Katie knuckled the tears off her cheeks and nodded slowly. “There was the big dark cave, before the strong man came. But that was a long time ago.”

Amy furrowed her brow. Katie had mentioned the cave before, in the lead-up to the science fair. Amy had been so curious about Rover’s power that she hadn’t thought too much about that part of Katie’s story. But now …

“Did … the strong man put the blindfold on Rover’s eyes and the tape around his mouth?”

Katie shook her head. “No. That was Becca. She helped him at the animal place. She was his pal, like me, until things got bad.”

“Do you remember where the animal place was? Was there a name?”

Katie frowned. “Robin … Robin Country?”

It hit Amy like a brick: Robins County Animal Rescue. The place Dad called the day we found him.

They knew Rover’s name.

Just like Katie did that first day.

“Okay,” said Amy. “Thank you, Katie. I’m going to try to fix this, okay? But I need you to do me a favor: You’ve got to stay away from Rover. Don’t tell him anything if he talks to you the way you two talk. You can’t tell him anything.”

“You’re not going to hurt Rover, are you?” asked Katie, hugging herself.

“I’m not going to hurt Rover,” Amy said. “I’m just going to make sure he can’t hurt us anymore.”

Her parents believed the story quickly enough: Marguerite’s moms had also given her the day off so that she and Amy could hang out. They felt bad about the fire and wanted to help Amy take her mind off things. Amy didn’t want her friend to see her at the motel, though, because it felt awkward and embarrassing, so she was going to get picked up a few blocks away. Could she have some money for a movie, please? Mom and Dad nodded along, sleep deprived and shell-shocked, and handed her enough cash for the day. She walked through the parking lot of the motel, and once she was around the corner, she used her phone’s mapping app to guide her to the bus stop.

Taking the bus alone was the kind of thing that would’ve freaked Amy out in the past, but she found herself fearless now. An old man gave her a mean look, and she shot one right back. A smelly bus and a stink eye from a stranger weren’t enough to freak her out. Not after what she’d been through.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the bus lurched to a halt with a hiss, and the driver called out, “Robins County.”