Dread overwhelmed me as I plugged my phone in to charge its dead battery. Trey was obviously in some kind of serious trouble, but he had still found a way to return my phone, which made me deeply regret what had happened in Henry’s truck. Trey hadn’t left a note or any other sign to indicate that he’d stopped by my house, but I figured that was for my own safety as well as his, since both of our mothers were under the assumption that he would eventually find a way to contact me. After a minute or two of my phone recharging, I was able to turn it on, and was heartbroken to discover that Trey hadn’t even left me a text note or other message on it—or anything else that might have suggested to me where he was going next or how to find him.

I needed to find him. Dealing with what had just happened at Violet’s house had to be my first priority. But finding Trey was a pretty close second.

Afraid that my mom was giving Henry the third degree in the living room, I didn’t want to leave him out there with her for too long. But, unable to resist my curiosity about whether or not I’d be able to connect with Jennie on my own phone, I popped my earbuds into my ears and tapped open my radio app. “Jennie?” I asked quietly, straining my ears over the static on our channel for her voice.

All I heard was static. I double-checked to make sure the radio app was still set to AM 1354, and my chest ached when I saw that it was.

I wondered if maybe Violet’s spirits had been able to find Jennie in the dark place while she was communicating with me during Mischa’s card trick. Maybe they’d pieced together what she’d done the first time Violet tried to predict my death, and were punishing her.

Or maybe, I desperately hoped, she had just switched communication over to a different frequency to trick the spirits, and I’d be able to find her on Mr. Richmond’s radio. I stuffed my phone and my charger into my tote, not feeling focused enough to concoct a credible lie for my mom’s benefit about where I’d found my phone.

“Be home by six, McKenna,” Mom told me as I stepped past her to leave with Henry.

“Okay, Mom.”

“You’re welcome to join us for dinner, Henry,” Mom offered as we passed through the front doorway. “I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to in Europe.”

When we climbed back into Henry’s truck, I told him, “Don’t come for dinner. I’d love the company, but it’s going to be super awkward.” I went on to explain to him that Mom had a new boyfriend who was staying with us temporarily.

“Yeah… well, speaking of super awkward, I’m warning you in advance that our house is a bit of mess. I mean, more than a bit. Thing have gotten out of control with my mom while I’ve been away, and my dad’s been encouraging her to get help, but I haven’t had a chance to clean up yet.”