She nodded. In the dim moonlight, her eyes glistened with tears. “I have to tell you something.”

“You know you can always tell me anything.”

“It’s about Gabby.”

Frank tried not to look startled. “What about her?”

“It’s just… It’s…”

“Take your time.”

Jenna took in a deep breath. “It’s hard.”

“Do you know what happened to Gabby?”

“No. Not exactly. But there are some girls at the school…” She took another breath as if each word sucked every bit of air out of her. “One girl especially, who hates Gabby.” She glanced at Frank. “I’ve heard her talk about Gabby. In mean ways. In really mean ways.”

“You think she might’ve done something?”

Jenna’s words came in short, anxious bursts. “I don’t know. I mean, sometimes I think maybe I’m overreacting, that it’s just girl stuff. But they… Nobody would believe me. Everyone thinks they’re nice girls. They say stuff, though. And do stuff. Under the radar so nobody suspects them.”

“What’s the name of the girl you think might be involved?”

Jenna’s gloved hands were at her mouth, her fingers curled against her lips.

“It’s okay. You can tell me.”

“That’s what nobody understands,” she whispered. “There are consequences.”

Frank got out of his car just as Lou Grayson pulled up.

Grayson looked around at the abandoned rest stop as he shut the door on his car. “Hey, Frank. You happen to stop for coffee?”

“No.”

Grayson nodded like he wasn’t expecting that he did. The two men joined each other on the sidewalk. Lou put his hands on his hips. “You got a tip, huh?”

“Yeah. Anybody else coming?”

“No. Left them there, didn’t want to try to relocate everyone yet. This place isn’t too terribly big. We can at least go in and look, see what we see. Maybe come back at daybreak with more people.”

“All right. You got your flashlight?”

“Yeah.”

“Beyond this rest stop there is supposedly a clearing.”

They turned on their lights and walked forward. To their right was a small, covered eating area, rotting picnic benches the only reminder that people used to use this place. Closed-up bathrooms hid underneath the shadows of a large group of trees.

Frank checked the doors. Both were chained shut. “Gabby? You in there?” He pounded on a door.

Silence.

Grayson yelled from behind the bathroom building, “Windows are sealed up. Let’s keep moving. We’ll double-check this in a little bit.”

They headed toward a line of trees, where it became dense. Limbs and vines, splashed with the blue light of the moon, tangled like lovers.

“On the other side,” Frank said, motioning with his flashlight, “is that small clearing where the girls supposedly hang out.” He pushed forward, hacking at vines, aiming his light ahead. “Gabby? You out here? Gabby?”

A sharp thorn caught Frank’s pants at the shin, ripping them and his flesh. He grabbed his leg and felt the blood ooze into his hand. There was no end in sight to these thorny weeds.

Grayson came up beside him. “There are cockleburs everywhere. This is like walking through tiny sharp spikes. We’re going to have to get some tools to clear these out before we can go forward.”

Frank grabbed Grayson’s arm. “You hear that?”

They stopped. Both men steadied themselves, and Frank drew his gun. Ahead, a sound that Frank couldn’t identify competed with the wind. Maybe a small animal?

“What is that?” Lou whispered.

“I’m going in.”

“Frank! Wait! You can’t go through those-”

“Gabby?” Frank tore through the weeds, hacking at them with his gun. Each cut stung worse than the one before, but he couldn’t stop. This was the only way. Blood soaked his pants and dribbled down each arm.

As he neared the clearing on the other side, Frank’s light hit a large tree. He stopped to listen. Moaning? Was that what he heard?

Then he saw her.

Frank fought through, breaking the remaining vines and branches. “Gabby!”

As he made his way into the clearing, the entire sight startled him to a near standstill. Her eyes, hollow and vacant, stared, unblinking. Was she dead?

“No!” Frank scrambled forward, stumbling toward her. “Gabby!”

Her hands were tied behind her, and she was gagged. She sat at the base of the tree, four ropes tying her body to it. She’d been stripped of all her clothes except a tank top and boxer shorts. She didn’t seem to be responding to the light or her name being called.

“Lou!” Frank shouted. “I found her! Get some medical attention!”

He heard Grayson radioing in the call as he threw off his coat. He approached her slowly, cautiously laying his coat over her. Her hand was ice-cold. He pulled the gag off her mouth and gently patted her cheek. “Can you hear me?”

Her gaze suddenly shifted to the left. She stared directly at him, through him, still unblinking. Her lips, a deep purple, moved slightly as if she was trying to speak.

Relief flooded Frank so fast and hard, tears stung his eyes. “We’re here. You’re going to be all right. Just stay with me, okay? I’m going to cut the rope.” He hurried to the other side of the tree. His hands were so cold he had a hard time sawing.

Frank rushed back to the girl. He took her hands and rubbed them and her arms as fast as he could. Her skin, already fair, looked ghostly white against the moonlight. A dark blue half circle hung under each eye.

Her lips moved again. Breath froze right in front of her face.

“Gabby, it’s okay. I’m here. My name is Frank.”

“Help me…,” she whispered.

In the distance, the siren’s scream grew louder.

“Help is on the way. Hang in there.”

Her eyes closed. Her mouth gaped open.

“No, Gabby, no! You’ve got to stay with me! Stay awake!”

He heard Grayson hacking his way through the shrubs. Soon he was at the tree with a blanket from his car. “They’re on their way,” Grayson said.

Frank covered her with the blanket and pulled her next to him to try to get more heat to her. Her limp body leaned against his, her head resting against his collarbone. “Hang in there. You can’t die. Open your eyes. Meredith, look at me.”

Grayson stepped forward. “Her name is Gabby.”

Frank looked up, a startle electrocuting his heart. What had he said?

Grayson eyed him for a moment, then pulled out his phone and took a piece of paper out of his pocket.

Frank continued to rub her arms and hands. Color was starting to return to her skin. Her teeth chattered. Frank stroked her hair.

Grayson dialed a number. “Mr. Caldwell, Captain Grayson here… We’ve found Gabby… Yes, sir. She’s alive but in need of medical attention… I think so, but we need to get her to the hospital… The ambulance is here now. I’ll give you more details at the hospital.”

The quiet night air was undone by sirens and commotion. Within minutes, a dozen police officers, firefighters, and EMTs had arrived on scene.

“We can’t get the gurney through here,” one of the EMTs said, as he wrapped a silver thermal blanket around Gabby.

“I’ll carry her out,” Frank said. “See if you can get the firefighters to chop through some of those vines and branches.”

Gabby’s cheeks suddenly flushed, and her lips turned pink. Her wide eyes dimmed a little, but she looked peaceful. She gripped Frank’s arm. “Thank you.”

Frank shoved his arms under her and stood, lifting her off the ground. She was lightweight. She buried her face in his chest as the lights shone on her. Frank made his way through the shrubbery, holding her tight. The warmth of the blanket helped his body warm up too. He could finally feel his hands again.

Once he made it through the trees, a stretcher was there waiting. He carefully laid her on it and brushed her hair out of her face. For the first time, he noticed what a beautiful, innocent-looking young woman she was. Big brown eyes blinked at him. “I was praying and praying. I thought I was dead. You’re my answer. You got here just in time.”