He was careful to identify which entries came from official records and which were still under review.

“Mark and Laura appear to have been under significant financial pressure,” he said.

“Gambling debts are part of what authorities are looking into.

That doesn’t excuse what happened.”

I traced the line running from the funeral date to the first payment I sent Mark.

“Did they plan to ask me for money from the start?”

“We don’t know their exact intentions yet.”

I appreciated him enough to accept the answer, though it left me angry.