My hands trembled as I unfolded the nearest note.
The handwriting was shaky.
Elderly.
Careful.
The message was only one sentence long.
Mrs. Adele helped me when nobody else would.
I stared.
Confused.
The officer unfolded another.
She paid for my groceries in 2009.
Another.
She sat with my wife in hospice.
Another.
She bought my daughter a winter coat.
Another.
She drove me to chemotherapy.
Another.
She never asked for anything back.
By now, several officers were reading the notes too.
Nobody spoke.
The entire porch had gone silent.
