‘Maybe not. But if you hadn’t figured it out in time …’ She doesn’t need to finish the sentence. Abbey would have died of thirst in that little room. Luxford wasn’t coming back for her.

Thistle doesn’t let go of my hand until she needs to change gears.

Abbey keeps saying, ‘I’m okay,’ into the phone, over and over again. I don’t know if she’s telling herself or her mom. Eventually she passes the phone back to Thistle. ‘She wants to talk to you.’

Thistle assures Abbey’s mother that the Bureau will cover her flight to George Bush airport, and she’ll be picked up as soon as she gets there. The director might kick Thistle’s ass for that, the budget being what it is. But it seems to soothe the mom a bit, and eventually she ends the call.

As we approach the hospital, I can see Abbey getting nervous. When we drive into the parking lot under the building, she looks like she’s on the verge of a panic attack.

‘You okay?’ I ask.

She nods, teeth clenched.

Thistle parks, and we all get out of the car. Thistle and I start to walk towards the gleaming steel doors of the elevators, but Abbey slows right down.

‘I can’t go in there,’ she says.

‘It’s safe,’ Thistle promises. ‘The doctors just want—’

‘I’m sorry. I just can’t.’

I get it. After I got out of that basement, I never wanted to be indoors again.

‘Okay,’ Thistle says. ‘We’ll take the stairs.’

Abbey is backing away from us. Towards fresh air, and the twilight at the entrance to the parking lot.

‘I can’t,’ she says again.

‘I’m sure we can get a doctor to come outside,’ I say.

Thistle looks around doubtfully at the freezing parking lot.

I take off my coat and hold it out. Abbey reluctantly puts it on over the top of Thistle’s jacket.

‘Maybe you can get some blankets?’ I ask Thistle. ‘And coffee?’

Abbey’s teeth are chattering. ‘Tea?’ she says hopefully.

Thistle nods. ‘Okay. I’ll be right back.’

She goes into the lifts and disappears.

I sit on the hood of Thistle’s Crown Vic, fidgeting in the cold. It’s not too bad being alone with Abbey—not much temptation. Hardly any meat on her.

‘You’ll have to go indoors eventually,’ I say. ‘It would be a shame to freeze to death at this point.’

Abbey looks at me. ‘Was that a joke?’

‘Was it funny?’

She thinks for a moment. ‘Not yet.’

‘How about you tell me what happened?’ I say.

She just shakes her head.

‘The more we know, the faster we catch Luxford,’ I say.

Abbey sits on the hood next to me. ‘You wouldn’t understand.’