He was silent for several seconds.

“I didn’t know she was alive,” he said finally.

“I need you to believe that.” I wanted to tell him belief was no longer enough.

Adams met Thomas the following morning.

I attended only long enough to hear his explanation for the missing preservation paperwork.

He said the arrangements had been changed by Kyle, who claimed the family preferred immediate burial with minimal chemical intervention.

The director had not personally performed the procedures, and he had relied on the assistant’s entries.