I immediately said,
“I’m coming too.”
Robert turned toward me.
“It’s dangerous.”
“You kept this story from me for 51 years. You are definitely not going alone now.”
For the first time that night, he laughed.
Very softly, but for real.
We went with a small group.
The tunnel entrance wasn’t far.
They wouldn’t let us go inside because the area was still unsafe.
But rescue workers had already brought out a metal box filled with old documents.
Robert saw one of them and immediately recognized his own signature.
His eyes filled with tears.
“I thought they destroyed this years ago.”
Frank put a hand on his shoulder.
“They didn’t. And now we can finally prove that you were right.”
That was the moment I finally understood why Robert had been so terrified.
