"We [i]will[/i] find them," the officer confirmed. "Somehow, someway, we will find the person responsible and bring them to justice. But for now... it would be a good idea to start looking into funeral homes." He tipped his hat before offering a small yet hopeful smile. "May Ms. Jones rest in peace. Good day to you all." With that, he exited the room and walked out of the house.

Brooklyn had organized a meeting with Sawyer that she was supposed to be leaving to right now. But now, looking at her devastated fiancé sitting among his mother and would-be wife's family, she decided it was best to stay. It was times like this when one was prone to irrational thinking and mortal sin. 

Mr. Jones cradled Louie as if to shield him from Sam's profane screams. His eyes were filled with sorrow; for he, along with everybody else in the room, had overheard the officer's dreadful news. There was a long silence. A new weight had filled the air and any spoken words would crash into it. Carefully, Brooklyn sat beside Sam and rubbed his back soothingly. There was only the ticking of a nearby clock to occupy the quiet space.

Finally, Mrs. Jones spoke, "Sam and Patty... I feel like I should tell you how excited Brooklyn was to join your family. When she, Ella, and I went out to search for dresses last month, the both of you were all she could talk about." The aging woman smiled sadly at the memory. "Patty, she talked about how well you always cared for Louis. When you held him for the first time with Brooklyn and Sam watching, she thought you were made to be a Grandma. It was such a precious sight, she said, to see you holding him. Even before that, when she met you for the first time, she later told me that you were the most welcoming person she had ever met." Mrs. Jones turned to Sam. "And you... Brooklyn has been talking about you for as long as I can remember. It was so adorable finding that heart-shaped note in her backpack one morning many years ago and seeing her get so flustered when I asked her about it. To think that now, a decade later, you two were planning to marry.... that's so heart warming. Brooklyn loved you more than anything, Sam. She wanted to build a bigger family with you and have the honor of being called your wife."

Mr. Jones gently set Louie down on his play mat. "Remind us the story of how you proposed, Sam," he softly suggested. "Let us focus on the good times right now before looking into what the cop had said."