During a recent shopping outing in Ireland with her sisters,
Patty O'Brake sneaked off to visit a fortune teller of some local repute.
In a dark and hazy room, peering into a crystal ball, the mystic delivered grave news.
"There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just be blunt:
Prepare yourself to be a widow. Your husband will die
a violent and horrible death this year."
Visibly shaken, Patty stared at the woman's lined face,
then at the crystal, then down at her hands.
She took a few deep breaths to compose herself.
She simply had to know.
She met the fortune teller's gaze, steadied her voice, and asked her question.
"Will I be acquitted?"