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hate it too and would find it unforgivable that he’d let them into her private space. If there was any chance it could lead to them finding her, he'd accept responsibility. Even if it meant she'd want to kill him. “You should start with our school, Twain High,” Bray said. If the police were here, Lil's father must have told them about the strange visitor.
    “We have an officer investigating at the school. The first two hours are the most crucial. Is there anything else you can tell us?” the younger officer asked, pulling out a pad of paper to take notes. “Did you see who picked her up? Does she have a boyfriend?”
    “No, I didn't see who picked her up. No, she doesn't have a boyfriend.” Bray would know if she was dating someone.
    The officer wrote down a few notes. “Do you have any idea where she might have gone?”
    “No. I tried to call her, but she's not answering her phone.”
    The officer glanced down at the pad in his hand. “Yes, Mr. Porter called us already and gave us her number. It's going directly to voice mail. Are there any problems at home or in school?”
    “No, she loves her family. They get along pretty well.”
    “Pretty well?” the officer asked, raising an eyebrow.
    “Lil is independent, but she wouldn't go anywhere without telling someone,” Bray said.
    Suddenly, Mr. Porter yanked the front door wide open and rushed inside the house. Jamey ran into her father's arms.
    “We'll find her,” he said, reassuring himself as much as his daughter. “I called all her friends, but no one's seen her since this afternoon at school.”
    The officer thanked Bray before walking over to Lil's father, questioning him next.
    Bray stayed a few minutes, trying to imagine where she could have gone. The only thought he had was an impossibility. He remembered the dream that had terrified her and the fact she'd brought back a trace of something, a polished fingernail. He couldn't tell Lil's family about the dream. They'd think he was crazy. Maybe he was, because it couldn’t be real. There had to be a plausible explanation. Someone had snuck into her bedroom. Some disgusting pervert painted her fingernail and stalked her until they were certain no one would believe her. Then they abducted her. Nausea gurgled in the pit of Bray’s stomach, and he could feel bile rising, unwelcome in his throat. Flinging the door open in a rush, he lunged outside and vomited on the front lawn.
    Bray headed down the street, needing some fresh air and time alone. He couldn't stop thinking about Lil. Who would pick her up from school, and why would she go with them? He walked faster, kicking a stone in the center of the street, turning away from the main road toward the forest. He glanced up, staring at the large expanse of nothingness. She'd seen the mystery boy at the clearing by the school. Bray's heart skipped a beat. It was the first place they should have checked—the forest.
    Bray walked through the forest. His eyes searched the bone-dry ground for any evidence that Lil had been there earlier, but he found nothing—no broken branches, no footprints. Those were the only tricks he learned from watching hours of crime dramas on television. What a waste.
    From within the forest, a dirt path caught his attention. Bray jogged over, spotting tire tracks, but he couldn't make out how old they were. Had Lil been here? Was she dragged by a lunatic into the forest? Maybe whoever picked her up drove her through the forest? He was grasping at any shred of evidence he could, but nothing pointed to Lil. He followed the path, stopping when the tracks vanished along the road. Where had the vehicle gone? Things didn't just disappear.
    “Help!” The voice was undoubtedly Lil’s.
    Bray spun around in the forest. He couldn't see their subdivision. There was no way the police would hear either of them scream.
    “Lil!” Bray shouted for his best friend. If he could hear her, then she could hear him.
    There was a slight whirl,