“Yes, sir.” Justin smiled briefly. “And he promised me at the hospital that he’d never ever hit me again, no matter what.” His face crumpled. “And now he’s going to die, too.” Diesel rubbed against his legs again.

Julia came back in time to hear that last sentence, and she gathered her son into her arms. Diesel moved away from them but sat nearby, watching. Justin wept for a moment, and Julia regarded me with a question in her eyes.

“Justin told me he lied to me about Ezra beating him,” I said, my voice soft.

“Good,” Julia said. “I told him he had to.”

Justin pulled away from his mother. “I’m sorry, Mama.”

“I know, sweetie.” Julia patted his cheek. “Why don’t you go wash your face and blow your nose?”

Justin nodded and headed for the bathroom in the hall. Diesel went with him.

“He really is a good boy most of the time,” Julia said when Justin was out of earshot.

“I know,” I said with a smile. “Diesel wouldn’t be so fond of him if he weren’t.”

Julia laughed. “That cat is such a little character.”

I politely refused Julia’s offer of help, and by the time Justin returned to the kitchen everything was ready.

We all sat, Julia to one side and Justin across from me. I asked Justin to say grace.

He bent his head over his plate. “Bless this food, oh Lord, to the nourishment of our bodies. We thank you for our many gifts, and we pray that you will watch over us and over the loved ones who are not with us. Amen.”

Julia and I echoed his amen. I held my hand out for Julia’s plate and filled it with casserole and green beans while Julia filled her bowl with salad.

For a few minutes we were busy preparing our plates and bowls of salad, passing things back and forth. Diesel sat near my chair, watching every movement of my hands with great interest. When no tidbits were forthcoming, he moved to the other end of the table to try his luck with Justin.

By unspoken agreement, it seemed, we spoke of things other than the events of the day before. Julia asked Justin about his classes, and he expressed enthusiasm for his freshman English and history courses. He was not so fond of the science and math classes, however.

I talked a bit about my work cataloging rare books, and Julia listened to each of us in turn. Occasionally she prompted with a question, but for the most part she appeared content to let the males at the table carry the burden of conversation. I turned a blind eye to the occasional morsel of chicken or green bean that Justin so casually slipped from his plate.