Page 33 of Make No Mistake

She shook her head. “It was half done when something hit me in the back of the head.”

Her fingers brushed the spot and she cringed. “I blacked out instantly so I didn’t feel the other blows.”

I frowned. “Others?”

“Yeah, that was another thing they didn’t tell the public. The doctors found three impact points. Two on my skull and one on my back.”

I wrote that down, feeling sick to my stomach.

“So he struck you after you were down.” I shook my head feeling more disgust.

“I guess so.”

I met her eyes and smiled. She was so much stronger than I would be in the same situation. “Do you remember the footsteps?”

She nodded. “They were soft at first. Like he was walking on something different. Then they were louder. They sounded heavy. Not how girls walk.”

I wrote that down then looked back at her.

“You don’t think that sounds crazy?”

“Of course not.”

“The police officer that first interviewed me thought I was crazy, but guys and girls walk differently.”

I nodded. “Yeah, they do.”

“Thank you.” She threw up her arms and laughed. “I’m glad I’m not the only one.”

I laughed with her and looked back down at my notes. The only key detail that we hadn’t known was that she was trying to send a text and that the steps changed. I circled that.

“The path you were on. It’s cobblestone right?”

She nodded. The older paths were all cobblestone and the newer ones were asphalt.

“There’re trees and shrubs, right?”

She narrowed her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, on each side.”

“What if he was hiding in the trees? That’s why the steps were quiet. He was walking in the dirt, then he moved out to the cobblestone.”

Her eyes widened. “That makes perfect sense. I mean, it’s not like I walked passed the guy and didn’t see him. He must have been hiding.”

Her excitement matched my own. We had something new. Something to tell the students. Maybe if they knew to look around at their surrounding, they might see him before he could hurt them.

“Thanks, Christina. Sorry to just walk in like I did, but I really appreciate your help.”

Her smile grew even wider. “Of course! I’m so glad you came and listened. Maybe you’ll be the one to find him.”

“I doubt it.”

I stood up and gave her a gentle hug. “Get better soon, okay.”

“Okay.”

I picked up my purse and stuffed my notebook inside. I opened the door and waved goodbye.

That was more than I could have asked for. It wasn’t like she remembered the suspect’s face, but we had more than when I came. Now I just needed to meet up with Jay and get the article written.