I lifted it out.
My name was written across the front.
I opened the envelope with my thumb.
The first page carried a notary seal.
The heading was a notarized power of attorney.
I read the first paragraph, then the second.
The document named me administrator if Hannah’s passing was suspicious.
I sat down.
Hannah had signed it six months before.
My signature was beside hers.
I rubbed the edge of my wedding ring with my thumb.
The document did not give me permission to decide whether Hannah’s passing had been suspicious. It told me what I could do if that question arose.
I read the date again.
Six months.
I turned the page over.
There was nothing handwritten on the back.
I checked the envelope.
Empty.
Hannah had not left an explanation with it.
She had left instructions.
I placed the document beneath the green lamp.
Then I noticed a second line beneath our signatures, one I had not read carefully the first time.
