"Has Adam came home yet?" Chuck asked as he hung his head out the window.

"No word at all," Jason said. "I was hoping to talk to you though. Do you have a minute?"

"Sure, but let's park over to the side of the road though," Chuck said without hesitation. But inside he was about to die. He didn't like lying to Jason, but he had promised Adam. But what if Adam was in trouble? No, I will wait. Adam promised to tell us everything when he got back. All of these thoughts ran through his head as Jason turned the van around and got out of the van.

" So you don't have any idea where he could be?" Jason asked, leaning up against Chuck's car.

"No. I haven't seen him since the fight yesterday," Chuck said very convincingly. He was sweating in the palms of his hands though. "I heard he got suspended for three days."

"Yeah, but he gets to make the work up though. I think Mrs. Blake wanted to give him some cool off time," Jason replied. "I can't believe that he broke Eric's nose. He must have really clobbered him."

"He did and Eric deserved it. He knocked Eric to the ground. The prissy boy never even had a chance to strike back," Chuck said with the jabbing hand motions. "Maybe you should use him as your personal bodyguard on your cases."

"You aren't kidding," Jason answered. "But Adam has to realize that with his head injury he has to watch himself. Plus he can't go around and just knock out people. Eric did get a pretty good jab at Adam's lip. It was pretty swollen last night when I saw him last."

"What are you talking about?" Chuck asked. He was visibly confused. He had seen the whole fight and he knew that Eric did not even strike back.

"Adam had a busted lip when I came home. It was still bleeding even. He said that he got it in the fight," Jason said. He did not understand where Chuck was coming from at all. He knew what he had seen.

"Jason, I assure you that no one even hit Adam during that fight. The last time I saw him was in the office. He was sitting there without a mark," Chuck said with much assurance. "The only blood on that boy was that of Eric Peterson's smeared all over his knuckles."

Jason stood there in silence. The only person that Adam had any contact with before he got home was Bill. But why would Bill hit Adam? But things were not that great between them. Something was definitely going on between his brother and Bill, but even if Adam did go a little nuts, Bill should not have hit him. Jason thought back even more. Bill never had a mark on him and never even showed any emotion when it was discovered that Adam was missing. In fact, he seemed relieved. Jason did not want to think about his uncle like that, but Adam was his own brother and his interests came first. Unfortunately, Jason realized that lately, Bill had come first as he thought back to the fight on the beach. He never really gave Adam a chance from the time of the phone call.

"Jason, Earth to Jason!" Chuck said making a small sound and waving his hands in front of his friend.

"Sorry Chuck. So do you think you can help me look for him?" Jason asked.

"I have to at least go and take my English and math test today or I may spend another year as a junior. I can get that done before noon," Chuck said. He honestly did not know where Adam went and maybe they could figure out what was going on. Los Angeles was an enormous city so trying to track Adam would be impossible. But trying to track him down in Emerald Beach would be a little easier. Chuck knew that Adam had to bring Craig home, but from there he did not know where Adam was planning to go.

"That will help. I have a math test too, but I can't concentrate on anything right now. Of all of the stupidest things he could do, he could be out there hurt or even lost with his memory problems. He also never took his medicine with him," Jason told Chuck in a worried tone. "The thing that disturbs me the most is that he left his set of keys to the van. It was like he just wants to drop out of our lives and we are supposed to carry on. I just want my family back. I need to get him back before Mom gets home."

"Jason, he will come back. I can't imagine him just dropping off the face of the planet. He is just not thinking or there is something he has to do. Who knows with Adam," Chuck said trying to soothe his friend's fears. "I will call you when I get home."

Jason said good-bye to Chuck and decided to go home. He wanted to read through the rest of those notebooks. He would have the house to himself because the rest of the Kramers were preparing for the upcoming trial. James was trying to get the trial moved to Los Angeles so Bill would have a fair trial. Airdale was a small town like Emerald Beach and it would be impossible to find unbiased people there. It would be the perfect time to search through his brother's things.

Jason began reading the journals, for which so far really did not contain anything that would answer his questions. He read about their past fights, family outings and just other off the wall topics. But then he reached the journal that was written during Adam's seventh grade year. He read through the journal and he did reach the passage that he was reading before Adam grabbed it from him hands. It talked about the most horrible day in his life. "When I was seven, I saw something that no one should have to witness. I did not really understand until I got older. It haunts me and yet I have to keep it to myself for fear of being kicked out of the family. I can not betray her so I must keep this secret. The best part is that no one would even suspect that something like this could happen, so I can keep my word. It is amazing how much one day can make a difference and tear a hole inside your heart."

