“My mother’s legacy is the truth,” I said.

“Please,” she said.

It was the first time I had ever heard her use that word.

“A quiet settlement,” she said. “We will leave the country. You will never have to see us again.”

I tucked the documents back into the envelope.

“No,” I said. “You are going to face trial.”

Her face went entirely white.

Her mouth hung open slightly, her composure completely shattered.

“You’ll destroy everything,” she whispered.

“You did that when you touched her medicine,” I said.

I turned away from her and walked out of the parlor.

The silence of the hallway felt heavy.

I walked toward the heavy oak front door.

The glass panes showed the gray, overcast afternoon turning into a dark evening.

The trees in the garden were bare, their branches shaking in the rising wind.

I reached for the brass doorknob.

The cold metal felt solid in my hand.

I opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.

The temperature had dropped significantly since I arrived.

My breath misted in the freezing air.

I walked down the stone steps toward my car.