There would be only five people working the case. From Riverton, there was Detective Evan O'Riley, Major Frank Connolly, Officer Kennedy Cross, and Officer Jesse Tanner. From Briarwood's Police Department, there was Hal Davis. Four people was more than enough resources that could be sacrificed from Riverton PD's busy schedule.

Evan stood on the other side of the yellow tape, observing the scene in front of him. Everything seemed to be moving quickly and efficiently. The forensics team, photographers, and medical personnel were busy at work, analyzing the scene, taking photographs, looking for anything that might arouse suspicion.

Everyone was working cautiously, eyes peeled for something that could prove useful. A weapon, gunshot residue, a suicide note, perhaps? There was nothing but the bodies, as far as anyone could tell. And the bodies stuck out like a sore thumb. Evan had tried to drown them out, compartmentalize them in his brain so that it wouldn't be so painful to look at. Yet every single time he glanced in that general direction, the overwhelming sense of dread filled his body.

There were two forensic photographers on scene, as well as a sketch artist and an evidence recorder. The flashes went off simultaneously, capturing the images of the dead girls. Their heads, their hands, their legs, splayed out in different directions, blood seeping from underneath them, trailing down the concrete. Two of the girls were face-down, their eyes concealed from the world to see. It seemed a little less agonizing to only see the back of their heads. The third girl, however, was facing upwards; eyes closed, head crooked off to the side, allowing everyone to get a good look at the damage that had been done, the life that had been lost.

There were two officers posted on the roof of the school. The area was sealed off and a secondary scene analysis was being conducted up there. The roof was the very last location that the girls were alive, after all. They were scouting the area for anything, including the much-anticipated suicide note that everyone was certain existed, footprints, fingerprints, weapons, DNA. Anything they found was bagged and put into evidence.

Once everything was photographed and recorded, the girls were finally granted some peace by swiftly being zipped into body bags and taken to the local coroner's office for the post-mortem.

There were eight hundred students at St. Paul's Catholic School. It was up to Evan and Kennedy to conduct the preliminary statements. Determine if the students saw anything, heard anything, noticed anything suspicious happening at the time of the incident.

Evan and Kennedy stepped away from the crime scene and towards the crowd of teenagers that loomed nearby. The principal had organized them into small sections to allow the preliminaries to go down smoother. Evan watched Kennedy as she walked, her dark brown hair swinging in a high ponytail behind her. She had an interesting walk, Kennedy Cross – very straight-forward and determined. She didn't like to waste time. And right now, Evan knew that all she wanted was to solve this thing and wrap it up.

There were only two possible outcomes here. Statistically speaking, a triple suicide was extremely rare. One kid jumps, understandable. Two kids jump, okay, maybe they talked each other into it. But three? It was almost unheard of. But still, that was the conclusion that people were already coming up with. That the girls jumped. Like some sorority sister pact that they each swore on.

"I was walking through the atrium and I swore I saw something drop in front of the windows at the front," one student said.

"Did you hear a scream?" Evan asked. "A cry for help?"

The student shook his head. "Nothing. I didn't even know what it was. Didn't think much of it. So I went back to class. It wasn't until after that I realized..."

"I heard someone screaming," one girl explained. "From outside. People were going to the courtyard for lunch and must have seen the bodies. Then all I heard was screaming."

"I wouldn't expect anyone to have seen anything," one of the teachers said. "They were all in class. They all should have been in class."

"Perhaps you heard a scream?" Kennedy asked. "Multiple screams? A shout for help?"

The girl shook her head. "My geography class is on the first floor, not too far from the courtyard. But I didn't hear anything. None of us heard anything."

"Did the girls have any enemies?"

"No."

"Do I think they jumped?" A female student echoed. "I don't know. Maybe. They were a bit fucked up."

"What do you mean by fucked up?" Evan asked.

The girl shrugged. "I didn't mean them. I meant Haddie. Haddie Taylor."

"You think she would have jumped?"

"God only knows."

"Were you close with any of the girls?" Kennedy asked another student.

