Before She Was Found(40)

Corareef12:
All right. That was weird but I did it. I didn’t see you, though.
JW44:
I SAW YOU. YOU’RE WEARING A GRAY SHIRT AND HAVE YOUR HAIR IN A PONYTAIL.
JW44:
YOU STILL THERE?
Corareef12:
Are you outside?
JW44:
I’M ALWAYS AROUND. OKAY. NOW I’LL TELL YOU MY SECRET. PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THIS BUT THERE WAS ANOTHER GIRL, A LONG TIME AGO. HER NAME IS RACHEL. EVERYONE THOUGHT SHE RAN AWAY. BUT SHE DIDN’T—SHE CAME WITH ME.
JW44:
ARE YOU STILL THERE?
Corareef12:
Is she dead?
JW44:
NO. THAT’S ALL JUST RUMORS. I DON’T NEED TO KILL PEOPLE. THEY WANT TO COME WITH ME. RACHEL WANTED TO COME WITH ME. ALL THE GIRLS DID.
Corareef12:
But what about the girls who died? Everyone says you killed them.
JW44:
LIES. THE GIRLS WANTED TO COME WITH ME. THE ONES THAT DIED WEREN’T BRAVE ENOUGH. I CAN’T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT.
Corareef12:
I don’t think I can include this in the report. I don’t have any proof. My teacher says we have to have reliable sources.
JW44:
YOU DON’T THINK I’M RELIABLE?
Corareef12:
I need proof. Like from a book or newspaper.
JW44:
GO TO THE LIBRARY AND LOOK THROUGH THE YEARBOOKS FROM 1991. YOU’LL FIND IT THERE.
Corareef12:
What will I find?
JW44:
THE PROOF. THEN WE CAN MEET EACH OTHER IN REAL LIFE. THEN YOU’LL KNOW I’M WHO I SAY I AM.


Dr. Madeline Gideon


September 14, 2018


I remember being taken aback by Cora’s statement—I didn’t die. “Yes, Cora,” I said. “You are alive and a whole lot of people are so happy about that.” Cora tried to say something more but it morphed into a grimace of pain. I patted her uncasted arm and told her that I would stop by later in the afternoon to see how she was doing. Cora nodded, then closed her uncovered eye and floated off to sleep. I told Kendall goodbye and beckoned Mara to join me in the hallway.

Around us the hallway buzzed with activity. Nurses and doctors moved purposely down the corridor while patient visitors moved slowly as if in a stupor of fatigue and worry. “I’ll plan on dropping in a few times each day while she’s here. It will give us a chance to get to know each other and hopefully help Cora to feel more comfortable talking to me. Have her doctors told you how long they plan on keeping her?” I asked.

“Until Thursday or Friday, they think,” she answered, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. It was nice that families could stay right in the hospital room with their children but the sleeping accommodations weren’t known for being comfortable. “With her head injury they want to watch her for a few more days and they want to make sure her sutures are healing well and no infections crop up,” Mara said.

“I’m glad to hear they are keeping a close eye on her. I’m happy to see that Kendall is here, too. You mentioned last night that she was hesitant to come see Cora.”

“I’m not sure what changed,” Mara said, “but I’m glad she came. Cora thinks the world of Kendall and Kendall doesn’t always have a whole lot of time for her.”

“I think that’s pretty typical of siblings,” I reassured her.

“Oh, there’s Jim,” Mara said, looking past me. I turned and Mr. Landry, dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt, hurried toward us carrying two disposable cups of coffee. He nodded at me by way of greeting and handed one of the cups to Mara. “I just got off the phone with the chief. You know who their main suspect is?” he asked incredulously.

“Who?” Mara clutched at his sleeve, causing his own cup to tip, and coffee spilled to the ground. “Did they arrest someone?”

My curiosity was piqued. I hadn’t gotten any details about the crime beyond what Mara had told me and that ridiculous news story from the night before. I pulled a Kleenex from my bag and crouched down to wipe up the spill. I purposely didn’t bring up the news report with Mara, not wanting to upset her needlessly.

“Joseph Wither.” He laughed. An angry bark that held no humor.

“Seriously?” Mara asked, pressing her fingers to her lips. “They said that?”

“Not really, no,” Jim said. “The officer said that the Crow girl said it was Joseph Wither coming back from the dead and that he stabbed Cora with some kind of knife.”

“What would make her say that?” Mara asked. “It must be a mistake.”

“Of course it’s a mistake,” Jim snapped and I pulled Cora’s door shut in hopes that she couldn’t hear our conversation. “The police officer said that it’s most likely the Crow girl was just scared and confused.”

I thought of the newscast from the night before. “Joseph Wither?” I asked, inviting further explanation. Thinking that maybe the news reporter did get it right.

“A ghost,” Jim said, throwing his arms out in frustration. I wanted to grab the cup of coffee before he spilled it all over his wife, or me for that matter. “A phantom. He’s not real. Just some stupid character the kids talk about. She may as well have said it was the Easter Bunny or a leprechaun for what it’s worth. At this rate the police aren’t going to catch anyone.”

“What does Cora say?” I questioned. “Has she talked about the attack at all?”

“No, she hasn’t said anything beyond crying out in her sleep.” Mara shook her head. “The police wanted to question her yesterday but she was so out of it after the surgery they decided to wait until today. Someone is supposed to come later this morning to talk to her.”