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Kayla watched as the women quickly left. They left too quickly. Despite what Lydia said, something cold settled into the pit of Kayla’s stomach as she headed to her bedroom.

Bree wasn’t at her grandma’s.

She didn't know how she knew. She just knew.

She sat very still and waited to find out if she was right.

10

Sophia didn't sleep.

She lay in the dark and did the math over and over and got the same answer every time, and eventually she gave up on sleep and got up and made coffee and stood at the kitchen window watching the sky go gray at the edges.

The house was quiet. The girls wouldn’t be up for hours. Sophia held her mug and watched the canyon. She was still standing there when her phone buzzed on the counter at five-forty-seven.

Angie.

She answered before the second buzz. “Tell me.”

“Bree isn’t there.” Angie's voice was flat and careful.

“How can you know for sure so fast?”

She didn’t know why she was asking. Of course, Angie knew for sure. Of course, she had found out that fast.

“Bree has two grandmothers. One lives in a nursing home in New Hampshire, the other is Elaine Bowman, aged sixty-eight. She lives on Ponderosa Drive, retired fourth-grade teacher. Elaine is currently on a singles cruise in the Bahamas. She sailed out from Florida three days ago.” There was a long pause. “I’m sorry, Sophia.”

“Mary has her.”

“No, that’s not my take at all,” Angie disagreed.

“What do you mean?”

“Mary is just the conduit. She’s the one who gets in close, applies pressure. She does not get her hands dirty.”

Sophia set down her mug.

The canyon was turning gold at the edges now. She watched it happen.

“I talked to Kayla after you and Lydia left,” she said. “Bree was at school on Wednesday.”

“So they’ve only had her for two days max. That’s good.”

“Angie, how can you say that? Forty-eight hours without knowing where your daughter is? If she’s alive or dead?” Sophia whispered into her phone as she turned to look at the stairs, ensuring that neither of her girls could hear her.

“I’m not saying it’s a good thing. I know that it’s hell. But we’re getting in on this early. That’s a good thing.”

“But getting in on what?” Sophia demanded to know.

“Somebody is putting maximum pressure on Lettie for something to do with the new helicopter proto-type.”

“Yeah, we know. It’s Mary.”

“Mary is a nobody. She’s a fake. She’s a⁠—”

“I don’t care what she is. I need to go and find out what is really going on. I need to help them.”

“I’m stunned Tom hasn’t taken this to command,” Angie said.