Both sank into a heavy silence as he drove to the hospital. When he pulled up to the emergency room entrance, he put the car in park. “Go on inside. I’ll park and then meet you.”

“Is she still in emergency?”

“She was. I don’t know where she is now.”

“You saw her, right?”

“Yes.”

“What am I going to be facing?”

“It was a blow to the back of her head. I detected no other injuries.”

Avery dropped the keys in her purse and reached for the door handle. “Right.”

“You okay?”

“I have to be.”

Out of the car, she walked through the sliding glass doors and vanished into the hospital.

Spencer had remained at the hospital for several hours. When the doctors took Jordan into surgery, he realized he was of no help to anyone, sitting around and waiting. His focus shifted to his job and finding Casey Andrews.

He decided to visit the Austin Police Department’s missing person division. Removing his hat, Spencer walked into the Austin Police Department station and went directly toward Detective Rivers’s office.

When he knocked on Detective Rivers’s door, she was on the phone, but as soon as they made eye contact, she ended the call and rose.

“You must be Ranger Spencer,” she said.

“That’s right, Detective Rivers. We need to talk about Casey Andrews.”

“I’ve been pulling everything I know about her since Detective Poe’s attack. Have you heard how Jordan is doing?”

“She was in surgery when I left.”

Rivers drew in a lungful of air as she dropped her gaze to the file on her desk. “I assumed you would be by, so I’ve gathered everything I know about Casey Andrews. Detective Poe said she was going to talk to the girl’s mother, Dot Andrews, and I assume she followed up.”

“I’ve not had a chance to debrief Detective Poe, but I hope to soon.” He had no idea when Jordan would be able to process case information, but for her sake, he wanted everyone to believe she would recover.

He thumbed through a contact list. At the top was Dot Andrews, and below that was Missy Stapleton. “Who is Ms. Stapleton?”

“Casey’s former roommate,” she said.

“Have you spoken to Ms. Stapleton?”

“I’ve put several calls into her cell phone, but she has not called me back. She has a history of drug abuse. According to Casey’s mother, Casey moved out when she decided to get clean.”

Casey fit the profile of so many missing women. Their transient lives meant critical time could pass before alarm bells were sounded. If not for Dot Andrews, weeks might have passed before anyone thought to look for Casey. “I’ll find Ms. Stapleton.”

“Understood.”

“What can you tell me about Tammy Fox?”