They Said She Was Strong So They Never Had To Choose Her novel · Chapter 11 of 24

Chapter 11: Who Was on the Ridge

Tanner went first, because Kenzie was looking at him.

"It was a long time ago," he said.

His voice was too loud for the microphone. It came back off the walls.

"It was dark. It was raining like crazy. I don't think anybody could really say who..."

"Tanner," I said.

He stopped.

"You carried me. Was I heavy?"

He stared at me.

"You weighed nothing," he said. "You weighed nothing and you wouldn't stop shaking."

"Was anybody else up there?"

His jaw worked.

Kenzie said his name, very softly.

He looked at his shoes and didn't answer.

Clay stepped to the microphone.

He took his glasses off, then put them back on, because this time he needed to see.

"Kenzie wasn't on the ridge," he said.

The room made a sound.

"She was at home. I texted her from the trailhead at twelve-forty to say Greer was missing and we were going up."

He took out his phone and held it up.

"She wrote back, 'omg hope she's ok, going to bed, text me.' I still have it. I never delete anything."

Kenzie's mouth opened.

"Clay, that's not..."

"She never touched Greer's camera," Clay said. "Greer never gave her the files. We practiced saying that in a hotel room for two days. It isn't true."

Then Ford.

He didn't go to the microphone. He didn't need it. The room was that quiet.

"Greer was alone up there," he said. "Nobody knew where she'd gone, because nobody ever asked her."

"Her knee was twisted under her. She'd been sitting in a puddle for an hour holding her camera off the floor so it wouldn't get wet."

His voice was steady until it wasn't.

"At the bottom we told her we'd always choose her first."

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