Loretta glanced toward Gabby’s hand. “Do you need to take that call?”

“Ignore it. It’s just . . .” Gabby looked down at the screen. Jessa’s last three texts said the same exact thing.

SOS!!

“Well?” Loretta asked.

Gabby didn’t know if Jessa was trying to save herself or if something actually had happened. For a few charged seconds, Gabby toyed with ignoring the message, turning the damn phone off, and continuing with the confrontation. Then Jessa sent one more text.

I found what we need.

Gabby stood up. “I have to go.”

“You waited all afternoon to see me.” Loretta’s voice stayed even, but she was a smart woman. Her eyes gave her away. So intelligent. Savvy.

“My mistake.” Gabby was almost at the door.

“Sit down, Gabby. We’ll talk.”

Gabby ignored the order and walked faster. “There’ll be time for that soon.”

Chapter Sixty-Eight
The Foundation

The women gathered in their regular meeting space, only with more fidgeting and whispering than usual. A restless energy filled the air. The tension wound and tightened even as they greeted one another.

Before the leader could start the meeting, Dr. Downing, the child psychologist, spoke up. “The ongoing need for emergency sessions is a grave concern.”

“Would you rather not be informed about the latest issues?” Retta asked.

“Your attitude doesn’t ease my worries.”

Retta exhaled, clearly trying to bring her annoyance at being questioned under control. “My apologies. This has been a very trying few days, dealing with the fallout.”

“We all voted for her conditional membership,” another member, this one a prosecutor, said. “We all bear responsibility for our choice.”

Retta relaxed, settling back into her chair. “We’ve been monitoring our potential member’s email and phone conversations. She’s been under surveillance, and her mood is much improved since our intervention, but, despite warnings, she is engaging in behavior that could have a negative impact on the group.”

“How so?” Dr. Downing asked.

The job of answering the questions fell to Retta because she was the member who had submitted Jessa’s name for consideration. More than once. As the sponsoring member, Retta had to answer for Jessa’s actions. “I brought transcripts of the communications. The originals are in this folder, along with some photographs.”

The women leaned in, each examining the evidence Retta had brought to the table. Their expressions ranged from unreadable to concerned.

“We need to take another vote.” Retta handed a thin file to each member. “We should take some time to walk through the gathered evidence to avoid making a second mistake.”

The women started reading. A few rechecked the original emails. All studied the evidence.

“We must act quickly.” Retta hesitated before continuing. “But this needs to be our final decision on the issue of Jessa Hall.”

Chapter Sixty-Nine
Jessa