"Not really. We all grew up together, so we all know each other. But I wasn't good enough for that crowd."

"Did the girls have any enemies?"

"Yes."

"Were you friends with the girls?" Evan asked.

"A bit, yeah. I have biology with Kiera and Haddie. They were so... nice," the girl mumbled, dabbing her eyes with a damp tissue. "I can't believe this happened. Why would they do this?"

"Were the girls well liked?"

"Oh, yes," a male student said. "Everyone knew them."

"No, my question was, were they liked?"

"Did the girls have any enemies?"

"I wouldn't say enemies. More like... an arch nemesis."

"Do you think the girls would have jumped? Were they depressed? Suicidal?"

"Not at all," a male student said. "They were always smiling, laughing. Everyone knew those girls. Everyone loved them."

"So then who would do this to them?"

He only shrugged.

_____

After the preliminary statements were taken – what everyone saw and could account for – Evan and Kennedy made their way into the school to have more in-depth discussions with some of the students. Because if anyone was to know what happened today, it was them.

Evan and Kennedy were seated in one of the vacant classrooms, waiting. The principal – Mrs. Lang – had called in a number of students who could speak with them, hoping that something would prove beneficial.

Finally, the first student sauntered in, a petite brunette who pulled out the chair timidly and sat in front of them.

"Hello," Kennedy smiled at the girl. "What's your name, love?"

"Everleigh."

"What a beautiful name," Kennedy said.

"Thank you."

"So," Evan cut in. "How well did you know the girls?"

"I knew them a bit," Everleigh said. "Well, everyone knows each other around here."

"Close with any of them?"

"Not really. They're group was kind of... exclusive."

"How so?"

"I don't mean that in a bad way," Everleigh said. "But it's not as if they were recruiting new members."

"Like a club?" Evan asked.

Everleigh made a face. "No. More like an elite class. How do I put it? Popular, I guess. I hate that word."

"So they were popular girls," Kennedy said. "Everyone liked them."

Everleigh nodded.

"What do you think happened to the girls?" Evan asked.

"Me?"

"Yes."

She swallowed. "I'm not sure. I'm afraid to say."

"Don't be afraid," Kennedy gave her a reassuring smile. "Everyone's talking, we know. They're saying one thing or another."

It was quiet for a moment. "Maybe they jumped?" Everleigh said, as though she wasn't even sure herself.

"What makes you say that?"

She shrugged. "Everyone else is saying it."

"You don't think they could have been pushed?"

She looked scared, almost. "I don't know. I mean, I guess. Anything's possible."

"If you didn't know the girls exceptionally well," Evan said. "What would make you think that they would jump off the school roof and kill themselves? They were popular, you say. Well-liked. Is there something we're missing?"

She was hesitant. "Listen, I didn't know them well –"

"Why would they jump?" Evan repeated.

Everleigh was quiet again. "I don't know. They could have had problems. Things they didn't tell anybody."

"Were they depressed?" Evan asked.

"I don't know."

"Thank you," Kennedy interjected, shooting Evan a look. "We'll be in touch."

They sat back and watched Everleigh exit the room. Moments later, Mrs. Lang brought in the next student.

"Hi there," Kennedy smiled at her. "What's your name?"

The girl sat down at the desk. "Tessa."

"Hi Tessa. I'm Officer Cross and this is Detective O'Riley. We need a bit of help from you."

The girl nodded. "What can I do?"

"Did you know the girls well?"

"Sort of. I used to be friends with Anya in middle school. One of my best friend's is her neighbor, so we used to hangout when we were younger."

"But not Haddie or Kiera?"

"No. Not really."

"What can you tell me about the girls?" Evan asked.

"Um," Tessa thought. "They were nice. Polite. They were invited to all of the parties. Always had stories to tell."

"Did they have many friends? Were they well-liked?"

"Oh yes. Everyone liked them. But they didn't have many close friends in their little circle apart from the three of them. There were a few others that they were friends with – Gabby, Maya, Rachel, Layla. There's like, eight or nine of them that hang out and go to parties and stuff. But other than that, it's mostly just the three of them, no one else."

