‘But you’re feeling okay? How are the contractions?’ Harper sipped tea, told her she’d had some strong ones. Also told her about her flashback. ‘Wait.’ Leslie’s brows furrowed. ‘You’re saying the flashback was triggered by a TV show?’ ‘No.’ Again, Harper laughed. That was twice, and in just a few minutes. Actually, what Leslie had said hadn’t been that funny; Harper laughed because she felt light. Relieved to see Leslie, to sit with her, drinking tea in a room with the door closed, away from Lou and Vivian. But her laughter ended abruptly as she began to answer the question. The flashback had been triggered by a news recap, not an actual show. She described what had led up to it. The naked guy in the snow. The blood spatter and key she’d found in the woods. The resemblance between the guy she’d seen and the face on the news of the missing student from Elmira. When she began to describe his parents and their sense that he was dead, Leslie interrupted. ‘Why does all this concern you, Harper?’ Harper cocked her head, not understanding the question.
