“Police have set up headquarters at the northern point of the woods. They will begin searching the woods for the Davies children, as well as the other missing children and signs of the kidnapper.”

A map appeared on the screen with a dot indicating where the police were starting their search. It was almost directly on the other side of the woods from Wendy’s house.

“The search-and-rescue units will be starting north and working their way south. The police have recommended that anyone living on the outskirts of the woods lock their doors and windows when they aren’t home, and keep their children under constant supervision. Anyone willing to volunteer to help with search efforts is encouraged to call…”

They were running out of time. Wendy knew it wasn’t safe for Peter to stay in the woods anymore. What if the cops started searching and found him hiding out in the hunting shack? He would probably get arrested and detained. Wendy doubted he would be able to break out of a holding cell, especially now that he was losing his magic at such an alarming rate. And if he was locked up, they wouldn’t be able to stop the shadow and all those kids would be lost and Peter would—well, they still weren’t sure what would happen to him, but it would be bad. Very bad. Wendy’s heart clenched. She refused to take that risk. Had she made a mistake by letting him go off on his own last night?

They needed to find that tree before the woods were overrun with cops and volunteers. Now, more than ever, they were running out of time.

“I’m going to the hospital,” Wendy said abruptly. She thought her parents would be so engrossed in the news that they might not even hear her, but they both swung around to face her.

“The hospital?” Mrs. Darling asked, confused. “But you don’t volunteer on the weekends.”

“Absolutely not!” Mr. Darling fumed, eyeing Wendy as if she were completely out of her mind. “I don’t want you leaving this house, and certainly not on your own!” She could tell his jaw was clenched by the way his mustache ruffled.

They were on edge and worried.

She needed to come up with a solid excuse.

“I promised Nurse Judy I would help out,” Wendy tried to explain. “They’re short staffed in the playroom and need someone to be there all day to keep an eye on the kids.”

“No,” Mr. Darling said in a low growl.

“I’ll be in the hospital surrounded by people,” Wendy reasoned. “Nothing is going to happen to me there. I’ll even call you when I’m heading home.” What would make him agree to her being gone all day? “Not to mention, Nurse Judy will be there looking after me the whole time.”

Mr. Darling made a gruff sound through his nose but didn’t object. Both her parents respected Nurse Judy, but it was more than just that.