"So they were well-liked," Evan said. "No enemies?"

"Well," Tessa said. "I don't believe they were a fan of Beth."

"Who's Beth?"

"Beth Campbell. She and Haddie are kind of... how do I put it..."

"Competitors?" Kennedy suggested.

"Sure. Yeah, let's go with that."

"Why did Beth and Haddie not get along?"

"I don't know much," Tessa said. "But it's common knowledge that Beth and Haddie used to be best friends in middle school. Then something happened and all of a sudden they hate each other, and then Haddie's friends with Kiera Barnes. Then came Anya."

"How would you describe Beth Campbell?"

"She's really nice," Tessa leaned back in her chair. "I had Geography with her last semester and she was super friendly. We're not close or anything, but from what I know of her, she's a nice girl."

"Did anything happen between them recently?" Evan asked. "A fight or an argument?"

"Not that I know of," Tessa said. "Why, you think Beth had something to do with this?"

"We're not thinking anything," Evan said. "Just trying to get the big picture here."

"You think someone pushed them?" Tessa asked, wide-eyed.

Evan and Kennedy stared at her, unsure of how to respond.

Tessa spoke again. "But I thought they jumped?"

Next up was a male student: tall, lanky, shaggy brown hair. He was wearing a dark green top and beige khakis. He walked into the classroom as though it was the most commonplace thing in the world, not walking in to talk about three dead girls with the police.

"Hi there," Kennedy began. "Your name?"

"Justin."

"Hi, Justin. What can you tell us about today?"

He took in a slow breath. "Well, three girls ended up dead."

Evan tried to hold in his laughter. Was this guy serious?

"Yes, that is why we're here," Kennedy said firmly. "Did you know them?"

"Sort of. I had classes with them, but never really talked to them."

"What did you think of them? Were they nice, well-liked?"

"I guess. I mean, I don't think there's a single person in this school who didn't know them. Mostly Haddie, though. Everyone knew Haddie in one way or another."

"What about the other two?"

"They were like her followers or something."

"Followers," Evan echoed. "Interesting choice of word. What makes you say that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Just the way it seemed to be with the three of them. It was Haddie Taylor, and the other two."

"What were they like?" Kennedy asked. "How did they act at school?"

He thought about this for a moment. "They were always really loud. Like, all the time. In class, in the halls, at lunch. As though they wanted everyone to know how much fun they were having."

"And how would you describe their personalities?" Evan asked.

"Nice, I guess. I don't know, they were just girls. I don't know how to describe them. Everybody knew those three. I'm sure you could ask anyone else in the whole school and they'd be able to tell you more than I could."

_____

Evan O'Riley, Frank Connolly, Kennedy Cross, and Jesse Tanner got into Frank's car and drove to the coroner's office, which was only a short five minute drive from the high school. Everything in Briarwood was in close proximity. The school, the strip-plaza, the grocery store, the houses. Frank had warned them upon arrival: this town was small. Which could prove either beneficial or detrimental, depending on how you looked at it.

The four entered the coroner's office and were introduced to the medical examiner – Doctor Meredith Kepler. She was a gazelle of a woman; tall and slim, her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She was young, mid-thirties, her eyes tucked away behind her large spectacles. Today was a first for Dr. Kepler. The first time that three sixteen-year-olds showed up on her table.

Dr. Kepler had each body on an examination table. She had not yet completed the full post-mortem since that would occupy her for the next twenty-four hours. This was just a quick briefing to inform the officers of cause of death. It was presumed to be the fall that killed them, but if they were looking at homicide, the girls could have died before they even left that roof.

Evan took a step forward and examined the girls for himself. Such small bodies, just above five feet, covered in a white sheet up to their necks. Their skin was a pale shade of blue, their eyes closed. Evan wanted to turn away but forced himself not to. He could feel something inside him churning. The feeling to run – to get away from this place as fast as he could and never look back. He didn't want to look at their faces and see the life that was taken from them far too early.