Lani Kauten

California, 1972 There was so much arguing going on that June between Rox, Mom and Dad that even with my bedroom door closed, I had very little solitude. During that stormy time, the rink was my only source of tranquility. You see, in my family we were all skatersice skaters. Each of us had been competing since we were eight, respectively. It was the last week of schoolsis and I had just gotten home when I first heard the news flash. I had just plopped down on my bed worn out from ice skating practice when I flipped the radio on and heard the disc-jockey announce, Local teen found dead this morning up at Rose Hill Cemeterymore after this commercial break. I ran out of my room when the disc-jockey said it was a teen from Roxs school. Heading toward Roxs bedroom, barely meeting up, she nervously hollered out, Jilli, did you just hear the news over the radio about the boy up at Rose Hill? Yes, I answered. We both stood there in the living room, stunned! Later that night my family tuned into the local news, as Im sure many other families did in our town of Cowell in Northern California. They said it had been thirty years since the last murderwhere the boy was found. Oh my God, hes that girls brother! Rox blurted out, pointing at the TV set. Earlier that year, wed all been overjoyed when my brother Luke accomplished his goal in skating, and won a Silver Medal in the 1972 Winter Olympic Games held in Sapporo, Japan. Upon his return we celebrated his success with a party. One of the girls who had a crush on Luke introduced her brother to him. Are you saying the boy in the news was here at Lukes party? Mom said in a surprised hush. Yup, Rox confirmed. Weird, huh? Mom just shook her head indicating she had no words to express how bad she felt for the boy and his family. We all stared into the TV set. . . . while the police search for possible suspects. The newscaster broke-in, Coming up nextmore protests on the Vietnam War.