But not everyone was as keen to join the search team as Michael Martin was.

The Lussier brothers pulled up in their ragged old pickup truck and rolled down their window to speak to Sergeant Martin. The brothers, Trevor and Spencer, were a pair of part-time loggers who worked as often as they didn’t. Trevor had less than five teeth in his head, and Spencer, the older and more refined of the two, probably hadn’t used a razor or a comb in the past five months. But for all their rough-and-tumble ways, at least the Lussier boys were there.

The sergeant leaned into the cab to tell them what was going on, but they were quick to shake their heads.

“Isn’t that the same girl who was lost at the school?” Trevor asked.

The sergeant nodded.

“So what makes you think she’s lost this time?” asked Spencer.

There was a pause as the sergeant explained the situation to them.

Spencer gave a little laugh. “And you want us to risk our necks tracking through the pitch-black forest looking for some little girl who’s probably sleeping like a baby on somebody’s living-room couch?”

Sergeant Martin stepped away from the truck, straightened his back, and said, “I don’t want you to do anything. I’m asking you to help!” The sergeant’s voice was loud, firm, and had an air of authority that was hard to dismiss.

“All right, we’ll help,” said Trevor, the brother behind the wheel. “But we don’t have to be happy about doing it.”

The sergeant nodded and stepped away from the truck without saying another word.

By now Maria had noticed that Tora and her brothers had arrived. She was making her way over to them, and Tora wasn’t looking forward to interacting with Maria.

“Uh-oh,” said Harlan. “Look who’s coming!”

Michael Martin turned to Tora. “Do you want to wait in my dad’s 4 × 4 till she goes away?”

“No, that’s okay,” Tora answered. “She could probably use a friend right now.”

Just then, a big, black Lexus SUV came to a screeching halt at the side of the road. Mr. Abruzzo was the first one to get out of the car, followed moments later by his wife.

“Angelina!” he cried out.

“Where’s my daughter?” she screamed.

Sergeant Martin approached them with his arms raised in an attempt to calm them down. “She can’t be far,” he said. “We’ll be beginning the search in a few minutes and I’m confident we’ll be able to find her.”

“Angelina,” Mrs. Abruzzo said. “Where’s my baby?”

That’s when Mr. Abruzzo caught sight of his other daughter. “Maria! How could you let this happen?” he said. “We told you to look after your sister. You were supposed to be home.”