My father asked no unnecessary questions; he requested the full address, the name of the county, and whether there were still witnesses present in the house..

I had started cooking at five in the morning, when the house was still dark and silent, to prepare the perfect Christmas dinner for my in-laws.

The turkey had been marinating since the night before, the side dishes were simmering slowly, and I was seven months pregnant, enduring nausea, exhaustion, and a persistent pain.

Even so, Sylvia insisted on supervising …