Sam worked to keep her expression neutral so Brooke would keep talking.

“It’s embarrassing to be talking about this with you.”

“I understand, but it’s really important you tell me what you remember. Did you leave the bedroom after you were with Todd?”

Brooke tilted her head to the side. “I don’t remember leaving the bedroom. Everything is kind of blank after that.”

Which meant the GHB had been consumed before she went into the bedroom with Todd and took effect while she was there.

Brooke looked at Sam beseechingly. “You said there were four of them. What happened to me, Sam?”

“I hate to have to tell you this, but someone gave you GHB, and while you were out of it, Todd’s friends took turns with you. That’s why you’re so sore. You had to have stitches.”

“Down there?”

“Yes. There was some tearing.”

“Why would they do that?” she asked so softly Sam could barely hear her. “Todd is my friend. I thought he liked me.”

“I wish I had the answers you need, but I don’t know why they’d do that.”

“Are they in trouble? Did you arrest them?”

Sam’s stomach began to hurt when she thought of the other things she still needed to tell Brooke. “No, honey. I didn’t arrest them.”

“Why not? They raped me!”

“Because someone killed them.”

“What?”

“Todd, Hugo, Michael, Kevin and five girls were stabbed to death in the Springers’ basement.”

Brooke began to cry again. “How is that possible? Who would do that? I don’t understand. They’re all dead?”

“I’m afraid so.”

She buried her face in her hands. “We were just having fun.” Another thought seemed to occur to her, and she looked over at Sam. “Is Hoda dead too?”

“No, she isn’t. In fact, I think she might’ve been the one who got you out of there.”

“But you don’t know that?”

“We can’t find her. No one knows where she is. Do you have any idea where she might be?”

“She’s kind of a free spirit, so she could be anywhere.”

“If you can tell me anything about who she hung out with or where we might find her, it would really help.”

“There’s this one guy...Nico. I don’t know his last name, but he lives near American University. She really likes him, and I think she hangs with him sometimes.”

“Is he a student at AU?”

“No, he works there. I’m not sure what he does.”

“In one of her texts to you, Hoda refers to a boy named Davey who took care of the notarizing of the fake note. Who is he?”

“You guys read my texts?”