Page 42 of Secrets in the Attic (Secrets 1)

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he wouldn't let her do?" Lieutenant Cooper asked me.

"Sometimes, but not that much," I said.

"What else, then?"

"She told me he wouldn't let her serve him any

food, meals."

"How come?" Detective Simon asked. "I don't know."

"Did she act strange, stranger than ever, this

past week or so? Was anything in particular bothering

her?" Lieutenant Cooper followed before I could

respond to the first question.

"She had some headaches."

"Headaches?" They looked at each other. "What kind of headaches?"

"She went to the nurse at school. You could ask

her what kind they were. I don't know much about

headaches," I said, and I heard my father grunt a

chuckle.

"Did you ever see a knife in her room?"

Detective Simon asked me, so suddenly I couldn't

respond for a moment.

"Yes, I saw a knife "

"Did you ask her why she had it there?" "No." I hadn't asked. "I ha

ve a knife in my

room," I recalled. "My brother gave it to me as a

present. It's a real Boy Scout knife, I think. It has . . ." "All right. You have a knife," Lieutenant

Cooper said.

He sat back. Everyone was quiet, and they were

all looking at me.

"You know it's against the law to hold back any

information that relates to this case," Lieutenant

Cooper finally said. "You could get into big trouble." "You have no reason to threaten her," my father

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