OFFICER GRADY: Certainly. Just don’t go too far. I’m sure we’ll be speaking again soon. And by the way, I’m going to need your phone. I’m not going to find any phone calls between you and Cora Landry on this phone, am I?

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Dr. Madeline Gideon

September 14, 2018

I decided to leave the hospital at a decent time and met my colleague Michaela at a nearby restaurant for dinner. It was a mild evening; the earlier overcast skies had cleared, the temperature warmer than it was before the sunset. The streetlights reflected off the wet pavement and I tried to avoid the puddles that impeded my path so that I moved like a drunken college student lurching from bar to bar.

We ordered wine and pasta and as we ate I updated Michaela on how Cora was doing, how she developed a bad infection, the weird vibe I got from her parents, what Cora said about Joseph Wither leaving her at the train yard. As I talked, Michaela’s face changed from polite interest to disconcertion. “What?” I asked.

“I was just thinking how innocent our childhoods were. I mean, I grew up in a pretty tough neighborhood but little girls didn’t get stabbed,” Michaela said.

“Oh, there were monsters back then,” I told her. “Sometimes they were just better hidden.” We both thought about this for a second, the only sound the clank of silverware against the ceramic dishes.

“It’s strange.” I broke the silence. “At first, Cora mentioned this Wither entity and then she said she had no idea who attacked her, that she didn’t see anything, but from my visits with Cora, she hinted at the idea that she thought Joseph Wither was real, too. Then today, when her parents told her about the arrests, Cora didn’t act surprised at all, more like…resigned. In fact, the big sister was more upset than anyone. She started crying and ran out of the room when she heard the news.”

“So the friends did it, then,” Michaela said matter-of-factly.

“I don’t know.” I sighed. “But apparently the police have some physical evidence, social media posts and a video.”

“The attack was caught on video?” Michaela asked in surprise.

“I didn’t get the sense that it was quite as dramatic as that.” I pushed my plate away. “More like the video put them in the area at the time of the assault.”

“Any drugs or alcohol involved?” Michaela asked.

“There wasn’t any in Cora’s system. I don’t know about the other girls. But Cora has a pretty bad infection and the docs are talking about more surgery. When I left she had a high fever.”

“Sad all around,” Michaela said.

“Yes, it is,” I agreed.