I sat against the wall with morbidly icy hands as the paramedics tried to revive her already blue body. Nothing. “She’s gone,†one of them muttered. A wave of uncertain relief washed over me. I had taken a life, and I was the only one who knew. The police said they’d need to take me down to the station to get a statement. The whole ride there, I wrestled with my conscience about what I believed had happened. I convinced myself that I had simply found her lying there. So that’s what I told them. “I had just come out of the store. I walked around to the back of the building and she was just lying there covered in blood.†“What made you go behind the building?†“There were two suspicious men in the store, and one of them was trying to get me to go leave with them, so when the security guard came in, I took that opportunity to get away. I’m not from here and I don’t have a car, so I wasn’t sure where to go next, and I didn’t wanna be wandering around when the men came out of the store. I figured I’d hide out behind the building for awhile.†“What happened next?†“I saw the body as soon as I got back there, and I just froze for about a minute. Then I checked for her pulse or heartbeat, but I couldn’t feel anything. I got really nauseous and I thought I was gonna pass out, so I leaned against the wall and threw up. Once I had regained my composure, I ran to get help.†“Did you see anyone else around outside? Anyone at all?†“Other than the strange men inside, no.†The officers exchanged a look of suspicious relent. Then one of them gave me his card and told me to call him if I remembered anything else. They offered me a ride back to the hotel my parents were staying at, but I declined, saying I’d have a friend pick me up. I called Brit and asked her if she could she pick me up. I told her I’d explain everything later.
