KENT stated she reached the summit no more than five minutes later, where she found Lila KENT alone. She described the child as standing near the edge of the precipice, appearing to be in a state of shock and incapable of speech. Upon looking over the edge, Moira KENT sighted the deceased at the base of the ridge. She subsequently carried Lila KENT down the incline to render assistance to Zara KENT, who remained unresponsive.
Moira KENT appeared highly distressed and made several unsolicited statements regarding her failure to keep pace with the children.
Due to the absence of a parent or Appropriate Adult, I did not attempt a formal interview with the lone witness, Lila KENT. I observed that the child appeared in a highly distressed state; she was weeping and making repeated, vague apologies to her aunt.
DS JEFFRIES arrived at the scene at 1202 hours. I briefed him on my initial findings, specifically drawing his attention to the child’s demeanour and her persistent, unsolicited verbalisations of guilt. DS JEFFRIES noted these apologies appeared inconsistent with an accidental death, and he directed...
The wordson the page blur.
I pass the file back to Andrews, struggling to dam the tears and muzzle my sobs.
It’s beenyearssince I’ve had enough emotion to cry. Until now. Even my cloud technique couldn’t delude or protect me from this heartbreak.
I turn my pleading eyes on my mentor. “Would you just tell me what happened after the detective arrived?”
In a tone I’ve heard Andrews use many times with distraught victims, he honors my request. “Of course.”
He returns the file to his desk. “The detective’s narrative explains he initially treated it as an accidental death. However, due to Lila’s profuse vague apologies, they couldn’t rule out foul play. She kept sayingshe didn’t mean to and she was sorry.Stuff like that. It was all they could get out of her, which came across as more of a confession than grief. They considered the possibility of sibling rivalry or a disagreement gone wrong.Yada, yada.”
Sibling rivalry with her seven-year-old twin? Give me a break.
I shake my head in disgust. “She was traumatized. Kids say shit like that when they’re upset and scared. Doesn’t make it true.”
“I know that. The autopsy complicated things, though. Abrasions on Zara’s forearms matched Lila’s fingernail imprints. Between the marks and apologies, they upgraded it to suspicious, which is UK-speak for potential homicide.”
“Unbelievable. She probably tried to haul her away from the edge.”
“That’s what they ultimately concluded after sending Lila to a child psychologist. His report is in here too. But you get the gist. The girls got excited and ran off to see some rare bird, leaving the aunt in the dust ‘cause of her bad knees. Since it was an important bird to the aunt, they tried to take a picture in case it flew off before she got up the hill.”
My chest vibrates with the need to yell or cry. Scream or wail.
Taking hold of the last of my restraint, I surmise, “So then Zara leaned too far over to get the picture and fell.”
“Yeah,” he confirms, eyes downcast. “Just as you said, the scratches were from where Lila was holding her. The apologies were because it was her idea to get the picture and because shewasn’t strong enough to pull Zara from the edge. Blamed herself. Not only did she witness her sister’s death, the kid slipped right through her hands.”
Heart. Shattered.
In my years on the job, I’ve heard horrible stories and worked countless scenes that would give you nightmares.
But this one?
It’s too much. Too tragic. Too horrific.
I bend forward at the waist, propping my elbows on my knees. With my head in my hands, I release a string of tears, letting them fall onto my pants.
I can’t pretend this isn’t gutting me open. I won’t dishonor Lila’s suffering by acting like a fucking emotionless Zombie.
Maybe setting these tears free will ease the sting in my sinuses. And I don’t even give a damn that I’m doing this in front of Andrews.
Fuck.
Lila’s sister literally slipped through her hands, much like when I lost hold of Perry. While I can relate to this type of grief, her loss is permanent and irrevocable. I chose my solo path for my own reasons, but Lila didn’t have a choice.
It all makes sense now. That mystical bond I have with her is genuine.
Some of my racing thoughts escape, their sound muffled by my hands. “For so long, I’ve felt Lila and I were two pieces from the same puzzle. I’ve never been able to explain the connection, but it’s been there. Under the surface. It drove us together so many times.” I roughly scrub my face before sitting up straight and facing my mentor. “Now I know why.”
Andrews lowers his chin, and his expression takes on a fatherly glow. For once, it doesn’t trigger me. “Shared experiences can be a powerful force.” He gives me a knowingsmile that topples more of my walls. “It makes you love her more, doesn’t it?”
