It didn’t take long until Sheldon nodded..
“But why?” I asked angrily.
Grandfather answered for Sheldon. “Because you were taught that, in the Jewish tradition, as soon as possible after someone dies in a room, one must open a window to at least symbolically allow the deceased’s soul to depart. Am I correct?”
“Yes,” Sheldon sobbed. “But I didn’t kill him.”
“Then, why’d you lie to the police?” I demanded.
Sheldon looked directly at me, and his voice rose. “I didn’t lie to the police. They didn’t ask me about the window, and I think I was in shock. I’m not so much sorry for opening the window—it was the right thing to do by Ori—but I’ll always beat myself up for not being totally honest with the police.” He looked at Grandfather: “Will I be in trouble?”
Grandfather stood as a signal th
