Spilled Blood Read Online Free PDF Page A

pushed back her chair, stood up, and folded her arms. “If I did it, what difference does any of this make? They should just lock me up.”
    “It makes a big difference,” Chris explained. “You’re sixteen years old. You were drinking. You were mourning the loss of your best friend. There are a lot of mitigating circumstances. If a jury understands what was really going on, they may conclude you weren’t responsible for your actions.”
    “If I killed her, I’m responsible.”
    “Not necessarily. Not legally.”
    Olivia stared at the ceiling, as if to hide that her eyes were filling with tears. She shook her head in despair. “See? You think I’m guilty, too.”
    “I didn’t say that at all.”
    She looked at him, bereft. “Don’t you get it? I don’t want a lawyer to play games for me. I want a father who cares whether I did this.”
    “I do care, Olivia. I just want you to understand that nothing you tell me will change how I feel about you. No matter what you say, I’m here to help you.”
    “Ask me,” she said.
    “What?”
    “ Ask me ,” she repeated, her voice breaking. “Please.”
    She needed to tell him, and he realized that he needed to hear it. He got up and put his hands on her shoulders. “Olivia, did you do this? Did you shoot that girl?”
    She sucked in a long, loud breath. “ No .”
    As if she assumed he would doubt her, as if she thought he would wonder in his heart if she were lying, she wiped her eyes and nose on her sleeve and repeated herself calmly, so he could hear every word. “I didn’t do this. I swear to you. I didn’t. You have to believe me.”
    She cried again and threw her arms around his waist. It didn’t matter what he didn’t know about the girl in his arms, because he did know one thing. She was his daughter, and she was innocent.
    “Tell me what happened.”
    Chris had his briefcase open and a fresh yellow notepad in front of him. He had given Olivia a tissue and asked the police officer outside for a bottle of water, which his daughter sipped in small swallows. She had composed herself, and when she spoke, he was reminded of how intelligent and passionate she was. Physically, she looked like him. Emotionally, she was Hannah’s child.
    “Tanya and I met at the ghost town on Friday night,” she said. “She drove from her dad’s house in Barron. I drove from St. Croix. The ruins are west of both towns, maybe five miles out. It must have been about ten o’clock when we got there.”
    “Your mother says you used to go there with Kimberly.”
    Olivia stared at the wall as if seeing a ghost. Her grief over her friend was near the surface. “Yeah.”
    “I know it was the anniversary of her death,” he said. “I know you two were close.”
    “I’m not sure you really do, Dad.”
    “Okay, tell me.”
    A tiny frown sprouted on her face. “Look, it sucked when Mom and I left three years ago. Right? Sucked big-time.”
    “I’m sorry. It sucked for me, too, kiddo.”
    “I was pissed at Mom. I was pissed at you. I hated this place. I wanted to get out. If I hadn’t met Kimberly, I don’t know what I would have done. I mean, I was thinking some bad things, Dad. She saved me.”
    He hated to think of his daughter feeling like an outcast. “I’m glad you found her,” he said. He added softly, “Had she already been diagnosed with leukemia?”
    Olivia struggled with her emotions. “Yeah, she was going through chemo. She was sure she was going to beat it, even though three other kids had already died. It was really awful, Dad.”
    “I’m sure.”
    “Kimberly sort of became my mission, you know? Mom says I have to have missions, like her.”
    He smiled again. “I know.”
    “Anyway, the first few months, when she still had the energy to go out, we did a lot of exploring. The ghost town was one of her favorite places. She loved how creepy it was, all the ruined buildings. She said she heard the echoes of the people who lived there, especially at