THE NEXT DAY

Olive pulled the car to a smooth stop outside the hospital entrance just a little before noon. She glanced up at the rearview mirror, waiting to see if Valentina wanted to make some offhand comment — about the weather, the route they’d taken, or maybe even about how the tension in her shoulders hadn’t eased since yesterday afternoon. But Val didn’t say anything. She simply opened the door and stepped out into the soft midday air without a word.

The flowers by the ...