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"Thank you," I said I slipped off my bomber’s jacket, draped it over the back of a chair, and sat down
I opened the first thick book and tried to find March 15, the day Elizabeth Rogers was killed Only the Herald didn’t publish on Saturday--only Sunday and Tuesday through Friday I scanned the front page of the Sunday, March 16, edition The cover story was all about how the Victoria Seven had upset Minneapolis North High School for the right to advance to the state basketball tourna week There was no mention of the murder of Elizabeth until Tuesday, March 18 The headline read: Murder of Cheerleader Casts Shadow on State Basketball Tournaht On Despite Loss Both stories rapped around a shot of the basketball players, which included an i John Allen Barrett
A shot of Elizabeth, obviously her school photo, was tucked inside The pose was typical, shoulders rotated slightly to the left, head turned to the right, chin up, eyes staring above and past the camera Yet Elizabeth’s youthful beauty seerapher and the ancient newsprint She had straight, light-colored hair falling to her shoulders, a self-confident, ale eyes The cutline beneath the photograph said her funeral had been scheduled for early Wednesdaythe bus to St Paul
I jumped ahead to the March 20 edition There was extensive coverage of the funeral, yet again it was all about the boys, with plenty of photographs of the uncomfortable and bored It annoyedIncluded was a e shot of Barrett and a man the cutline identified as Coach Mark Testen I was pleased to see what I thought were tears on Testen’s face, but closer exaes running from his left eye to the middle of his cheek
I returned to the Tuesday edition and began taking notes Over twentyotten that he was there
"The case was never solved," he said
"Excuse me?"
"They never found her killer That’s what you’re interested in, isn’t it? Not the Seven, the murder"
"Why do you say that?"
Salisbury pointed at ood journalists, I can read upside down"
I glanced at the notepad I had scribbled notes about Elizabeth, where her body was found, when, by who about the basketball team
"It’s part of the story, isn’t it? The story of the Victoria Seven?"