As the reality settled over the gathering, I rose to my full height, feeling the weight of my resolve harden within me like steel. There were questions to be answered, truths to be uncovered. My grief would have to wait; first, I must seek justice for Tom, to understand the mystery that had replaced my mourning with a burning need to uncover the truth.

With Astoria by my side, I turned away from the splintered coffin and the shocked faces of those gathered, ready to embark on a journey I had never anticipated — a journey to find my husband, to uncover the events that led to this day, and to seek the justice that his spirit so rightly deserved.