Spilled Blood by Brian Freeman Page B

is young. It’s easy to take all that passion and have it misdirected.’
    ‘Meaning?’
    ‘Meaning she’s been one of the loudest voices against Barron and Mondamin. She’s convinced that a grievous injustice was committed, and she refuses to remain silent. That’s fine – commendable even – but Olivia doesn’t always understand the effect she has on others. She can be an instigator with her words, deliberately or not. Other kids look to her. They follow her. Sometimes they go too far.’
    ‘Like who?’
    ‘I’m not comfortable naming names, Mr. Hawk.’
    ‘Tanya Swenson?’
    Valma sipped her coffee and considered her response. ‘Tanya looks up to Olivia. I think she’d do just about anything for her. They’re both children of divorce, although Tanya was left alone with Rollie at a young age.’
    ‘Tanya and her father live in Barron, don’t they?’
    ‘Yes, but the Barron teenagers have largely shunned her because of the lawsuit.’
    ‘Does she bear a grudge about that?’ he asked.
    The principal’s brow knitted in annoyance. She leaned across the table and lowered her voice. ‘I know where you’re going, Mr. Hawk. In order to create reasonable doubt that Olivia shot Ashlynn, you need to create a cloud of suspicion around Tanya. That may be an unpleasant necessity of being a lawyer, but please don’t try to make me your co-conspirator.’
    ‘Olivia says she’s innocent.’
    ‘I’d like to believe that’s true, but it seems unlikely, doesn’t it?’
    ‘I think she’s telling the truth. That means someone else killed Ashlynn.’
    ‘Tanya? I don’t believe it.’
    ‘Anyone who can’t be ruled
out
has to be ruled in.’
    ‘I’ve said all I can say about Tanya,’ Valma replied. ‘I’m sorry.’
    ‘Okay. Talk to me about Ashlynn.’
    ‘What about her?’
    ‘I’d like to know what was going on in her life.’
    The principal held the coffee cup near her lips, and he saw the smear of her lipstick on the rim. She stared at him without saying anything. She was obviously deciding what information she could safely share.
    ‘Florian doesn’t need to know you’ve told me anything,’ Chris added. ‘I realize it’s awkward because of your husband’s job.’
    ‘Florian doesn’t scare me.’ She smiled. ‘If I were to be afraid of anyone, it’s Julia.’
    ‘Oh?’
    ‘She and Ashlynn were extremely close. If Julia thinks that Olivia is responsible for Ashlynn’s death, she’s likely to be a pit bull who wants to see her destroyed.’
    ‘Thank you for the warning.’
    ‘As for Ashlynn, there are certain young women who are obviously destined for great things. That was her. She was beautiful, confident, graceful, spiritual. It’s a tragedy to lose her.’
    ‘Was Ashlynn part of the Barron clique?’
    Valma shook her head. ‘No, Ashlynn was disgusted with the feud. She avoided the other students from Barron.’
    ‘Who did she hang out with?’
    ‘She kept to herself a lot, particularly in the last few months. She seemed different, actually.’
    ‘How so?’
    The principal tapped the table with her long fingernails. Like a lawyer, she picked her words carefully. ‘She was troubled. Upset. Her moods swung between highs and lows. That’s not uncommon with teenage girls, but Ashlynn had a seriousness about life that made it more worrisome. On some level, I suppose she took the guilt for the violence onto herself, simply because ofher father. That’s nonsense, but try telling it to a teenage girl.’
    ‘Did she share any of her feelings with you?’ Chris asked.
    ‘No, I’m not sure she felt free to share her feelings with anyone. I felt bad, because it seemed to be getting worse.’
    ‘Worse?’
    ‘Yes, for the last month, she was very depressed. She looked like she was carrying the entire world on her shoulders. I saw her crying several times. I asked her about it, but she shrugged it off. I was concerned. Honestly, if you told me she’d committed suicide, I wouldn’t