“Nothing ever is, in my experience.” She looks up with eyes much older than her years, but it’s clear she’s not complaining or looking for sympathy. “But I don’t regret it. Annie needed me. She still needs me. And whatever this is, it’s sure as hell not boring.”

“Nope. It’s like living in the eye of a storm. With people getting hurt all around us.”

Mia nods. “To that point, Serenity’s still not back. You think she’s okay?”

I give it a few moments’ thought. “Serenity can handle herself in most situations. Maybe she’s with Carl.”

Mia laughs, but it sounds forced. “He was sure into her, anyway.”

With that she scoops up the book and slips her feet into a pair of sandals that she’d slid under the sofa.

“I’m going up,” she says, bouncing to her feet. “See you tomorrow.”

I raise a hand to wave, but she’s already turned away, and she doesn’t look back as she passes through the door. The quick beat of feet on wood tells me her young legs swallow the long staircase without effort, and then I’m alone in the silence.

I’ve been lying in bed about five minutes when a soft knock sounds at my door. I hate to admit it to myself, but I’m hoping it’s Serenity. I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t have texted me that she was okay, even if she’s lying in bed with Carl somewhere. With all that’s been happening, surely she knows I’d be worried.

“Come in,” I say, sitting up against the headboard.

A vertical bar of light appears at my door, and then I hear my mother’s voice in the darkness. “Penn? Are you awake?”

“Yeah. I just laid down. Come in.”

Mom slips through the door and pads over to my bed, then sits on the edge of the mattress, a silhouette in the dark. I’m about to switch on the bedside lamp when she touches my hand and asks, “Did you see your father tonight?”

“No,” I tell her, leaving the light off. “Doris Avery called me. I had to go hold her hand for a while.”

“Oh. Did you learn anything? Something that could help?”

I’m not about to let my mother in on Doris’s worst-case fears. “I’m afraid not.”

After a period of silence, Mom says, “I noticed that Serenity’s not back. Is she staying here tonight?”

Something in my mother’s tone sounds more than concerned for Serenity’s safety. “I thought she was. I’m not sure, though.”

Mom makes a noise I can’t interpret. Then she says, “You’ve been very nice to take time out to help her with her research.”

“She’s helped me too, Mom.”

“Oh, I’m sure. She’s had quite an exciting life.”

“Mom . . . what do you want to say?”