Secrets Worth Killing For

CHAPTER FOUR

It was just after three o'clock. Evan was having mixed feelings about each of the families he had spoken with so far. Of course all parents speak highly of their children. Of course all parents of a deceased child speak highly of them. But with these families, everything seemed too perfect. No enemies. No arguments. No boyfriends – with the exception of Haddie Taylor – and no known mental illnesses. In fact, every time Evan mentioned mental illness or suicide to the parents, they got defensive. As though he were a terrible person for even suggesting such a thing. Was this simply a coping mechanism to deal with their daughters' deaths, or were there things they were keeping from him?

Evan didn't know what to think. When he first arrived on scene the day before, he knew that something was off. The dispatch call had detailed that three girls were plunged off the roof of their school. His initial assumption was that they'd been pushed. But then getting to the school, hearing what everyone was saying – they were all convinced it was suicide. And that began to muddle his perception of the case.

With the absence of a suicide note and no plausible cause for suicide, all fingers were pointing at this being a murder. But even then, it was a rare and unusual homicide. Broad daylight, roof of the school. It wasn't pre-mediated. If the killer had planned this out, they could have done a much better job. This implied that the killing was a last-minute decision, perhaps even accidental. Something happened on that roof yesterday morning. Someone got those girls up there and either pushed them or had them jump. But who would do that? To all three of them? And more importantly: why?

Perhaps it was a teacher, someone who worked at the school. A key role-model in the girls' lives. That might make sense, given the circumstances. A teacher or someone who worked at the school would have had access. It could have even been another student. Or multiple students. They would have seen the girls every single day, observed them, knew their habits and patterns. It would be convenient if the killer was someone in the school. Easy to narrow down. But that still left motive. Why would someone do that? What did those girls do to deserve what happened to them?

The next step in this investigation was social media. It was the twenty-first century, after all. Millennials were practically glued to their phones and laptops. The internet was almost as good of a tool in solving a crime as DNA evidence. Teenagers put everything on the internet – their relationship status, who they are and aren't friends with, what books they're reading, the thoughts in their heads. If Evan wanted a closer look into those girl's lives, social media was the key.

First he began with Kiera Barnes. Her Facebook name was listed as Kiera Mae Barnes. Profile picture was a self-portrait (a selfie), and she was smiling, bright-eyed, brown hair flowing over her shoulders.

She had 348 friends. Lives in: Briarwood. Studies at: St. Paul's Catholic School. He scrolled down her timeline. Posts from friends, videos she shared, mobile uploads. She had made a status three days ago about how much she loved Leonardo DiCaprio. More posts revealed that she was in support of the Cancer Society, was participating in a Relay for Life event in two weeks, and loved Oreos.

A girl named Sierra Green posted on her wall an inspirational quote, most likely found somewhere on the internet. "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."

There weren't many personal posts, mostly just shared links from friends. There were check-in points from when she went somewhere, and mobile uploads of Kiera and the girls. Evan clicked the photos and scrolled through. All three of them in a forest. The photo was taken from behind, the three of them walking through the trees. Another shot – a selfie – of Kiera and Haddie, sticking their tongues out. Photos of them at a party, holding up red solo cups, wide smiles.