Page 54 of Everything She Feared

“Was Anna wearing it at the time?”

“No, she had it in her backpack.”

“Did anyone on the bus see Anna giving the necklace to you?”

Katie shrugged. “It was pretty busy, we just got to the park and everyone was, like, hurrying to get off and stuff.”

Pierce sorted her thoughts before continuing.

“I need your help going over a few more things again. So, you and Anna were the last to leave the bus?”

“Yes.”

“When you started on the trail, you were far behind the others, but she wanted to stop to take a selfie?”

Katie nodded.

“And no one else was around you. It was just you and Anna?”

“Yes.”

“And she fell walking backward while framing her selfie?”

Katie’s shoulders dropped.

“Yes, I keep telling you.” She shot out a breath of frustration. “And I kept telling Anna to stop, to be careful. She was so close to the edge. I told her to stop but she didn’t listen to me!”

Pierce leaned a little closer to Katie. “And when she fell, did she fall all the way down to the ground?”

Katie shook her head. “She was hanging on to the branch.”

“Then what happened?”

“She was screaming and I ran for help.”

“So Anna was alive, hanging on to the branch when you left to get help?”

“Yes!”

“Is that what really happened, Katie?”

Katie recoiled a little, her face whitening as if stung. Then she lifted the tiny gold heart and gazed at it.

“Yes.”

Pierce let her answer sit in the air, allowing her time to adjust it if she needed to. Katie outwaited her in the silence, then Pierce continued.

“We understand you’re seeing a counselor.”

“Yes, Doctor Sally, near the university.”

“Does talking with Doctor Sally help you feel better?”

“Yes, she’s nice.”

“Is there anything that you tell her about that day, that you maybe haven’t told us, and maybe we should know, to help us, too?”

Katie pondered Pierce’s question, then shook her head.

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