“You have video? I want to see it,” Jim demanded.
“We can’t share that with you just yet,” the officer explained. “We’re still investigating.”
“The attack’s on that video, isn’t it? What about that Crow girl? She was in on it, too, right?” Jim asks.
“I can’t speak to that, but what I can say is that we’re getting to the bottom of it. But I will need to talk with Cora again. We have more questions.”
“Please not now, not today,” Mara said through her tears. “She’s sick. She has a high fever and an infection.”
“Okay,” the officer acquiesced. “But soon. It’s crucial that we talk to her. I hope Cora feels better and I’m sorry. About everything.” He walked away, and the enormity of these arrests hit me hard. Pitch is a small town. Everyone knows everyone else.
“Oh, my God,” Mara gasped. “What if it was Violet? He said that there may be more arrests. What if Violet was in on it?”
“Don’t jump to any conclusions,” I said. “I’m sure more information will be coming soon.” I thought of my recent session with Violet Crow. She seemed to be telling the truth. She appeared to be genuinely frightened.
“I can’t take this,” Mara cried. “I can’t take not knowing why they did this to her.” She turned to me. “Can you talk to her mother? Violet’s mom? Can you try and find out what she knows?”
I hesitated. “Mara, I’m not an investigator. My job is to help Cora.”
“But getting more information about what happened would help her, wouldn’t it?” Mara looked at me desperately.
“I can ask some questions but that doesn’t mean I can share what I find out with you. You understand that, right?”
“I don’t care. I just want you to help Cora. Please.”
“And how do we tell Cora that her best friends tried to kill her?” Jim hissed through clenched teeth. “How are we going to do that?”
Case #92-10945
Direct message dated March 25, 2018,
via DarkestDoor.com
JW44:
I’m sorry I haven’t written in so long. It just isn’t safe. I’m sorry you were so worried. Did you really stand in front of the window with your shirt off? We have to be careful. People may be watching us. I think of you all the time. I saw you the other day with your friends. They talk about you. Did you know that? They say mean things. They say that you are annoying and boring. They say you are a thief. They say you like Gabe but he thinks you are just a baby. I thought you’d want to know. I know I would. They aren’t really your friends. I’m your friend. Remember that, Cora.
Case #92-10945
Excerpt from the journal of Cora E. Landry
Apr. 1, 2018
It’s almost like things used to be. Violet and I sit together at lunch every day and everyone seems like they forgot about the whole Rachel Farmer disaster. Even Kaley forgave me. Mr. Dover set it up so I could talk to Kaley in private in his classroom.
I told Kaley I was really sorry. That I didn’t know about her aunt, that I didn’t mean to hurt her. Kaley said it was okay and gave me a hug. When she left I sat down in my desk and started to cry. Mr. Dover came back into the classroom, sat next to me and just waited with me until I stopped.
Things are still weird with Jordyn. I mean, she’s not totally ignoring me but whenever I say something or when Gabe talks to me she just stares at me with this look on her face like I just said the dumbest thing in the world.
On Friday, Gabe and I were goofing around after school and he put his hat on top of my head and I pretended that I was going to go home with it and we were laughing and laughing. Jordyn did not like this at all and ripped the hat off my head, pulling a chunk of my hair with it. It hurt and my eyes welled up but I didn’t cry. Gabe told Jordyn to relax and he grabbed the hat back from her and put it back on my head again.
When I told Wither about this he said, I told you so. I told you she wasn’t your friend. Then he said something that kind of scared me but also made me feel good.
Do you want me to shut her up for you?
Case #92-10945
Excerpt from the journal of Cora E. Landry
Apr. 12, 2018
Today after school Violet came over. It’s been nice having a best friend, but I feel kind of weird ever since Joseph told me the mean things that she and Jordyn have been saying about me. I want to ask her about it, but I’m afraid to. I mean, I’m just happy that she’s talking to me again. Violet doesn’t act like she thinks I’m annoying and boring. She seems to like hanging out with me but I guess it could all be an act.
