Beth held her aunt's hand, and Faye went with them. The walk down the hall seemed endless. Once they were inside the small cubicle, Dr. Higdon said, "Please sit down."

"I don't want to sit," Beth said. She was angry at the doctor who'd kept her waiting so long.

"How are my sister and brother-in-law?" her aunt asked. "And their two children. Beth said they were in the accident too."

"Yes," the doctor said. "An ambulance brought in all four of them."

"I--I stayed home," Beth explained, although no one had asked her why she hadn't been in the van. "I had the flu."

"According to the police," the doctor said, "the van swerved from road and careened down a hill, rolled over, and smashed into a tree. The impact was severe. The Jaws of Life had to be used to open the car and extract the passengers."

Beth shuddered. "B-But they're all right, aren't they? You fixed them up, didn't you?"

---

Excerpted from The Girl Death Left Behind by Lurlene McDaniel
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.