The bright sun shone directly overhead, washing the granite peak in stark light. Chloe pulled out her smartphone and lifted it high into the clear sky. She angled the screen to capture the massive drop and pine valley behind them.
Chloe: Let me take a selfie of us near the mountains!
Mark: It looks too dangerous. Let’s stay back.
Chloe: Don’t be scared! Just one quick photo with the view.
Mark took a hesitant step closer to her, his heart pounding in his chest. He looked down at the smooth granite surface under his heavy hiking boots. Loose gravel and fine sand dusted the sloped edge near the drop-off point.
Mark: Chloe, seriously, step back onto the timber walkway right now.
Chloe: Stop worrying about everything and smile for the camera.
She placed her left hand firmly on his shoulder, nudging him slightly forward. Mark sighed, trying to relax his body, and took the phone from her hand. He stretched his arm out wide to line up the wide mountain background.
Suddenly, his right heel hit a patch of loose gravel on the slope. His foot shot forward without warning on the slippery, smooth rock ledge. Mark’s body tipped backward as he lost his footing near the edge.
Mark: No! Help!
He gasped loudly as his arms flailed wildly to regain his balance. Chloe stepped back quickly, pulling her hands completely away from his coat. Her expression remained blank as Mark slid backward over the smooth granite ledge.
Mark dropped out of sight down the steep, massive granite cliff face. His echoing cry echoed off the canyon walls as he fell into the trees. The sound faded quickly into the vast, open expanse of the valley.
Chloe stood perfectly still at the very edge of the steep cliff. She slowly turned her head back toward the wooden boardwalk behind her. Her face showed no panic, no sorrow, and no sudden rush of fear.
A cold, subtle smile formed on her lips under the bright daylight. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her spare phone, and dialed a number. The wind rustled through the tall pine trees around the quiet rock ledge.
Chloe: Emergency services? Please help, my boyfriend just fell off the cliff trail!
She forced her voice to shake and started sobbing fake tears into the receiver. She cried loudly, giving the dispatcher their exact location along the high canyon loop. Inside, her heart beat with steady, calculated calm as she waited.
She knew the life insurance policy listed her as the sole backup beneficiary. If Mark died before signing the new estate trust documents, everything went to her. She wiped her eyes dry, put the phone away, and waited for help.
Twenty minutes later, the distant sound of park ranger sirens echoed down below. Chloe sat on the wooden bench, bowing her head in fake shock. She rehearsed her exact story again and again in her head.
It was a tragic accident on a slippery, unprotected cliff ledge. He lost his footing while holding the phone for a quick photograph. Nobody could ever prove anything else happened up on that high trail.
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