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Zora’s crying turned to a shriek.
Delta threw her hands over her ears. Discombobulated, she couldn’t adjust that quickly. “Tanner?”
“The rest of them have been rescued. Freddie broke his leg in the rapids. I don’t know . . . some other stuff happened.”
She should feel something. Anything . . . anything but this terrible numbness. “Where’s Bailey?”
Ellie shook her head. “They’re all at Grimm’s Pond, I think.”
And that’s when Delta heard the distant sirens. The police . . . rescue vehicles, approaching.
* * *
Bailey sat shivering, wrapped in a blanket on the rocky shore on the west side of Grimm’s Pond. Her father was beside her. A kaleidoscope of red and blue and white lights swirled around them. Quin was soaked to the skin from jumping in and saving Tanner and Freddie, who both were being pulled under. McCrae was there, hauling out Brad Sumpter, while Justin Penske staggered to the shore on his own power. Woody Deavers had tried to help McCrae, but ended up slamming into a rocky outcropping and breaking a few ribs. He’d managed to crawl to shore and was being taken to the hospital. Tanner, whose head was bleeding, and Freddie, whose leg had been turned at an unnatural angle with a jagged white end of bone sticking through that had made Bailey feel light-headed, were being looked at. More gurneys were being readied.
On the shelf pathway, Bailey had raced past Miss Billings, who’d tried to stop her. She’d damn near jumped into the river at that point, but had gone on ahead, trying to find Carmen, as Miss Billings helped Ellie out of the water right before she’d reached the beginning of the rapids. Bailey had seen Carmen’s head and had hurried to reach her. One foot slipped, and she lost her balance and was thrown into the strong current, rushed away, tumbled through the rapids, not sure what was up and what was down, unable to help Carmen, and then unable to save herself. She gulped air between downward dunks and spins in the water. Her knee hit a rock with great force, and she was glad it wasn’t her head. She was spit out into Grimm’s Pond, grabbed by the undertow, and then suddenly hauled out of the water by Mr. Timmons, an unlikely rescuer. He and Anne Reade had still been at the house when McCrae and Amanda showed up, and the four of them had jumped in vehicles, and all raced to Grimm’s Pond.
Bailey was waiting for her friend to reappear. When it didn’t happen, she prayed Miss Billings had grabbed Carmen like she’d grabbed Ellie. Neither of them had showed up at Grimm’s Pond yet, though Bailey kept an eagle eye on the end of the shelf path, where she expected them both to appear. Unless they went back to Amanda’s.
She watched Tanner and Freddie being strapped onto two gurneys and lifted into the back of the ambulance. She glanced down at her knee, which was swollen and purple. Brad Sumpter had a trickle of blood rolling down his temple but otherwise seemed okay. Justin Penske was unscathed, though his freckles stood out on his white face.
Coach Sutton had returned and was talking to the half-drowned classmates. Bailey could tell he was upset and worried and fighting anger. They’d done exactly what he’d ordered them not to and were lucky to be alive. Quin had splashed into the water to help her classmates out, and his uniform was soaked and sticking to his skin. McCrae, Amanda, Mr. Timmons, and Ms. Reade were double-checking with Sumpter and Penske and a couple of other guys who’d refused an ambulance, making sure they were all right.
But where was Carmen? Where was she?
Bailey prayed and prayed she was okay. She was a strong swimmer. She’d gone under during the rapids, but she’d popped up once; Bailey had seen her. She could just be navigating her way down.
Miss Billings reached the group gathered at the pond and was also given a blanket. “Where’s Carmen? Is she all right?” she asked, stumbling into the shallow end of the pond where the shelf pathway ended. Her hair and shirt were soaked.
Bailey’s heart nearly stopped, and everyone looked around at each other.
“She isn’t here,” Amanda said. She was standing by the ambulance, trying to catch a ride with Tanner. The EMT denied her as he slammed the doors.
McCrae demanded, “Did anyone see her?”
“I did.” Counselor Billings looked stricken. “I tried to pull her out of the water, but she . . . let go. I fell in trying to get her out an
d hung onto a rock.” Her eyes desperately searched the group, focusing on Bailey. “She said, ‘Bailey’ . . .”
Oh, God . . . oh, God . . . Carmen went after me!
Bailey leaned over and lost the contents of her stomach. Quin came up to her and put a supporting hand on her back as she retched.
Penske had been huddled in blankets on the rocky shore with the others, but now he stood up. “Where’s Delta?” he asked sharply.
“They’re at the campsite, or maybe at the house by now,” Amanda said. “Maybe Carmen turned back and is with them.”
“No.” Counselor Billings shook her head, one hand covering her mouth. She looked about to cry.
“I’m going to the hospital,” Amanda announced. “Drive me back to my car?” she asked McCrae.
“I can take you,” Mr. Timmons said. He looked to Ms. Reade. “Do you want to stay, or . . . ?”
“I’ll come with you,” she said, and the three of them started to leave.
“We’ll find her,” Quin assured Bailey.
She nodded.
