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After , Kiile, and nothing had changed She was like fine porcelain – so delicate, I feared one wrong ould shatter her

"Sorry," she said, gesturingdishes"

She didn’t look like she’d eaten a bite since I saw her last "I ondering if we could talk"

"Sure" She didn’t seeue, either

We sat in her tiny living rooht afforded us It les of her face stand out

"Have you seen hiered me "Yes, I have seen hiot out"

She shook her head, defending him as always "No, no, I understand He doesn’t want anyone to know about ed for murder He has no reason not to visit you, Kim"

Her eyes watered instantly "He has every reason," she said, al me to understand "You don’t knohat he endured for aze, I said, "I have a picture from that time"

"A picture?" Dread flooded her central nervous syste --" I didn’t kno to put itmild about the picture "You told me a while back that Earl Walker had kept pictures in the walls Is that what youtortured?"

A slender hand covered her mouth as tears pushed past her lashes

"Is that why you’ve been burning down all the places you lived growing up? Because Earl hid the pictures in the walls?"

Her surprise was palpable Her grief even lasses of sweet tea and a tissue, then sat back down, her resolve solidifying "Yes," she said, closing her eyes in shas, the houses, the filth-infested garages… Everywhere we lived, every place Earl defiled radation" She handed iving her a moment, then asked, "Kim, I knoe’ve talked about this, but did Earl ever… did he --?"