Columbine

By Dick Woodbury/Denver

Doubts about Columbine victim CASSIE BERNALL'S last words aren't dampening sales of her mother's book, an account of the 17-year-old's journey from a problem youth to model Christian. She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall sold 300,000 copies in its first three weeks.

CHRIS ZIMMERMAN of Plough Publishing House and MISTY BERNALL went ahead with the book even though the Jefferson County sheriff's office and the mother of another victim advised them that DYLAN KLEBOLD or ERIC HARRIS may not have asked Cassie if she believed in God just before she was fatally shot last April 20. The question may have been put instead to VALEEN SCHNURR, 18, who lay wounded under another table. She replied yes, she says. As the gunman reloaded, he asked, "Why?" "Because I do believe, and my mom and dad taught me to." The gunman then walked away. Witnesses may have confused Cassie's and Valeen's voices.

Schnurr's mother says that last June she asked Zimmerman to hold the book until more facts were known. He demurred: "The Bernalls and I were aware of the discrepancies, and we went back and talked to witnesses again and resolved those." The Bernalls intend to distribute some book profits to local church youth groups and a scholarship fund.

--By Dick Woodbury/Denver