We grabbed a snack and ran upstairs to my bedroom and started doing our homework when someone pounded on the door. Violet and I screamed and we heard someone laughing from the hallway and then Jordyn walked in.
I don’t trust her. I can’t believe she has forgiven me for ruining our presentation and slapping her. Plus, Gabe has started sitting next to me at lunchtime again and he talks mostly to me. I counted the other day. Gabe talked directly to me five times and to Jordyn just two times. Jordyn didn’t like that at all. She kept trying to take over the conversation but Gabe pretty much ignored her.
Anyway, Jordyn barged in the room waving a piece of paper and practically screamed, “I’ve got a great idea. Let’s go find Wither!” Violet and I both said Shh at the same time.
She flopped down on my bed and we sat down next to her and Violet tried to grab the paper out of her hand, but she held it high over her head.
“Why would we want to find Joseph?” I asked Jordyn as if this was the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.
“Duh, because Joseph loves you, Corareef12,” she said. I nearly threw up. I looked over at Violet but she wouldn’t look me in the eye. She told Jordyn about DarkestDoor and the letters. She promised that we wouldn’t tell anyone about it, especially Jordyn. I wanted to cry and it was a miracle that I didn’t, but there was no way I was going to let Jordyn see me blubbering like a baby.
Later, Violet told me that she only told Jordyn about DarkestDoor and not about the letters he left for me. I don’t know if I believe her or not. Everyone in school probably knows about it now.
Jordyn took her own sweet time showing us the piece of paper she was holding. It ended up being a map she drew of town, but not a very good one. I asked her what the X’s meant and she said that the X’s were the places in town where Wither supposedly killed or kidnapped a girl over the years. There was an X by Locust Creek, one by the cemetery and another X in the train yard. Violet told her that she forgot a few.
“Oh, well, let’s just ask him,” Jordyn said and pulled up the DarkestDoor site on her phone.
For once in my life I stood up to Jordyn and took the phone out of her hand before she could post anything.
“Stop it!” I told her. “It was just a joke. I don’t even talk to him anymore.” This was a lie, of course.
But Jordyn wasn’t giving up. “This is perfect,” she said. “We’ll go to the train yard and once he shows up to grab Cora we’ll...” She crossed her hands over her neck in a choking motion and stuck out her tongue.
I kept saying what a stupid plan it was. How there was no way we could get to the depot without our parents finding out—which was a total lie. I still go back to the Primrose every few days to see if Wither left a note for me in the jar. Violet said that if we spent the night at her house there was a good chance we could sneak out and not get caught because her mom would go up to bed and leave us alone while we slept in their living room.
I looked at Violet and realized that she was full-in on this plan and not on my side anymore. Jordyn was winning. She was trying to take Gabe from me (okay, I know he’s not really mine, but I think he likes me) and she’s trying to take Violet from me, too.
I told them that going to Violet’s house wasn’t going to work because numb
er one, my mom never lets me spend the night at anyone else’s house, and number two, Violet’s house is like four miles away from the train yard.
“I guess we’ll just have to go without you,” Jordyn said in a fakey voice that sounded like she felt bad but I knew she didn’t. The only thing worse than going to the train yard with Jordyn was to have her go there without me.
I said I would ask my mom if they could spend the night and Jordyn said she would bring the weapon because we needed to protect ourselves. Violet didn’t say much of anything. I think she knew I was mad at her. At five thirty my mom poked her head inside my room and said that Violet’s mom was there to pick her up. I didn’t say goodbye.
Text Message Exchange
Between Jordyn Petit and Violet Crow
Friday, April 13, 2018
Jordyn:
I really think she believes this Wither crap.
Violet:
Yeah. It’s pretty scary, though
Jordyn:
Not you, too? You’re both such dorks
Jordyn:
JK. Don’t be mad
Violet:
It’s just creepy. Maybe we shouldn’t go
Jordyn:
Srsly? Don’t chicken out now. Besides, it will be hilarious
Violet:
IDK
Jordyn:
Never mind. I’ll ask someone else to go. I thought you were up for it
Violet:
I am!
