Malcolm Avery lowered the barbecue tongs onto the grill's side shelf. "They're down, Officer."Derek Harlan kept pointing at him. Behind Malcolm, conversation stopped around the picnic table. His mother's fork hovered above her plate. Before anyone ate another bite, the officers would make a claim about those tongs that people in this backyard could disprove."Now, step away."Malcolm moved sideways, leaving the grill between himself and the seated guests. Smoke drifted past his navy polo. He held his hands open beside the apron tied over his tan trousers. "What's the concern?""I ask the questions."At the side gate, a second officer watched Malcolm's nephew trying to explain: "I told you up front, my grandmother lives here." Sergeant Paul Voss passed him without answering.Evelyn Avery put her plate on the table and reached for her walker. "This is my house.""Stay seated, ma'am," Harlan said.She pushed against the chair arms anyway. Malcolm glanced toward his niece. "Tessa, help her with the walker.""I can stand," Evelyn said."I know, Mama. The ground dips there."Tessa steadied the frame while Evelyn found her footing. A "welcome home" card leaned against the flower vase beside her untouched lunch. This was the first afternoon she had wanted company since leaving rehabilitation.Voss looked from her to the house. "We received a call about smoke and people gathering at an unoccupied address.""It wasn't unoccupied," Evelyn said. "I was in the hospital.""For how long?""Long enough to miss my own kitchen."A guest near the umbrella gave a small, relieved smile.Malcolm reached toward the table for an empty chair. "You can speak with her here.""Leave the furniture alone," Harlan said.Malcolm stopped. The smile disappeared. Evelyn looked around at the people she had invited: her sister had brought the flowers; the neighbor beside Dana had carried her groceries upstairs for years before Malcolm moved her bedroom down. Now they were being counted as though their presence needed an explanation.She smoothed the front of her yellow dress and waited for someone to ask her permission to be in her own backyard. Neither officer did.Harlan asked Evelyn her name. She gave it, then pointed toward the back door. "My purse is inside. I can show you."Harlan faced Malcolm instead. "Your identification.""My wallet's in my back pocket. May I get it?""Slowly."Malcolm used two fingers to draw out a black leather wallet. He held it beside his left hip, away from the officer, waiting for the next instruction.Harlan looked at the guests. "Everybody here with you?""They're our guests.""That wasn't what I asked."Evelyn tightened her grip on the walker. "What else could it mean?""Ma'am, let him answer."