I find her in a stall. She’s holding an aluminum pail with a large nipple affixed to the base. A newborn calf with a white face sucks greedily at the nipple, his eyes rolling back as he gulps and nudges vigorously at the pail. The sweet scent of milk replacer fills the air, and for an instant the familiarity of the scene transports me to the past.

“He’s cute,” I tell her.

Sadie looks up from her work and grins. She’s wearing a light blue dress with a white apron and kapp. There’s no sign of the girl who was fighting on the bridge just a few days ago. The transformation seems to go deeper than clothing. There’s a peace in her eyes I didn’t see before. “He is a she and her mamm has decided she wants nothing to do with her.”

“She might come around.”

“Maybe.” She looks down at the calf and smiles. “I kind of like bottle-feeding her, though.”

We watch the animal in silence for a moment and then I ask, “How are you doing?”

She doesn’t look at me. “Fine.”

“Your mamm tells me you’ll be getting baptized soon.”

“After everything that happened with . . .” Her words trail off. “I think it was God’s way of telling me the path I should take.”

“That’s good, Sadie. I’m happy for you.”

The calf’s mouth slips from the nipple. We laugh when she makes a slurping sound and reattaches.

“I need to ask you some questions about what happened,” I say.

Sadie nods, but she still doesn’t look at me. “Are they in jail?”

“They’re dead,” I tell her.

Her mouth tightens. “They were crazy.”

“I know, honey.” I pull my note pad and pen from my pocket. “I need you to tell me what happened, Sadie. From the beginning.”

She continues to watch the calf nurse, but all semblance of plea sure is gone from her expression now. “I was walking on the road, down by that old horse farm.”

“The Reiglesberger place?” I ask.