Holly cut her best friend off. ‘Sophie, come on. We might be mad at her right now, but really, Leigh Ann and Beau? She’s the patient one among us. Do you really think she’d do that to Jersey?’

Sophie snorted. ‘I didn’t think she’d withhold information that might help us find Jersey. And why is she telling your mom now? Unless she thinks Beau’s involved somehow? And if she’s afraid Beau’s involved, why would she invite him into your house?’ By the end of her rant, she was screaming, forcing Holly to hold the phone away from her ear.

Tears of frustration sprang to her eyes. Sophie was right. ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered.

‘Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m done with her. Done. This goes beyond a simple betrayal. I mean, what if she really is protecting him?’

If Leigh Ann knew something more, would she really have held it in this long? Holly wanted to say no, but after this bombshell, she didn’t know what to believe anymore.

An image of the third girl flashed in her mind, and she gasped. ‘Oh my gosh, Sophie, the thirteen-year-old who just went missing. She lived near Jersey, right?’ Was Beau another Evan Bishop? Was he capable of something that evil? The blood drained from her face so fast, dizziness slammed into her, forcing her to sink onto her bed before she fell.

Sophie’s gasp mimicked her own. ‘Do you think your mom knows? What am I saying? Of course, she does. What does all this mean?’ Her best friend’s voice wobbled. ‘What if she really is…?’ She couldn’t finish the word neither of them wanted to think.

‘I wish my mom could tell me what’s going on, beyond what’s on the news already.’

‘Me, too. Listen, my mom is at Aunt Natalia’s again, and I’m going to head over there for a while. Do you want me to swing by and pick you up and we can go together?’

For a brief second, Holly toyed with the idea, but decided not to. ‘Thanks, but I think I’m going to tell Mom and Dad tonight about my decision to attend UNM instead of Cornell.’

‘Wow. Do you want me to come over there instead, give you moral support? I can go to Aunt Natalia’s after.’

‘Thanks, but I think I need to do this on my own. I’ll call you later and let you know how it goes. Hug your mom and aunt for me.’ After they ended their conversation, Holly’s thoughts returned to Jersey and Beau.

Had Jersey contacted him that night like Holly, Sophie, and Leigh Ann suspected she would? Had Beau picked her up? Had he tried to force her to give in to his demands and they’d fought again? Had things gotten so out of hand he’d…

Holly’s stomach twisted itself into a pretzel, but she forced herself to concentrate, to think like her mom might, which was what she’d been doing, up until about half an hour ago.