Chapters (97)
- Cover
- Back Cover Text
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Eighty-Eight
- Eighty-Nine
- Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
- Excerpt
“At first no one believed that those little girls, just fourteen, could do such a thing. Most everybody refused to believe it. I saw them arrest Marie.” Hedda stared into her coffee cup. “It just shakes you to your core, you know? Reporters from all over came here when it happened. Then there was the trial, then came the TV crime show people. And always the rumors flew.”
“The rumors?”
“That the girls made some sort of Satanic pact. Then there was the rumor that the Tullocks’ teenage daughter, Torrie, slipped away from the institute in Winnipeg and came home and killed her family. But the other Tullocks used their money and influence to protect her and avoid the shame it would bring on the family name because it had happened when Roy was making some big business deal.”
“Really?” Ben took notes.
“Who knows the truth?” Hedda said. “This is a small town. I’ll tell you something I know for sure is true. The murders wrecked Marie’s family, too. Flo committed suicide. Ned lost his business, lost his family, just gave up. Last I heard he was living on the streets somewhere.”
“What about Marie?” Ben asked. “It’s been years since her release. Would you, your family or neighbors know where she’s living right now?”
Hedda shook her head.
“Would you have any pictures of Marie and her family, or Marie with the other girls?”
“I had a few but I got rid of them. Don’t want to be reminded.”
Ben understood, and after finishing his coffee, he got Hedda’s number and mailing address. Closing his notebook, he thanked her and explained that if he used her name in the book he’d send her a release to sign.
Because it was near, Ben drove to Eternity’s public library.
The librarian got him copies of the school yearbooks he’d requested. They were for the years around the time of the murders, only he never said why he wanted them. Still, the librarian regarded him with a twinge of apprehension.
Alone at a table, he flipped through the albums, typical school yearbooks, filled with head and shoulder shots of students along with pages of sports teams, school clubs, events and trips. Careful to look alphabetically, Ben froze when he came to the G’s. Where he should’ve seen the photo for Nikki Gorman, he found a perfect postage-stamp-sized square hole. Someone had used a razor-sharp knife to remove it. He found the same thing had happened for Janie Klassyn and Marie Mitchell.
Wow. Whether this is to respect the law, or something else, it’s like a metaphor for a wound.
Ben took photos of the pages, then checked to get the name of the company that made the school yearbook. It was in Winnipeg. It should have unaltered copies on file. He’d request to buy one.
Or he could track down former classmates.