Jason was taken back by the passage, but it still did not explain what had happened on that day. How could something happen that was so awful and Jason not know about it? He thought he knew everything about his brother, but now he felt like he was living with a total stranger all of his life. Everyone remarked about how close they were, but were they really? Then Jason tried to think to see if maybe he had been involved in this event. He decided to read on. He read through the whole journal, but nothing else answered his questions until he turned to the back page. On the back page, it said that it was continued in another notebook hidden in the upper shelving of the closet. So Jason went over and grabbed the desk chair. He looked on the top shelf of the closet for another notebook. There in the very back was a black notebook, buried under a bunch of boxes. Jason immediately got it out and opened to the first page. It was dated when Adam was in the seventh grade, but the story began a lot sooner. The story began when Adam was seven years old. Jason brought the notebook over to the bed and began to read the passages very carefully. Nothing could prepare him for what he was about to read. As Jason read the passages in the notebook, he felt an array of emotions. He was confused, angry, and most of all, helpless. All this time Adam hid this from his parents, friends and Jason. Jason could almost hear his brother's voice, reading the very detailed accounts of what happened that night and the times after that. He felt a sadness that came deep from within and caused him to feel a little sick at his stomach. He could not imagine how Adam felt. He knew that he needed to find his brother and offer the support that he never had.

It was about lunchtime when Adam and Craig arrived at the Cooper house. Chuck was at the house waiting. He was able to leave school after his tests to help search for Adam. The news of Adam's disappearance had reached the small high school and everyone had his or her own theory as to why Adam left. It was a good thing that Jason did not go to school because the rumors upset Chuck. The stories ranged from not being able to live in Jason's shadow to the fact that the accident just caused him to go nuts. All of the rumors were very demeaning to Adam, who was a very popular athlete and friendly person. It all just disgusted Chuck. And he was glad to leave the school so he did not have to hear any more of it. Chuck told Adam about the rumors, but it didn't seem to bother him.

"Now you promised to tell us what is going on and I want to know now," Chuck said as they sat down on the front porch of their home. His parents were at work and no one was at the house except for the three boys. Adam took a deep breath and told the story from the beginning. His hands shook the entire time he was talking and he constantly looked down at the floor in shame. After he was through, all of the boys were deathly quiet.

"Does Jason know about this?" Craig asked.

"No, I just never could bring myself to tell him, especially since he was very close to Bill," Adam said regretfully. "It is the only secret that I have ever kept from him."

"So when are you planning to tell Jason," Craig asked.

"I don't know. Maybe not until the trial because I plan to contact the other lawyer. I thought that a surprise attack on Bill would blow their plans up in smoke," Adam said. He had been thinking a lot. "If I tell Jason, he will want to investigate every angle and give Bill a chance. I am trying to stop Bill, so actually we would be working against each other."

"So what are you going to do now?" Chuck said. "I take it you are not going home with Bill in the house."

"I am definitely not going there. I don't know. The only thing I want to do is get in touch with the lawyer in Airdale," Adam said as the phone rang. Chuck went inside the house and saw that on the caller ID that it was Jason.

He picked the phone up in the kitchen and quietly greeted Jason.

"So have you heard anything?" Jason asked. His tone was very anxious.

"He is here right now," Chuck answered. There was a silence on the other end of the phone for a moment.

"I will be over," Jason said.

"Wait a minute. Did you find out anything?" Chuck said. He hated being in the middle of the brothers.

Jason told him about the notebook, but he did not elaborate on the contents very much. Chuck was about to tell him that Adam had finally came clean about what was going on, but then he remembered that Adam had a plan and he did not want to interfere with those plans. He did however, think that Adam needed Jason more than ever. He knew that by the way that he told them about the events that Adam would be massacred on the stand without strong family support.

"I want you to come over. But please just call your dad and tell him that Adam will be staying here for awhile until Bill leaves," Chuck said trying to mediate things a little. He felt that Adam was not thinking clearly and needed some direction. Chuck himself was shocked. Both Craig and Chuck had been around Bill and never even suspected a thing. "I don't want him to worry or get mad at me for hiding him."