Back Every Last Fear Save as PDF
Chapters (72)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. PROLOGUE
  4. CHAPTER 1
  5. CHAPTER 2
  6. CHAPTER 3
  7. CHAPTER 4
  8. CHAPTER 5
  9. CHAPTER 6
  10. CHAPTER 7
  11. CHAPTER 8
  12. CHAPTER 9
  13. CHAPTER 10
  14. CHAPTER 11
  15. CHAPTER 12
  16. CHAPTER 13
  17. CHAPTER 14
  18. CHAPTER 15
  19. CHAPTER 16
  20. CHAPTER 17
  21. CHAPTER 18
  22. CHAPTER 19
  23. CHAPTER 20
  24. CHAPTER 21
  25. CHAPTER 22
  26. CHAPTER 23
  27. CHAPTER 24
  28. CHAPTER 25
  29. CHAPTER 26
  30. CHAPTER 27
  31. CHAPTER 28
  32. CHAPTER 29
  33. CHAPTER 30
  34. CHAPTER 31
  35. CHAPTER 32
  36. CHAPTER 33
  37. CHAPTER 34
  38. CHAPTER 35
  39. CHAPTER 36
  40. CHAPTER 37
  41. CHAPTER 38
  42. CHAPTER 39
  43. CHAPTER 40
  44. CHAPTER 41
  45. CHAPTER 42
  46. CHAPTER 43
  47. CHAPTER 44
  48. CHAPTER 45
  49. CHAPTER 46
  50. CHAPTER 47
  51. CHAPTER 48
  52. CHAPTER 49
  53. CHAPTER 50
  54. CHAPTER 51
  55. CHAPTER 52
  56. CHAPTER 53
  57. CHAPTER 54
  58. CHAPTER 55
  59. CHAPTER 56
  60. CHAPTER 57
  61. CHAPTER 58
  62. CHAPTER 59
  63. CHAPTER 60
  64. CHAPTER 61
  65. CHAPTER 62
  66. CHAPTER 63
  67. CHAPTER 64
  68. CHAPTER 65
  69. EPILOGUE
  70. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  71. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  72. Newsletter Sign-up

Harper looked at her skeptically, but nodded for Keller to continue.

“You and Maggie were close friends?”

“Best friends,” Harper corrected, swallowing hard. “Since she moved here in sixth grade.”

“When’s the last time you saw her?”

“Like, in person? Or online or—”

“Let’s start with in person,” Keller said. The kids were different now. When Keller was a girl, it was the landline telephone, meeting at the mall or roller rink. Now they stayed connected through tiny screens.

Harper looked at the floor. “We went to a party a couple days before she went on her trip.”

“Was this a birthday party or a school party—or a party party?”

“Party party,” Harper said. “A kid from school, his parents were out of town.”

Keller’s smile said, No big deal, I was a teenager once. “How was Maggie? I mean, did she seem like herself?”

“She didn’t want to go.” Harper’s voice broke and tears spilled from her eyes. “I made her and then she was, like, nearly assaulted and it’s all my fault and, like, the last time she saw me, she was upset and I should’ve—”

“It’s okay,” Keller broke in, reaching for Harper’s hand. The girl was gulping for air, her face blotchy. “It’s all right,” Keller continued. “You did nothing wrong.” She moved closer, giving Harper time to collect herself.

Harper dragged the sleeve of her sweatshirt across her face, wiping the tears.

“I know it’s hard,” Keller said, finally, “but can you tell me what happened the night of the party? Just tell it from the beginning, leave nothing out.”

And Harper told her. That Maggie’s mom was out of town. That she’d lied to her dad, who had a thing against parties. That Maggie was going there to see a boy. That she and the boy slipped away, and Maggie ran out of the party crying and upset. That Harper and a friend drove Maggie home.

And then came the cyberbullying. That explained the messages.

“Did you see her after that night?”

Harper shook her head. “She shut down the sites about her brother and said she needed a break from social media, from her phone.”

“Was that unusual?”

“She wasn’t a big phone person. But she lived for the sites about her brother. You saw the show, right?”

Keller nodded. Her chest tightened with the idea of the girl from the documentary—the pugnacious investigator helping her father—escaping the party after God knows what happened with the boy.

“When you saw the messages and that she’d shut down the sites, did you reach out to her?”

“Of course. She was my best friend. And there was no fucking way I was going to let those fucking—” Harper stopped herself. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“I told her I was there for her.”

“And what did Maggie say?”