The board voted to refer the findings to its attorney and the appropriate authorities, and to notify donors as required.

Nobody cheered.

Nobody had come looking for a scandal.

They had come wanting to know why promises to families had gone unfulfilled.

As people collected their coats, Helen approached me.

“Would you consider helping us restart the work?”

I hesitated.

I was already tired from appointments, legal expenses, and the way the case pulled my thoughts toward a house I wasn’t ready to inhabit.