Jordyn:
K. CU Sunday
Interview of Jordyn Petit Pitch Police Department Officer Bree Wilson Robert Peale–Attorney for Jordyn Petit
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
OFFICER WILSON: Okay, Jordyn. Your attorney tells me that you have some additional information regarding the incident at the train yard. Is that right?
JORDYN PETIT: Yes.
OFFICER WILSON: It’s very important that you answer my questions thoroughly and honestly. Do you understand?
JORDYN PETIT: Yes.
OFFICER WILSON: Because the assistant district attorney is holding off on your arraignment because you told Mr. Peale here that you had some information that could help the police. Is that right?
ROBERT PEALE: I explained this all to Jordyn. She is well aware that she needs to be completely truthful. She knows that you will have to investigate her claims before she is allowed to go home. Right, Jordyn?
JORDYN: Right.
OFFICER WILSON: Okay, Jordyn, tell me what happened the night of April 15.
JORDYN PETIT: Where should I start? At Cora’s house or at the train yard?
ROBERT PEALE: Why don’t you start at the train yard, Jordyn. That’s what’s important here. If Officer Wilson has more questions, she’ll ask.
JORDYN PETIT: We went to the train yard, like I said.
OFFICER WILSON: For the record, who went to the train yard?
JORDYN PETIT: Me, Violet and Cora. We were going to look for Joseph Wither. We did a project on him for school and we wanted to see if we could find him. Later Gabe was going to meet us there.
OFFICER WILSON: What made you think Joseph Wither was going to be there?
JORDYN PETIT: Well, I knew he wasn’t really going to be there. I knew he was make-believe but Cora thought he was real and I think that Violet kind of believed it, too. Cora went on this chat room and met someone who said he was Joseph Wither. He kept telling Cora how much he liked her. How special she was.
OFFICER WILSON: A chat room? Did you tell anyone about this? Your grandpa? A teacher, maybe?
JORDYN PETIT: No. Cora made us promise that we wouldn’t and we didn’t want Cora to get into trouble. Her parents don’t let her go online much. She would have gotten in big trouble if they found out.
OFFICER WILSON: Do you remember the name of the website?
JORDYN PETIT: DarkDoor? No, it was DarkestDoor.
OFFICER WILSON: Okay, so you went to the train yard to look for Wither...
JORDYN PETIT: Yeah. Violet and I were going to play a prank on Cora. We were going to pretend that we saw Wither and scream and yell. Gabe was going to be there, too, and jump out. Violet didn’t know that Gabe was coming, though. We brought a knife and I was going to pretend to be stabbed by Wither, who was really Gabe. Then I was just going to get up and show her that I was okay. We just wanted to scare her.
OFFICER WILSON: Is that what happened? You scared her?
JORDYN PETIT: No. We didn’t get a chance to.
OFFICER WILSON: Why’s that?
JORDYN PETIT: I don’t know for sure. At first it was fun being at the depot so late. It was dark and creepy. But it was cold and I started to get nervous we were going to get in trouble so I told Cora and Violet that I wanted to go home.
OFFICER WILSON: Did the other girls want to leave, too?
JORDYN PETIT: Cora wanted to stay. She wanted to keep looking for Wither. When I tried to walk away she got mad and grabbed on to my backpack and almost knocked me down. I turned around and pushed her. She fell down.
OFFICER WILSON: That’s when she got hurt?
JORDYN PETIT: She was holding her arm. I didn’t mean to push her so hard but she yanked on my book bag first. Then we heard a noise off in the grass. At first I thought it was Gabe but then I wasn’t sure. It was dark and scary so we ran off.
OFFICER WILSON: Did you run away together? In the same direction.
JORDYN PETIT: No. We all went a different way. I ran toward the depot building and hid behind a boxcar. I’m not sure where Cora and Violet went. I never saw Gabe.
