“According to this record,” she said, “the marriage ended when Gerald died.”

PART 10

I studied Gerald’s picture until I noticed the grease under his fingernails.

He stood outside an auto shop, squinting into sunlight.

There was nothing remarkable about him, which was what made the image so painful.

He looked like a man who had built something with his hands and expected to have more years to enjoy it.

“Did he have family?” I asked.

“A sister in Flagstaff,” Rachel said.