I started frantically throwing the trash on the floor into the bin as Jess left the kitchen. I heard the door to the garage open and close and stole another look outside. Melissa caught my eye and made a discreet sweeping motion across her neck. Kill me. I held up a finger and then rotated my hand around, giving her the signal to stall. Usually, she would have been inside a long time ago, seeing what was going on and trying to help. But tonight, her help was occupying and entertaining Heather.

Then two things happened at once: I picked up a carton of used eggshells, some of the leftover whites dripping down my front, and I heard a buzzing sound coming from the garage. Then a cry for help.

“What the—” I stood up and jogged over to the garage door, the buzzing growing louder. “Jess?” I reached for the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. In the garage, I heard Jess yelping, “Help!”

“What’s going on? Open the door!” I said. I heard a metallic crash from the other side as a buzzing came and went, like something flying past the door on the other side. I pounded on the door again. “Jess! Open the door!”

I smacked my hand against the door and desperately tried to jiggle the handle to open it.

“Amy!” she said from the other side.

I kicked the door and it didn’t budge, but I felt a shot of pain from my toes. It was a heavy-duty fireproof door made of metal covered in white faux wood.

I heard her call my name again, sounding more terrified. I screamed for Del as I ran over to the sliding glass door and yanked it open. The crowd looked up in unison and scrambled to their feet. Del brushed past me, nearly knocking me over as he ran to the garage door.

“Jess, open the door!” He pounded a fist on it and tried the handle to no avail. “Jess!”

Everyone was crowded around the door, talking and yelling at once. Melissa grabbed my arm, hard.

“What’s going on?” she said as her fingers gripped my biceps.

I shook my head. “I have no idea. She’s trapped in there, though.”

“Del, the garage door. Open it from the outside with the code,” Mark said, and pointed to the front door.

Del sprinted out the front door and raced across the yard to the driveway.

“Hang on, Jess, Del’s getting you out,” I called with my cheek pressed to the garage door.

She screamed in response. Then the buzzing stopped, and we heard the clanking of the garage door opening from the other side. I ran out the front door, Melissa and everyone else at my heels. I stopped suddenly when I got to the driveway and saw what had happened in the garage. Heather muttered a curse under her breath.