He had died months before she ever left home.
The schoolhouse had already been burning when he arrived. Children were trapped inside. His unit hesitated. He did not.
He broke the door with his shoulder. He carried them out one by one while the roof collapsed. When the last child was safe, the wall gave way.
They buried him in a shallow grave and marked it with a stone no one would visit.
No one thought to tell the woman asking questions.