My stomach dropped.
“What happened?” I asked.
The sheriff did not soften the words before saying them.
“She was found dead this morning.”
The world seemed to lose its color.
I grabbed the doorframe as the floor tilted beneath me.
“I…” My voice broke. “I just helped her yesterday.”
The sheriff’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“We know,” he said. “That’s exactly why we’re here.”
My knees nearly gave out.
For one terrible second, my mind raced through every impossible fear. Had I hurt her somehow? Had she fallen after I left? Had someone seen me there and misunderstood?
“Did I do something wrong?” I whispered. “I only mowed her lawn. That’s all I did.”
The sheriff glanced toward my mailbox.
“Then you won’t mind explaining this.”
He stepped aside and nodded toward it.
“Go ahead. Open it yourself.”