‘You know what’s really sad? That complete strangers are more concerned than her own father that something may have happened to her.’

Holly didn’t know what to say because her best friend was right. Just last night, Sophie and her mom had been with her Aunt Natalia when she’d called Jersey’s dad to give him an update, and all he’d had to say was, ‘Listen, I’m sure she’s fine. She’s probably just doing what I’m doing, dropping off the grid and kicking back with some friends. If she’s not back by the time I return in a couple of weeks…’

Jersey’s mom had cut him off. ‘I highly doubt your daughter has flown the coop with her half-her-age girlfriend. You disgust me. This is a new low, even for you. You’d rather get laid in some exotic location than come home and help search for your missing daughter. But that’s fine. At least we know now to stop wasting our energy on keeping you in the loop.’

Enraged, Sophie had climbed into her car and driven straight to Holly’s where she’d ended up sleeping over since her mother had been staying with Aunt Natalia since Monday night. According to Sophie, Natalia was too afraid to leave the house in case Jersey came home or the police came calling. Sophie had planned on staying with her as well but hadn’t been able to deal with Aunt Natalia’s constant pacing up and down the halls or opening and closing Jersey’s door every fifteen minutes as if she expected her daughter had somehow slipped in without her noticing.

This morning, Holly and Sophie sent a text to Leigh Ann asking if she wanted to come over and help them put up more flyers around town. The three of them had already posted them all around the university, including the student union building and all the restaurants and businesses in the area. They’d been discussing where they wanted to focus next when the news had captured their attention.

Just as Holly finished dividing the colorful flyers into stacks of three, the doorbell rang, and all three girls jerked their heads in the direction of the front door. Holly threw a puzzled look at her friends before moving to peer through the peephole in the door. Beau Cambridge, the last person she would’ve expected to be standing on her front porch, twisted the enormous class ring on his finger, his head turned to one side, staring at something only he could see as he waited for someone to answer the door.

‘What the hell is he doing here?’

‘Who is it?’ Sophie asked even as she peeked through the window to find out for herself. ‘What the hell!’ She released the wooden blinds so quickly, they slapped against the window hard, the blast of sound like a small explosion in the room.

Face flushed, Holly disengaged the locks and threw open the door, startling Beau. He swung around, eyes widening the second he spotted Sophie and Leigh Ann behind her. He angled his body away from them and back towards his Jeep, glancing at it before turning back to Holly. ‘Um, this was a bad idea. I probably shouldn’t have come.’