It was a modest memorial, but it made me more determined to let the process unfold properly.

PART 18

The call came on a Tuesday just after sunset.

Detective Chen asked whether Rachel could join us on a secure line.

Once she did, Chen told us that Leticia and Octavio had been located and taken into custody in connection with the active investigation.

She emphasized that formal charges would be based on the evidence reviewed by prosecutors, and that neither arrest meant the entire story was settled.

I sat at the kitchen table and watched Valerie write a grocery list on the back of an envelope.