PART 14

A few days later, a detective asked whether I knew why Brenda had become especially angry on the afternoon Hailey was injured.

I didn’t.

Then I remembered the marigolds and wondered whether it had started with a flowerbed dispute.

At the child-friendly interview, Hailey had told the interviewer that she’d been making a pretend garden for Claire.

She wanted to put a little paper sign among the flowers so her mother could “see it from heaven.” Brenda had told her to stop being silly and go inside.

Hailey had wanted to finish the sign.