Cris followed me over and gave a light chuckle. ‘My hobby, I guess you could call it. Our microwave died a few days ago and I wanted to try and fix it before buying a new one. It drives Rosie crazy, me constantly fixing old appliances instead of just replacing them.’ He paused, putting his hands in his pockets and looking around the space. This was the most naturally he’d spoken to me since we met. Maybe he was finally getting comfortable enough to open up. I softened a little, his demeanor putting me more at ease. ‘It takes me a bit longer these days, my hands get a little stiff in my old age. But she’s given me a week to fix it, otherwise she’s heading to the store.’

‘I think it’s awesome that you can do this. I’m useless when it comes to this kind of stuff.’

‘I’ve been taking things apart my whole life.’ He rocked back and forth on his feet a little, looking at the microwave in front of us. ‘When I was growing up, I even cracked open my little transistor radio, just to see if I could figure out how it worked. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get that one back together, but I’m a bit more skilled now,’ Cris said with a light laugh before turning abruptly and heading toward the door. ‘I remember Frank and a friend of his from down the street making fun of me for that failed attempt.’ Cris gave a quick grin before looking away again.

While it might have seemed insignificant to others, hearing Cris laugh and tell me more about his life made me really happy. It helped disperse the cloud of suspicion planted in my mind about him. The more relaxed he became around me, the more it seemed impossible he was a killer. Or maybe, it was me becoming more desperate for it to not be him. Either way, I smiled at the mental image of my young grand uncle fiddling with his radio, his face lit up with glee and determination. These little tidbits of Cris’s life were helping me round out who he was and who my family really was aside from all the accusations and speculations. After Cris pressed the button to close the garage, he held the door open for me and unclipped Harley’s leash. Harley dashed into the house, then came back and sniffed my leg before walking forward a few steps, as if he were beckoning me inside. I laughed and followed him into the dining room. Rosie was setting the table.

‘Oh, you’re here!’ She rushed over and gave me a warm embrace. I inhaled her sweet floral perfume and squeezed my aunt in return.

‘Hi Rosie,’ I said as we pulled apart. ‘Thank you so much for having me again.’

‘Oh, it’s nothing. You’re welcome any time. Come in, come in.’