Page 7 of Everything She Feared

Still, Hirano couldn’t lose sight of the fact he was the first officer to speak to her. This was his one shot at getting her first account. He had to do this right. He checked his body camera to ensure it was recording a video of Katie while he took notes.

“Hi, Katie. I’m Deputy Rob Hirano and I’m here to help, okay?”

She nodded.

“Don’t be put off by all my stuff. I have to wear it for my job.”

She brushed at her tears. Her face, weighted with anguish. Her hair was half out and half in blond braids that touched her shoulders.

“Are you okay to talk to me?”

She shrugged, crying softly.

“I’m going to ask you some things,” Hirano said. “I need you to tell me everything that happened no matter what it was, okay?”

Her blue eyes found his and she asked: “Is Anna dead?”

“She’s hurt, very seriously hurt. We have paramedics with her and we still have things to do. But she’s seriously hurt.”

Her shoulders shook. She clenched her eyes and sobbed.

“I want my mom! I want my mom!” She pressed her fists to her eyes.

“We’re going to get your mom here,” Hirano said. “I know this is hard, but I need you to be strong, okay?”

Hirano glanced at her consent form for the outing.

“I need you to help me. Your full name is Kaitlyn Jean Harmon?”

“I go by Katie.”

“Alright, Katie. And you’re nine years old. When’s your birthday?”

“June twenty-fifth.”

“Your mom is Sara Harmon and you live in Seattle at—” Hirano read her address from the form.

“Yes. Can my mom come and get me, please?”

“We’re going to get her here, or we’ll take you to her. But only after we’re done, and it could take a while, okay?”

She nodded.

“Okay, Katie, I need you to tell me what happened concerning Anna. You can take your time.”

Katie swallowed hard. As she began recounting the events, Hirano studied her. He knew children at her age were generally conscientious and truthful. But it was also the age that some became skillful at lying, depending on the circumstances, the stakes and the repercussions. He watched for signs of deception, listening carefully, asking the occasional question.

When Katie came to the part where Anna was taking a selfie at the cliff’s edge, she gasped, her words breaking in her throat.

“She fell—I couldn’t believe it was real. She screamed and was just gone. I looked down and she was hanging on to a tree, telling me to get help—I was so scared—I ran and ran.”

Katie covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

Hirano watched her for a long moment. Her shoulders shook, her head shook. For a brief moment he thought her movements were an overreaction, even exaggerated. It gave rise to his uncertainty as to whether it was due to her shaking, or if she was actually peeking through her fingers, watching him watch her.

He just wasn’t sure.

He waited until she calmed down, until her shaking and tears stopped. Then he asked more questions. When they finished, he asked Connie to resume sitting with Katie while the paramedics assessed her.

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