He felt like so many eyes were on him. Cold, calculating, eager for all the gory details. To take them away and dehumanize what happened, make it all neat and clean and sanitized. Devoid of all humanity, cold, hard facts.

Swallowing hard, Dal folded his hands in his lap and recounted his story. He spoke of how decent the man had always been to him, of how they would speak casually at the shelter. Of how he asked Dal for help while he was on his way home and everything from there on.

That he called Agent Moreno because he sensed something was amiss when he realized they were going in the wrong direction. Dal described the house and the man’s face in detail. He remembered the prayer and that disgusting shower. He looked down when he got to that part.

“And then you came in.”