OFFICER WILSON: Then what happened?
JORDYN PETIT: I watched from behind the boxcar for a few minutes.
OFFICER WILSON: What did you see?
JORDYN PETIT: (inaudible)
OFFICER WILSON: Jordyn, what did you see?
JORDYN PETIT: I’m afraid to tell.
ROBERT PEALE: It’s okay, Jordyn. No one can hurt you here. Go ahead and tell Officer Wilson what you told me.
OFFICER WILSON: Jordyn?
JORDYN PETIT: I saw Violet run off toward the tall grass—not to the spot where we heard the noise, the opposite direction—and she disappeared. She hid in there. Cora started to run along the tracks but she was going slow because of her arm, I think. She was holding it.
OFFICER WILSON: Which way on the tracks was Cora going? East or west?
JORDYN PETIT: Um, I don’t know. But she went away from the depot building.
OFFICER WILSON: You were hiding behind a boxcar and saw Cora and Violet running away, too. Then what did you see?
JORDYN PETIT: I saw someone coming out of the grass.
OFFICER WILSON: Did you recognize the person? Did you know who it was?
JORDYN PETIT: I think so.
ROBERT PEALE: Remember, Jordyn, you have to be sure. If you’re not, you need to tell us. It’s very, very important that you get this right.
OFFICER WILSON: Jordyn, do you know who it was coming out of the grass?
JORDYN PETIT: It was my teacher. It was Mr. Dover.
Beth Crow
Wednesday April 18, 2018
I sit alone in the waiting room staring down at my hands, images of the video running over and over in my mind. The girls happy one moment, taking selfies in front of the boxcars, then everything went to hell. I wonder why Gabe Shannon was there. Violet never mentioned him being there. Then there was the bloody knife Violet dropped when she came out of the tall grass. I wish I could watch the video again to see if Violet was the one holding the knife just before the girls ran off.
“Ms. Crow?” comes a voice from the doorway. I look up to find Dr. Gideon in the doorway.
I jump to my feet. “Is Violet okay?” I ask.
“I was hoping we could go somewhere a little more private and have a chat,” she says.
“We can leave a message at the nurses’ desk and they can alert us if anything comes up,” Dr. Gideon assures me.
“Okay,” I say and send a quick text to Max to let him know where I am. I had sent him home to check on Boomer, to get me a fresh change of clothes.
Dr. Gideon and I walk together in silence until we reach her office. She steps aside and allows me to enter first. The office isn’t large but is brand-new like the rest of the children’s hospital. New carpet smell fills my nose and the walls are empty except for a framed medical degree hanging behind a cherrywood desk. In fact, it looks like she’s still moving in. Cardboard boxes are stacked in a corner in front of an empty bookshelf.
“Pardon the mess,” Dr. Gideon says and invites me to sit in a chair situated in front of her desk. “I’m just getting settled in.” Dr. Gideon is tall and looks more like an aging WNBA player than a doctor. “Never played,” Dr. Gideon says, reading my mind. She sits behind her desk and smiles. “Everyone had high hopes for me, especially my dad, but I was more interested in reading books than shooting hoops.” I nod, embarrassed and more than freaked out that she knew what I was thinking.
“She’s so young to be here by herself,” I say, choking up. I think of the ratty stuffed monkey that she still sleeps with once in a while and wonder if they’ll let me bring it from home for her.
Dr. Gideon looks at me kindly. “I know this has been very difficult,” she says. “As a mom you know that so many different factors can impact a child’s behavior.” I nod. This is true. Some days I wake up and wonder which child will be sitting at the kitchen table that morning. But I’ve worried more about Max than Violet and another lightning bolt of guilt hits me. Have I been so caught up in Max’s teenage drama that I ignored my daughter?
“Based on my visits with Violet I anticipate that she will go home tomorrow. I do suggest that you follow up with some sort of emotional support for her. I’ve got some resources for you and a list of counselors that you may want to contact.”
Before She Was Found Page 26