Sylvia was going on, her voice getting more jerkybreathless. "Miles was...he'd had the flu aweek before and he wasn't completely over it. Buthe seemed okay, strong. It happened when we were rappelling down. He was laughing and joking andeverything.... I never thought he might be tired enough to makea mistake...." Her voice wavered turned into a ragged sob and the ranger puthis arm around her.
Something inside Maggie froze. Amistake?Miles?
She was prepared to hear aboutasudden avalanche or a piece of equipment failing. Even Sylviafalling and knocking Miles off. But Miles makinga mistake?
Maggie stared at Sylvia, and suddenly somethingin the pitiful figure bothered her.
There was something odd about that delicatelyflushed face and those tear-drenched violet eyes. Itwas all too perfect, too tragic, as if Sylvia werean Academy award-winning actress doing a famousscene-and enjoying it.
"I don't know howit happened," Sylvia was whispering. "The anchor was good. We should have hada back-up anchor, but we were in a hurry. And he must have ...oh, God, there must have beensomething wrong with his harness. Maybe thebuckle wasn't fastened right, or the carabiners might have been upside down...:'
No.
Suddenly Maggie's feelings crystalized. It was asif everything came into focus at once.
That's impossible. That's wrong.
Miles was too good. Smart and strong and anamazing technical climber. Confident but careful. Maggie only hoped she'd be that good someday.
No way he'd buckle his harness wrong, or clip his 'biners upside down. No matter how sick hewas. In fact, no way he'd go without a back-upanchor. I'mthe one who tries to do things like that,and then he yells at me that if I'm not careful I'm going to have an adventure.
Miles doesn't.
So it meant Sylvia was lying.
The thought came to Maggie on a little wave ofshock. It made her feel as if she were suddenlyspeeding backwards, or as if the room were receding from her very fast.
But why?Why would Sylvia make up such a terrible story? It didn't make any sense.
Sylvia had a hand half covering her eyes now."I looked for him, but ...there was icefall...a crevasse..."
No body. She's saying there's no body .
With that, a new wave of heat swept over Maggie.And, strangely, what made her certain of it was Sylvia's eyes.
Those violet eyes had been turned down for mostof the time Sylvia had beentalking, fixed on theSpanish tiles in the entry hall. But now, as Sylviagot to the last revelation, they had shifted toward Maggie. Toward Maggie's feet. They fixed there,slid away, and then came back and stayed.
It made Maggie glance down at her own feet.
My socks. She's staring at my socks.
One red and one blueand she's noticing that.
Like an actress who's said the same lines oftenenough that she doesn't even need to pay attention to them anymore.
All at once, hot anger was burning through Maggie's shock, filling her so there was no room foranything else. She stared hard at Sylvia,whoseemed to be very far away but very bright. And inthat same instant she knew for certain.
This girl is lying.
She must have done something-something terrible. And she can't show us Miles's body - or maybethere isn't a body because he's still alive.
Yes! Maggie felt suddenly lifted by hope. It is alla mistake. There's no reason for Miles to be dead.All we have to do is make Sylvia tell the truth.
But nobody else in the room knew. They wereall listening asSylvia went on with her story. Theyall believed.
"I didn't get out before the weatherhit....I hadto stay in the tent for three days. When I got out Iwas so weak, but I managed to signal to some climbers. They saved me, took care ofme....Bythen it was too late to look for him. I knew there was no chance he'd made it through thatstorm...."
She broke down completely.
The ranger began talking about weather conditions and recovery efforts, and suddenly Maggie'smother was making strange gasping noises andsinking toward the floor.
"Mom!" Frightened, Maggie started toward her.Her father looked up and seemed to realize for thefirst time that she was there.
"Oh, Maggie. We've had some bad news."
He's trying to take care of me. But he doesn'trealize...I've got to tell him....
"Dad," she said urgently." L isten. There's something-"
"Maggie," her mother interrupted, stretching outa hand. She sounded rational, but there was something wild in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, baby. Something awful has happened-"
And then she fainted. Suddenly Maggie's fatherwas staggering under dead weight. And then theranger and one of the sheriffs were brushing pastMaggie. They were holding her mother up, and hermother's head was lolling, moving around on aboneless neck, and her mother's mouth and eyeswere part open and part closed. A new kind ofawful feeling came to Maggie, making her weakand giddy. She was afraid she would faint herself.
"Where can we-" the male officer began.
"There's the couch," Maggie's father said hoarselyat the same time. There was no room for Maggie.She could only stand out of the way and dizzilywatch them carryher mother.
As they did, Sylvia began murmuring. It tookMaggie a moment to focus on the words. "I'm sosorry. I'm so sorry. I wish there was something ...I should go home now."
"You stay right here," the female officer said,looking toward Maggie's mother. "You're in no condition to be walking anywhere. You'd be in the hospital now if you hadn't insisted on coming herefirst."
"I don't need a hospital. I'm just so tired..:'The officer turned. "Why don't you go sit in thecar?" she said gently.
Sylvia nodded. She looked fragile and sad as shewalked down the path toward the squad car. It wasa beautiful exit, Maggie thought. You could practically hear the theme music swelling.