat together.
I realized that the dinner Logan had intended to turn into a tragedy had become a reminder of how fortunate we were to be alive.
Nearly a year after the incident, Logan's criminal case reached its conclusion.
The exact legal outcome reflected the charges supported by the evidence and the decisions made through the judicial process.
He was convicted of serious offenses connected to the planned vehicle incident and received a substantial prison sentence.
The proceedings also addressed the role of other individuals where the evidence supported their involvement.