“Then he signed a formal affidavit.”

“Was Julian mentioned in the document?”

“Your father insisted that Julian must be present when the safe is opened,” Samuel said, leaning back in his chair.

“He was entirely clear on that point.”

He didn’t offer to show me the affidavit, and he closed the ledger before I could read the dates written across the top margin.

The funeral home parlor on Main Street smelled of heavy floral arrangements and carpet cleaner.

A tall vase of white lilies stood beside the mahogany casket, carrying a ribbon from the diner on Main Street, and it had added two hundred and twenty dollars to the funeral bill.