Page 108 of Buried in the Woods Below

He pulls another paper from the folder and hands it to me. “The detective heard you mention her name, so they added this to the file.”

Certificate of Death

Name of Deceased: Olivia Parker

Date of Death: August 28, 2007

I drop the paper on the floor like it’s on fire.

He keeps talking. The ringing in my ears grows louder. The room grows fuzzier. My airways tighter.

He raises his voice. “Charlotte? Are you listening?”

“Yes, I’m sorry. I’m listening.”

“I think our best step forward at this point is to get you transferred to a medical unit for a full psychiatric evaluation.”

I continue pacing, chewing my nails but saying nothing. The walls inflate and then deflate.

I search his face. It’s flat, emotionless.

Then it hits me.

The coffee. He drugged it.

Tom’s in on this.

They’re all conspiring to frame me.

He’s the final nail in my coffin. Here to convince me I’m insane. Convince me to plead guilty.

I pace faster. I count faster. Twenty-four blocks in the wall. Twenty-five blocks. Twenty-six blocks.

“How much did he pay you, Tom?”

“What? Who?”

I slam the coffee cup on the table. “Eric. How much did he pay you to doctor the death certificate, to lie to me?”

“Nothing. I don’t work for Eric. I work for you. I’ve known you since you were twelve.”

“I’d like to speak to my mother.”

“Charlotte, I don’t think you’re hearing me.”

“I’d like to speak to my mother. Now!”

He leaves the room, and my mother returns minutes later. Just smelling her perfume slows my pacing. As she enters, our eyes meet, and I notice a hardness behind the soft blue. A lifetime of battles, of pain.

She reaches out and takes my hands in hers.

“Talk to me, darling,” she says.

“We need a new attorney. Tom Kim is in on this. He’s working with Eric and Olivia.”

Her eyebrows rise, and an eye twitches, but then she recovers herself. “Okay, dear. Calm down. We’ll get you a new attorney. Whatever you need. We’ll fix this just like we did with Olivia and your fa—”

She stops herself.