Part 3 — The Named Spouse The page Mrs. Brenneman held out to me carried one name, typed in capital letters under the heading Non-Borrowing Spouse. “Darlene Voss,” she read. …

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Part 3 — Room Twelve The deputy ran her finger down the page of the motel register and read the name out loud, evenly, as if she were reading a …

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Part 3 — The First Wife The clerk read the name slowly, and Brooke read it after her, and then it seemed to me that every light in the barn …

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Part 3 — The Power Bill The deputy read the name on the power bill slowly, the way a man reads a label he does not want to be true. …

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Part 3 — The Witness Line My sister Constance did not get up from the floor of the council chambers. She sat with her good dress spread around her and …

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Part 3 — The Second Owner Brandi did not pick up the gold scissors. She stood very still with her hands at her sides while the whole room waited, and …

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Part 3 — Cousin Vernon Confesses The name on the red tab was Vernon Pitts. My wife cousin. The man who played the piano at every family gathering and called …

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Part 3 — Gordon Passed The Rolls The name on the red tab was Gordon Reese. My dispatcher for eight years. The godfather of my granddaughter. The man who brought …

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Part 3 — The Neighbor With Pie The name on the red tab was Phil Oakes. My next-door neighbor of fourteen years. The man who borrowed my ladder and returned …

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Part 3 — Marvin Said Grace The name on the red tab was Marvin Doyle. My best friend since the tenth grade. The man who stood up at my wedding …

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