I spoke with the counselor about the anger I felt whenever someone portrayed Jessica solely as another victim of him.
The counselor reminded me that people could be harmed and still be accountable for the choices they made.
That was the first formulation that did not demand I ignore either reality.
I asked Paige to tell Jessica that we would review the furniture list through the mediator.
Paige nodded and picked up her car keys.
Then she said something that stayed with me.
“You don’t have to decide what she deserves,” Paige said.
“You only have to decide what you can live with.”
After she left, I carried the toolbox into the garage.
The house felt ordinary for several minutes, which was its own unfamiliar kind of relief.
CHAPTER 26: Another Version of Evelyn
Mara invited me to help her assemble a personal history of her mother’s volunteer work.
She wanted a private archive for herself rather than a public accusation against Richard.
We visited a retired teacher who had collaborated with Evelyn on reading lessons at Alder House.
The teacher, Mrs. Navarro, kept lesson plans in a cedar chest along with photographs of class projects.
She remembered Evelyn as energetic and impatient with administrative rules that delayed practical help for children.
According to Mrs. Navarro, Evelyn complained that residents were being transferred without receiving proper explanations.
She had written letters to trustees asking whether every child’s family had been informed.
Some letters were answered with formal reassurances, while others received no reply.
Mrs. Navarro had kept drafts of two questions she helped Evelyn write.
One asked for the names of the agencies supervising offsite placements.
The other requested a list of adults authorized to collect children after hours.
Neither document contained accusations against Richard.
Mara read them with visible disappointment.
She had hoped her mother might have identified exactly who caused the disappearances.
Mrs. Navarro touched the edge of the papers.
“Your mother was still trying to understand what was happening,” she said.
“Being worried did not mean she already knew the answer.”
Mara asked whether Evelyn had mentioned arguments at home.
Mrs. Navarro hesitated before admitting that Evelyn sometimes worried Richard cared too much about the reputation of the trust.
She said Evelyn wanted him to listen to the children rather than only the organization’s attorneys.
The teacher had not witnessed their private discussions and did not claim to know their marriage.
We thanked her and carefully copied the materials she was willing to share.
