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all I know.” Except that my baby sister is dead , he added to himself. Jenna is dead, gone. He hadn’t been there for her, now she was gone. He and Carly were watching each other and she knew that she was seeing the same thing in his eyes that he was seeing in hers, blame and devastation.
    The officer, he’d introduced himself as Detective Stone, thanked Daniel, handed him his card and turned to Carly. “If you remember anything that you might think is useful, please call me.” He had tried to interview Carly but she was too deep in shock and couldn’t seem to form a coherent thought. He promised to come see her in the morning.
    Daniel walked over to her, took her into his arms and held her while she cried. She hadn’t talked to him, or even seen him for that matter, in eight years, but now she clutched on to him and couldn’t seem to stop the flow of tears. Daniel somehow got her walking while still holding her. He helped her into the passenger seat of her car and went around to the driver’s side. He said something to his friend Mike who was watching Carly through the windshield; Mike nodded, then turned and got into his car. Daniel got in, reached over and buckled Carly in as one would a child, then drove to Carter’s place. He managed to get her inside and gave her a glass of water and two pills. She didn’t care what they were, right now, she didn’t care about anything. Daniel helped her lay down; again it was as if she were a child, on a bed he claimed when he came into town to visit. Then he lay down beside her and held her until she cried herself to sleep. They still hadn’t said a word to each other…
    Once she had fallen asleep, he got up to call his parents and brothers to tell them about Jenna. Harm lived in Montana where he was a fire jumper and Carter was in Washington covering a story of a new federal judge that had been caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Daniel managed to keep it together while he listened to each family member in turn, first it was disbelief, then it was shock and finally it was unabashed grief and sobs. Then, still wearing the clothes that were now stiff with Jenna’s dried blood, sitting in his brother’s recliner, he cried. Big racking sobs tore out of him as he poured out the grief and misery he felt from losing the brightest star; the best of them…his baby sister Jenna.

    The day was stunningly beautiful, it was a warm seventy eight degrees, the sun was shinning and the sky was crystal blue with big fluffy clouds. Any other time Carly would have thought it a perfect day. It reminded her of a time, too many years ago, a lifetime ago, when she’d stood there, face upturned to the sky enjoying the sun, just before she was tackled. But there would be no laughter today. No joking. No Jenna. Not today, today she was burying her best friend. Carly had been functioning on automatic for the last two days. She really couldn’t remember much. She slept a lot. Apparently Daniel had given the pills the paramedic had given him to her dad when he’d arrived to take her home. Her dad made sure she took them like the bottle said, even if they made her sleep.
    When Carly had awakened in Carter’s house that first day, she was momentarily confused. Then the memory came rushing back and she thought she would cry, but nothing happened. She felt numb. Hearing voices in the other room, she got up and headed toward Daniel’s voice. She found him sitting on the edge of his chair, looking like he had just taken a shower. He looked up at her when she walked into the room. He was out of the chair in an instant, taking her into his arms. She clung to him as they just stood there holding onto each other for what seemed like an eternity.
    “ Are you okay? How do you feel?” Daniel’s familiar voice sounded raw with pain.
    “ My head is aching...”
    “ The paramedic said you needed to drink lots of water. He said the pills he gave you would make you thirsty and could cause