Over the Edge by Gloria Skurzynski

this?”
    â€œNo!” Olivia began to tremble as Steven rubbed her arm soothingly.
    â€œWe got a threatening e-mail. Someone said my wife deserved to die—I should have stayed with her,” Steven said, choking up.
    â€œI heard running…and then…” Olivia moaned.
    â€œTed, you’ve got to let me take her to the clinic,” Lisa broke in. “Her pulse rate is going up, and we must get those x-rays. I’ll have to ask you to do this later.”
    â€œYes, of course.” Ted nodded tersely. “But I’ll need that e-mail and the laptop.”
    â€œI already took it to the park police office. That’s where I was when this happened,” Steven answered.
    Snapping his notebook shut, Ranger Kenton said, “I realize all of this is extremely difficult for you, but I would like to talk to these children.”
    â€œNow?” Steven asked, somewhat surprised.
    â€œYes, while the information is still fresh. I’ll bring them to the clinic as soon as I’m done. Since they’re minors, I need your permission to question them. Are all of them yours?” He looked from Jack to Morgan.
    â€œI’m not,” Morgan answered. His eyes turned a cold, wintry gray, but no one but Jack seem to notice.
    â€œMorgan is a temporary foster child,” Steven explained to Ted. “It’s not a problem—I have legal authority over him. You have my permission.” Then he turned his attention to Olivia.
    â€œOn three!” Lisa commanded. The paramedics hoisted the litter up to knee height.
    â€œBut I want to go with Mom!” Ashley wailed.
    Ted Kenton said, “There’s nothing you can do to help your mother.” He ushered the three of them to one side as the paramedics carried the stretcher to the ambulance. Holding a transmitter close to his lips, he said, “Dispatch…541. I’m at Grandeur Point, and I’ll be needing backup for investigation of a possible crime scene. I’ll keep the area clear until backup arrives.” He listened for a minute, then said, “Check if Rex Tilousi is in the area and send him down—he’s got a good eye. I have three juvenile witnesses I’m going to talk to—541 clear.” Shutting off the transmitter, Ted turned his gaze on the three kids. “So,” he said calmly. “Why don’t you tell me what happened.”
    â€œI don’t know. I wasn’t here when she fell,” Ashley answered, trembling. “But Morgan was.”
    â€œTry to think back and tell me exactly what went on. Can you do that for me?”
    Ashley swallowed, hard. “When I got to the rim, Morgan was standing right there, looking over. He was all white—he was really scared when he saw me. He said….” She took a wavering breath as a tear spilled down her cheek to land softly on the shoulder of her jacket. “He said my mom was gone. And then he—he pointed down there! I started screaming for Jack.”
    Ted looked at Morgan sharply, but continued to speak to Ashley. “Where were you before that?”
    â€œIn the parking lot. There was a condor. Number 72.”
    A condor? Jack realized how fragmented his thinking had become. Had the condor been today? It seemed as though a lifetime had elapsed since then.
    Now Ted turned to Jack. “What about you, son?”
    Jack tried to focus his mind. What had he witnessed? Ashley, screaming. Morgan running to call 911. His mother’s twisted legs. Shards of images that were hard for him to piece together, all of them jumbled though the visual lens of his memory. The crowd. The paramedics. The rescue. If there was one thing he could remember with certainty, it was that except for Morgan and Ashley, the rim had been completely deserted.
    â€œI heard Ashley scream, and then I saw Morgan, just like my sister said. That’s all I know.”
    â€œDid you see anyone else when you ran down the trail?