“Did they kill my mother?” I ask quietly.

Her eyes shimmer with emotion. “Your mother died in an accident.” She fiddles with a prism hanging from a chain around her neck. “They said it was an accident, Meri.”

“They can say a lot of things,” I press. “Just because they say it doesn’t make it real. I never knew that before. I do now. Please. I deserve to know what actually happened. She was my mother, and your friend.”

Mrs. Anderson goes completely still—like a deer in headlights trying to decide which way to flee in order to avoid the collision. Then she blinks as if breaking free from a dream and reaches for the doorknob. “They say it was an accident. That’s all I know for certain. Now I have to get to the park. I only have so much time to spend with my family. Work has been so busy. Most of the team your mother and I were a part of has been transferred to other cities. Now Mr. Beschloss and the other government administrators are evaluating my work to make sure I’m still a good fit for City Pride. Just after your mother’s funeral, Mr. Beschloss came to find me. He was curious as to whether I would follow in your mother’s footsteps. He wanted to know if I had her interest in spearheading unique projects. If I did he planned to reward me as he had rewarded her.” She lifts her eyes to meet mine. Fear shines bright. “Do you understand what I’m saying, Meri?” she asks carefully.

I nod as the truth slams home. Mrs. Anderson suspects they killed my mother and they are threatening her with the same fate.

“So you’re just going to pretend you don’t know what you know?” Bile churns as I look at a woman my mother called her friend. “How can you do that?”

“I don’t know anything. Neither do you, and I can’t tell you anything more. A good mother wants her child to be safe.” She looks back at the view of the lake. “I miss your mom. I wish she was here, and I sometimes can’t help but think about the things she said. If she was correct about . . .” Mrs. Anderson shakes her head. “What happened in the past is in the past. No one can change it, no matter what your mother might have thought. All I can do is make things better now. When I look at the city I realize how far it has come. . . . I don’t think any of us would be happier or safer if we went back to the way things used to be. Do you?”

“You’re working for the people you think might have killed my mother.” My voice cracks. “How can you put that in the past?”

Her lip trembles. “I loved and admired your mother, but I can’t live the way she did. The things she wanted people to know would only lead to unhappiness. I very much hope you won’t make her mistakes.”