“Look,” Cooper said, “lemme do the talkin’, okay?” He led the way.

Darcy could not make out the faces of anybody in the canyon. Many wore ponchos or were wrapped in blankets against the night’s chill. Garbage-bag tarps sheltered a pair leaning against a pine tree. Cooper passed Jamee’s picture around, and then he returned to the other three. “She’s not here. Never was. They were straight-up with me. ”

“I’m so scared,” Darcy said as they walked back to the truck. “What if we never find her? What if she just disappears like those kids you see pictures of on flyers, the ones who disappeared years ago? What if we never even find out if she’s dead or alive?”

Hakeem put his arm around Darcy’s shoulders and pulled her gently against himself. “Don’t think that way. She’s gonna be back. She’s just hanging out somewhere. ”

“She took all her favorite clothes,” Darcy cried.

“Kids do stupid things, you know,” Hakeem reminded her.

“Yeah,” Tarah agreed. “I ran away when I was ’bout thirteen. My Dad is really strict, and I wasn’t havin’ any more of it, you hear what I’m sayin’? I was outta there. I hid in my cousin’s basement for three days. Then they found me and hauled me home and my Dad took off his belt and whupped me silly. He goes, ‘This is ’cause I love you, Tarah Lucille,’ and then he whupped me. I couldn’t sit down for a week after that! But I sure was glad to be back home. ”

They drove around for another hour, looking at every forlorn and spaced-out kid they saw. But there was no sign of Jamee, and finally Cooper and the gang headed back to Darcy’s apartment.

“It’ll be okay, Darcy,” Hakeem said as they pulled up in front of her apartment. He leaned over and brushed a kiss over Darcy’s ear. “I’m praying for you and your sister. It’ll be okay. ”

Darcy was getting out of the truck when she saw the silver Toyota across the street. Darcy’s father got out when he saw her.

“Who’s that?” Hakeem asked as the heavy man approached them.

“That’s my Dad,” Darcy said, feeling her palms beginning to sweat. She had not spoken to him since he had gone.

“But I thought he left your family years ago,” Hakeem replied.

“He did,” Darcy whispered.

Hakeem looked surprised, and Darcy wanted to explain everything to him, but not now. Hakeem seemed to take the hint, and she was grateful that he did not ask any more questions.

Darcy stared at her father in the brightness of Cooper’s headlights. His face was puffy and swollen, and his eyes were red. Darcy could not help thinking he looked like the loser of a boxing match that had lasted for years.