Chapter 12 - OWEN
Owen believed he caused Derek’s arrest.
That became clear in therapy.
“If I didn’t give Aunt Marina the phone, Dad wouldn’t be in trouble.”
His therapist answered:
“Would he still have done those things?”
“Yes.”
“Then whose choices created the problem?”
“Dad.”
“Who told?”
“Me.”
“Telling and causing are different.”
The exact lesson I had given Sadie.
Children needed it repeated.
Natalie asked whether Owen should ever see Derek again.
Nobody could answer forever.
Temporary supervision remained.
Derek eventually completed a supervised visit after weeks without contact.
Rules:
No case discussion.
No blaming.
No asking for forgiveness.
No promises about custody.
Derek entered.
Owen sat across from him.
“Hi, buddy.”
“Hi.”
“I love you.”
Owen nodded.
Then:
“Are you mad?”
Supervisor watched.
Derek said:
“No.”
Good.
“Because phone?”
Derek paused too long.
Then:
“No.”
Owen looked down.
“What?”
“I’m mad at what happened.”
The supervisor intervened.
“Keep responsibility with adults.”
Derek corrected.
“I made choices. You told someone. You’re not responsible for what happens to me.”
That was the first useful sentence I heard from him after the pool.
Did he mean it?
Unknown.
Behavior would tell.
Then he ruined part of the progress.
“I just wish Aunt Marina had talked to me before police.”
Visit supervisor stopped him.
Not allowed.
Session ended early.
One step.
Half step back.
Real.
Natalie did not cancel future supervised visits permanently.
Therapist recommended waiting.
Good.
No punishment disguised as child welfare.
Sadie did not want to see Derek.
Clear.
No contact order protected her.
Then Owen told his mother something new.
Derek had another camera.
A small action camera.
Used during “content days.”
Police knew of one GoPro from records but had not located it.
Search warrant had covered Derek’s residence.
No camera.
Where?
Owen said:
“Dad keeps work stuff at Uncle Ben’s storage.”
Ben was not actually uncle, just family friend.
Investigators verified.
Obtained new warrant.
Not raid by rumor.
Storage unit contained:
lights,
tripods,
props,
old phones,
two action cameras,
hard drives.
Derek’s attorney argued the storage belonged partly to the LLC.
Still searchable under warrant.
The drives might contain older material.
More children.
More evidence.
May you like
Or nothing.
We were not near the end.
