Every time my brother-in-law drove me home, I would lose consciousness and wake up with unexplained aches and pains. My husband would only laugh and say, “You’re just out of shape, that’s all.” After the fourth ride, I secretly slipped a voice recorder into my purse and said nothing. That night, I listened to a phone conversation between the two of them that revealed my blackouts had never been accidental.

I arranged them in a chipped blue vase at Priya’s place.

She came into the kitchen, saw them, and smiled.

“Celebrating something?”

“Yes,” I said.

“I got myself home.”

PART 16

The preliminary hearing took place in a courtroom smaller than I expected.

There were no dramatic gasps, no sudden confessions, and no triumphant speeches.