Take the Fall(27)

His expression turns stony and I wish I’d said something else.

“I wasn’t following you. I was on my way to the diner and saw someone was at the falls—I didn’t expect to find you, alone, dangling over the edge.”

I shift my feet, feeling stupid all over again. “I wasn’t dangling.”

“Have you never heard criminals tend to return to the scene of their crimes? If the wrong person came along, you could have shared a funeral with Gretchen.”

I shudder. He’s right, but how can I know who the wrong person might be?

“Sneaking up on people in the woods doesn’t make a great case for your innocence.”

“Hanging out here alone doesn’t do much for your life expectancy,” he snaps.

I draw back, but there’s nothing I can say to that. Coming here was stupid. I know that, but I had to do it. I don’t want to admit that if I had to run into anyone, I’m relieved it was him.

“I was looking for my bracelet,” I mutter.

“Seriously?” He scowls. “A piece of jewelry?”

“I need to find it,” I say, trying to hide the urgency in my voice. “Gretchen gave it to me, and I lost it that night.”

He looks around the clearing, and then back at me. When he does, the tension in his face has eased. “Where were you attacked? Was Gretchen with you then?”

I glance at the bridge arching over the creek and a cold flash of memory shoots through me. My feet on the planks, heading home—

“I can’t—I don’t want to talk about it.”

Marcus walks over to the little footbridge and places one boot on the boards. “It was here?”

“That’s where it started.” I press my palms against my eyelids, attempting to keep a headache from coming on. “I was alone; Gretchen—she was at home.”

“Okay. So they grabbed you how? Did you see them coming?”

I force my legs stiffly toward him. “No. I was halfway across, and then—” Cold hands on my throat, hot breath in my hair. I cringe. “They came from behind.”

“What happened after that?”

“Look, I really don’t want to—”

“The more I can understand how it went down, the more I can help, Sonia.” His voice is calm, compassionate. Almost enough to put me at ease.

“I thought I was the one helping you,” I say under my breath.

“Please. Trust me.” He looks me straight in the eyes, catching me off guard. My chest surges with heat. “What happened next? Is that when you ran?”

“No.” I take a breath, forcing myself back to Friday night. “They dragged me into the brush.”

He furrows his brow, pacing out a line into the trees. “Like here?”

I shake my head, pointing. “No, over there.”

Marcus frowns, clearly not following. “Will you show me?”

I wait for him to say he’s kidding. The edges of my vision blur and I’m starting to feel light-headed. I look up the path toward home. But maybe if I just do it, he’ll finally let this go.

I retrace my steps the best I can from memory, shuffling backward from the bridge until I reach the edge of the clearing. I keep my eyes wide, filled with light the whole time, but my heart still pounds loud enough that it almost drowns out the falls.

“This is about where we fell down.”

“You both fell?”

I nod. “They—he was on top of me.” My voice is barely a whisper.

“So it was definitely a guy. . . .”

I stare down at the moss and dirt, thinking of Amir’s composite sketch. “I . . . the more I think, it had to be. . . .”

“Did you get a look at him then? Did he say anything?”

“It was so dark.” I shake my head and then pause. “He was wearing a hood, I remember that.”

“That’s good.” Marcus’s voice is encouraging. “What happened next?”

“I was so caught off guard . . . at first I didn’t resist.” My mind tumbles over the self-defense classes Gretchen and I both took and I look down, ashamed. My hands close into fists. “Once we were on the ground, it became a fight.”

Marcus’s jaw hardens. “Good for you.”

“It gets fuzzy after that.” I close my eyes, holding back tears to summon my memories out of the dark. I trace my fingers along my scratched arms, my ribs lightly throbbing. “There were a lot of branches and rocks, and I wasn’t sure where I was until we were on top of the falls.”

I turn that way, intending to show him this too, but Marcus stops me with a light hand on my elbow. When I look at him, his eyes are gentle. “It’s okay, I get the idea.”

My skin tingles where we touch. I cross my arms and nod, grateful not to relive the moment. “It was dumb luck I got away and managed to run in the right direction. I felt him behind me every second until I was through the door of the diner.” This memory stands out in vivid color and I can no longer hold back tears, thinking of my mom’s face when she saw me.

Like every mother’s worst nightmare had burst through the door.

A flutter of wings behind Marcus grabs my attention. I peer up the narrow path and spot a lone shadowy figure making its way toward us. Marcus’s expression shifts to alarm when he sees my face and he turns to follow my gaze. It could be a person leaving a token at the memorial, or just someone taking the path as a shortcut. Or maybe whoever scratched out my photo is coming to get the rest of their message across. I scan the rocks and plants, but there’s really nowhere to go. Marcus shifts between the approaching person and me just as the heavy footsteps reach my ears.