I compared that information with her revised account.

They were consistent where the relevant records spoke.

I also pursued the available official information about Patrick’s death and final care through the proper channels.

Some documents took time.

Some questions could only be answered within the limits of what had been recorded.

I did not invent an exact diagnosis from Samantha’s description of a collapse.

I did not treat an absence of a dramatic finding as a guarantee about every unknown minute.

What I could say was that the ring and the hidden grandson had exposed deception about the family and belongings.