In my letter to Miriam I included Aunt Irma’s telephone number and asked Miriam to call me; I was not prepared for Katie calling me one evening a few days later.

“Violet? Hello! Miriam read me your letter to her. She—we—thought I should call you . . . It’s good you didn’t write to me—Mom would’ve brought in the mail and seen it. She’s out shopping now. I can’t talk long . . .”

Katie’s voice was sharp, edgy. She seemed both anxious and embarrassed and spoke quickly to guarantee that I would not interrupt.

“What you’re asking about, the appeals, whatever the lawyer is doing—I don’t know for sure. There’s a state ‘appeals’ court. Tommy Kerrigan is trying to help. He’s got ‘contacts’ in the justice system, he says. He’s coming out of retirement—maybe—to run for state assembly if he can get rich people to donate—he’s been interviewed a lot on local TV saying his ‘nephews’ had been hounded into prison because they are white. It’s kind of—I don’t know—kind of controversial, people are saying. There’s what they call a ‘white backlash’ here and in Buffalo too . . . Daddy has had to take out more loans. The bail bond was returned but the legal fees are almost as high. It’s just terrible what lawyers charge! But Daddy is hopeful—I guess. If the lawyers can get the sentences overturned Jerr and Lionel will be out—they won’t even have to wait for parole. Jerr has been in some fights in the facility, he’s been injured—in the prison hospital. I guess he was stabbed . . . Not sure about Lionel, he’s sort of closed off from us. He doesn’t want visitors, he says. Only Daddy, once in a while.