Nine-year-old Rachel stands in a crowded memorial hall, clutching a tiny bottle in her hand. The room is full of adults crying, hugging, and talking about how wonderful her mother, Grace, was. At the front, Miss Glattis, Grace’s “best friend,” is giving an emotional speech, dressed in a black dress, dabbing her eyes with a tissue and promising to “always be there” for Grace’s family. People whisper about how kind and loyal she is.
But Rachel knows the truth. Her mother once told her, “Always speak the truth, even when it’s hard.” With her heart pounding, Rachel suddenly stands up and shouts across the silent hall, “You’re lying. You’re not her friend. You killed my mom.” The room explodes with gasps, a glass drops and shatters, and all eyes turn to the little girl. For a brief moment, Rachel sees something dark and terrible flash in Glattis’s eyes before the fake sorrow returns.
To understand how they got there, we go back to Rachel’s life before everything collapsed. Rachel lived with her parents, Grace and Gideon, in a bright, beautiful apartment on the eighth floor on the east side of the city. From the balcony, they could see the…Read Full Story Here……………
