“One of the great honors in being the District Attorney for New York County is that you meet the finest lawyers in this city,” he begins. “That, by definition, means you meet the finest lawyers in this country. And among this elite group, the best of the best, Lauren Wright stood out. It was not only her intellect, which was second to none. Nor her judgment, which I relied on time after time. It was her compassion that made her so special. Above all else, Lauren Wright was a woman who dedicated her life to speaking for the weakest members of our society—abused women, children, the elderly—those who, in our office, are called special victims.”

McKenney goes on like this for five minutes. It’s a good speech, but it’s still a speech rather than thoughtful remembrances of a friend.

After McKenney, Lauren’s sister, Leslie, speaks very briefly. Less than a minute. She’s obviously not accustomed to addressing a crowd. I met Leslie once when she visited Lauren at the office, maybe a year into my deputyship. I don’t recall at the time noting how much Lauren resembled her sister, but it’s eerie―both of them possessing a striking contrast of soft smiles and intense eyes framed by a curtain of reddish-blonde curls.

Richard’s eulogy is the last. The stories he tells describe a happy marriage, much closer to what I always imagined Lauren’s home life to be than what I observed firsthand at dinner the night she was killed. Or what I’ve imagined since, as I’ve become more and more certain that he murdered his wife.

“Lauren and I communicated on a level that was all our own,” he says at one point. “I remember once, fairly recently, in fact, we were at a friend’s house playing a game called Apples to Apples. I don’t know if you’re familiar with it, but it’s a card game. The way it works is that a leader for each round pulls a card that’s descriptive. For example, it might say ‘awe-inspiring.’ Everyone then plays a card from their hand that they think the leader will select as best matching that description. For ‘awe-inspiring,’ someone might play a card that says ‘Sistine Chapel.’ Another player might throw down a card that says ‘Michael Phelps.’ And someone else might play a card they think is funny, like ‘my pants.’ The leader selects the one that appeals most. So there’s no correct answer. The point of the game is to play the card you think the leader will choose. If your card is chosen, you get a point.