Who was awake?
What did they see?
What did they hear?
My father-in-law initially said that Miriam only wanted to help.
Then he said he didn’t remember.
After she perhaps added some supplement, some natural remedy, a vitamin.
I watched him sink in real time from protective husband to man who understands that his marital loyalty is about to become obstruction of justice.
Melissa swore she never thought her aunt capable of something like that, although we all remembered perfectly every time she herself laughed when Miriam called crying children “dramatic”.
The pastor spoke with a firmness that surprised me and I appreciated it more than I can explain.
He said that what he heard from Emma was not confusion.
It was memory.
And that nobody was going to leave that funeral home pretending otherwise.
I was taken to the hospital because of the blow, and that’s where another level of horror began.
Because once the adrenaline wears off, the details come back in a row, demanding inventory.
