Page 18 of They Say a Girl Died Here

Horror rose like bile, rushing Anna with panic, the terror threatening to overwhelm her. The world lurched and lights sparkled in the corner of Anna’s eyes. No, no, no. It couldn’t be. Not that video. Melissa couldn’t have it, she couldn’t.

It was only when she heard the tinny music coming from the phone, and the shrieks of girls laughing, that she managed to take a breath and her skin cooled. It wasn’t the men and her. Of course it wasn’t. She took a trembling drag on her cigarette, hoping Melissa hadn’t noticed her moment of panic, and focused.

She was watching a group of teens partying, hip-hop music playing in the background, and at center stage, Lila was dancing, in jeans and a T-shirt, no fancy clothes, and she laughed and stuck her tongue out at the camera. “Stop filming, Melissa, don’t be a freak!” A boy’s face, zits in full bloom, blocked the lens momentarily, and he repeated, “Freeaaaak,” and laughed.

“You’re such a prick, Al.” Melissa’s voice, unimpressed. “And get out of the way.”

Lila came back into view, dancing with a hot-if-you-like-jock dark-haired boy who was all biceps and chest. He took a mouthful of beer and then kissed Lila, transferring it into hers, and then they both laughed, coughing. “Gross!” Lila said, but then kissed him again anyway. The boy came up close to the camera, smiling. “Enough already, Melissa.” Something about his eyes—

“Wait,” Anna said. “Is that Jamie?” How could this be the same person? So strong and full of life and different from the scrawny junkie at the motel. She needed a photo like this for her piece. Compared with a picture of how he was now, it would be a perfect representation of what trauma and loss could do.

“You met him already, then?”

“Putting up posters.”

“Yeah, he’s tragic now. But that wasn’t what I was showing you. Look again.”

Anna did and frowned. “Not getting it.”

“That’s your house, dumbass!”

Anna suddenly saw it. The hallway. In the video, the kids were dancing and drinking in her hallway. “No way!”

Melissa laughed. “I know, right? People always partied there. Always empty and out of town enough that no one would notice or care.”

“How did you get in?”

“The little window in the basement doesn’t lock properly. Lila would crawl through, then open up. Not just us either. Kids have probably been partying there right up until you bought the place.”

Anna muted the video and watched it again. Lila dancing in her house. It was a strange feeling. Almost dread. She handed the phone back. “Sorry to have killed the vibe.”

“I’m sure they’ve already found somewhere else.”

“Lila was your friend, right?” Anna glanced over at the fierce girl. “You must still miss her.”

“Yeah, although not every day anymore. Well, not until recently. I guess with it being three years since Bonnie, it’s not only Jamie who’s thinking about their murders again. Figured I’d try to say my final goodbyes.” She sniffed. “But then sometimes I wonder if the dead ever really leave us.” She glanced around. “Maybe this place is full of ghosts trying to find some rest, or maybe they’re waiting for all of us to catch them up. I know people think when you’re gone, you’re gone, or in heaven or wherever, but I think sometimes energy is left behind, you know? A part of a person, maybe. The trauma or whatever. I can’t help feeling like Lila and Bonnie haven’t quite left town yet.”

“Is Bonnie buried here too?”

“Over there. Family plot.”

Anna got up and wandered along the line until she found it. No photo but a simple epitaph: Bonnie Buchanan, only child of Don and Sandra, gone too soon. Melissa came alongside.

“I didn’t know Bonnie so well but I feel connected to her, after what happened.” She sniffed as Anna looked at her, quizzical. “It was me who found her.”

“You?”

“Yeah, the killer put her body on our farm. It was horrible.”

“No shit.” Anna stared at her.

“Yeah shit.” Melissa drained her beer and let out a belch. “Not gonna lie, when that car stopped on Saturday night, I thought maybe I was going to be next. I kind of feel like if there’s going to be another murder, then it’ll be me. You know, with one being my friend and the other being put on my farm. Like, me next. I sound insane, huh?”

“We’re all crazy under the skin.” Anna studied her, thoughtful. “You don’t think they got the right guy either? Like Jamie?”

“I don’t know if they did or they didn’t. Maybe. Maybe not. But I can feel the tension building in this town. Everyone’s on edge. Crops are failing. Like we’re all waiting for a storm of one kind or another. The whole town’s skin tingling as if something is going to happen. Something bad.” She smiled, rueful. “You picked a great time to move here.”

Anna couldn’t argue with that. She felt it too. All the oppressive heat. She looked at her phone. She’d been thirty minutes, and that was too long. “I need to get back.” She paused. “You want to trade numbers? Maybe we should look out for each other, just in case.”