I looked down at the official letterhead and saw Superintendent Miller’s signature, clean and crisp, at the bottom.

“Thank you for looking at the real facts, Principal Davis,” I said quietly.

“You have the right to present this legal clearance publicly at the open board meeting next Tuesday,” he offered, watching me closely.

“If you’d like to clear your family’s name in front of the town.”

I thought about my mother sitting alone in her empty kitchen, waiting to see whether I’d humiliate her in front of the whole community.

“No,” I said, looking him right in the eye.