I told Santiago they were on their way to Mika’s, and he decided to go back to work to give us some space to talk this through.
As soon as Dad walked into Mika’s shop, I knew this was going to be a hard conversation. His face was drawn, and his shoulders slumped so far forward that he looked like he was beginning to bend over and pick up something off the floor. I was glad Mika and Lucille were there because when my dad looked like this, he could get petulant and quiet. I needed people to help me bring him out.
Fortunately, Lucille was a no-nonsense woman, and she spoke straight and true when she needed to. So as soon as we sat down, she said, “Lee, tell Paisley what you know about that barn.” Then she looked at me. “I haven’t told him what you told me yet, Pais. Figured it was better to
