clearly. Couldn’t see who pushed,
couldn’t see who fell, couldn’t see who was running under the bridge.
We’re okay. We’re okay.
“Mom, you’re going to miss the turn.”
Instinctively she spun the wheel and made the right turn to the high school with no signal and just inches to spare. Behind
her, someone honked in irritation and drove through with a rev of his engine.
Get a grip.
They pulled into the parking lot at a sedate ten miles per hour and merged into the line where the kids congregated while
they waited for buses and parents. Anna waved good-bye to Kelci Platt and Rose Silverstein and climbed into the front seat.
Kelci was there that night.
Laurie resisted the urge to collar the girl and ask her whether it was true Anna had been there, too. But that was ridiculous.
Vanessa had simply seen another teenager with shoulder-length dark hair and made a mistake.
But the problem with mistakes was that once you took them to the police, they weren’t treated as mistakes anymore. They were
treated as legitimate possibilities until proven otherwise.
Laurie unbuckled her seat belt and tossed it to the side. “Stay here.” Both kids looked mystified as she got out of the minivan
and crossed the sidewalk to where Kelci waited, presumably for Vanessa.
“Kelci, can I talk to you for a second?”
The girl looked uncomfortable, as if being seen talking to somebody’s mother was a social faux pas on the same level as walking
down the hall with toilet paper stuck to your shoe.
“Um, sure.”
“I hear you were on the bridge last Wednesday night.”
Something behind Kelci’s chocolate-brown eyes flickered closed, like the shutter on a camera. “Where’d you hear that?”
“It doesn’t matter. What you do is your mom’s business, not mine. But I need to know something.”
“I don’t want to talk about that night, Mrs. Hale.” Kelci slid one step sideways, as if she were getting ready to duck and
run. “Here comes my ride.”
“I just need you to tell me if Anna was there too.”
A silky black eyebrow rose as Kelci glanced from Anna in the backseat of the minivan, looking mortified, to Laurie. “Why don’t
you ask her?”
“I already have. I want to hear it from you.”
“Naw, she wasn’t there.”
Your sister says different.
But Laurie bit back the words. If Vanessa was going to the police, the fewer people who knew she’d been talking to the older
girl, the better. Besides, this was exactly what Laurie wanted to hear. She should be glad.
“Thanks, sweetie. I appreciate your being candid with me.”
“No problem, Mrs. Hale.”
Time for you to go back on your meds, Mrs. Hale
, her tone said. As soon as Vanessa pulled up in the Camry, Kelci hopped into the car and locked the door.
When she got back in the van, Anna leaned sideways against the restraint of her seat belt, watching Vanessa pull away. “What’s
up, Mom? What were you asking Kelci?”
Laurie put the van into reverse and didn’t answer until they were on the road. “I was just doing a little fact-checking, that’s
all.”
“About what?”
Laurie had nothing to hide. Anna would call Kelci as soon as she got home, anyway. “I just heard some confusing stories about
what happened on the bridge the other night. I asked Kelci what happened and she told me. No biggie.”
“You asked her what happened? Why, was she there?”
Laurie glanced at her daughter in the rearview mirror. “I think you know she was.”
“Why do you say that? I wasn’t there. How should I know?”
“I assume you guys talk.”
Anna snorted. “Not about this.”
“Why not?”
But Anna didn’t answer. Laurie glanced at her and saw that she was staring through the front window, her face as rigid as
bone.
“Mom, don’t go home this way.”
“We go home this way every day. What’s the matter?”
“Don’t. Not anymore. Go through downtown, okay?”
They were approaching the bridge, with one traffic
couldn’t see who fell, couldn’t see who was running under the bridge.
We’re okay. We’re okay.
“Mom, you’re going to miss the turn.”
Instinctively she spun the wheel and made the right turn to the high school with no signal and just inches to spare. Behind
her, someone honked in irritation and drove through with a rev of his engine.
Get a grip.
They pulled into the parking lot at a sedate ten miles per hour and merged into the line where the kids congregated while
they waited for buses and parents. Anna waved good-bye to Kelci Platt and Rose Silverstein and climbed into the front seat.
Kelci was there that night.
Laurie resisted the urge to collar the girl and ask her whether it was true Anna had been there, too. But that was ridiculous.
Vanessa had simply seen another teenager with shoulder-length dark hair and made a mistake.
But the problem with mistakes was that once you took them to the police, they weren’t treated as mistakes anymore. They were
treated as legitimate possibilities until proven otherwise.
Laurie unbuckled her seat belt and tossed it to the side. “Stay here.” Both kids looked mystified as she got out of the minivan
and crossed the sidewalk to where Kelci waited, presumably for Vanessa.
“Kelci, can I talk to you for a second?”
The girl looked uncomfortable, as if being seen talking to somebody’s mother was a social faux pas on the same level as walking
down the hall with toilet paper stuck to your shoe.
“Um, sure.”
“I hear you were on the bridge last Wednesday night.”
Something behind Kelci’s chocolate-brown eyes flickered closed, like the shutter on a camera. “Where’d you hear that?”
“It doesn’t matter. What you do is your mom’s business, not mine. But I need to know something.”
“I don’t want to talk about that night, Mrs. Hale.” Kelci slid one step sideways, as if she were getting ready to duck and
run. “Here comes my ride.”
“I just need you to tell me if Anna was there too.”
A silky black eyebrow rose as Kelci glanced from Anna in the backseat of the minivan, looking mortified, to Laurie. “Why don’t
you ask her?”
“I already have. I want to hear it from you.”
“Naw, she wasn’t there.”
Your sister says different.
But Laurie bit back the words. If Vanessa was going to the police, the fewer people who knew she’d been talking to the older
girl, the better. Besides, this was exactly what Laurie wanted to hear. She should be glad.
“Thanks, sweetie. I appreciate your being candid with me.”
“No problem, Mrs. Hale.”
Time for you to go back on your meds, Mrs. Hale
, her tone said. As soon as Vanessa pulled up in the Camry, Kelci hopped into the car and locked the door.
When she got back in the van, Anna leaned sideways against the restraint of her seat belt, watching Vanessa pull away. “What’s
up, Mom? What were you asking Kelci?”
Laurie put the van into reverse and didn’t answer until they were on the road. “I was just doing a little fact-checking, that’s
all.”
“About what?”
Laurie had nothing to hide. Anna would call Kelci as soon as she got home, anyway. “I just heard some confusing stories about
what happened on the bridge the other night. I asked Kelci what happened and she told me. No biggie.”
“You asked her what happened? Why, was she there?”
Laurie glanced at her daughter in the rearview mirror. “I think you know she was.”
“Why do you say that? I wasn’t there. How should I know?”
“I assume you guys talk.”
Anna snorted. “Not about this.”
“Why not?”
But Anna didn’t answer. Laurie glanced at her and saw that she was staring through the front window, her face as rigid as
bone.
“Mom, don’t go home this way.”
“We go home this way every day. What’s the matter?”
“Don’t. Not anymore. Go through downtown, okay?”
They were approaching the bridge, with one traffic
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