CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Daryl pushed past me and extended her hand. “Dr. Gordon. Why are you here?”

He shook Daryl’s hand. “Because the new student fits the profile.”

I looked at Dr. Gordon’s cheek. His skin was smooth, no sign of the cut he had suffered only a day earlier. “What profile?” I asked.

“I know who you are, Nathan. Daryl alerted me to your presence on Friday when someone registered you under a false name.”

Kelly glared at Daryl, her fists tight.

Dr. Gordon waved a hand at Kelly. “No need to pour wrath on your friend. I am the head of research and development at Interfinity Labs. We handpick the brightest students in the country to come to my seminars. When Nathan’s father was murdered, I knew Nathan would go into hiding, so I asked my seminar graduates to be on the lookout for a new arrival in their schools. I told them that finding Nathan was a life-or-death emergency, so Daryl’s actions were not treacherous in the least.”

Kelly bent toward Daryl. While the two girls whispered, I looked at the breast pocket on Dr. Gordon’s blazer. It carried an emblem embroidered in gold, three infinity symbols, just like the one he wore when he was with Mictar. “You’re right about life and death,” I said, glancing around for escape routes. “One of the people looking for me tried to kill me.”

Dr. Gordon sighed. “Yes, my competition is quite aggressive.”

“Why is it that one member of your competition looks very familiar?”

“I know why you’re guarding your words. All I can say is that I am not who you think I am. We can discuss the particulars at my Chicago office, but it’s important that we go there immediately. There is much to be done and very little time to do it.”

I shook my head. “I can’t go with you. My parents’ funeral is tomorrow.”

“Yes, I know. I will arrange for overnight accommodations, and I will make sure you get to the service on time.”

“Well …” I had to dodge him somehow, long enough to throw him off my trail. “I have to go home and pack some stuff.”

“That’s not a problem. I will give you a ride.”

Kelly set her hands on her hips. “Wait just a minute. I’m not letting a stranger come to my house. You talk a good talk, and you have an official-looking emblem on your bellhop blazer, but that doesn’t mean you’re anyone we can trust.”

Standing straight, Daryl cleared her throat. “I’ll go home with them and make sure they come back here.”

Dr. Gordon shook his head. “That won’t be good enough. I’m afraid I’ll have to insist — ”

Kelly jabbed a finger at Daryl. “You just want to get your hooks into my new boyfriend.”

Daryl shoved Kelly, making her backpedal into my arms. “You don’t have the brains to compete with me, you dumb jock.”

I helped Kelly regain her balance. Their little act was too transparent to be believable. “Let’s just go and — ”

A bell sounded. A second later, students poured out of classrooms. Kelly jerked away from me and shouted at Daryl. “Don’t call me a jock, you cyberspace geek. I’ll — ”

“Cat fight!” a lanky boy yelled. Within seconds, students surrounded the combative females as they stood glaring at each other with their fists clenched.

A muscular male adult pushed through the crowd, shouting, “What’s going on here?”

Kelly thrust her finger toward Dr. Gordon. “Mr. Ryan, this pervert tried to kidnap me.”

As excited chatter buzzed through the corridor, Kelly continued, her voice meek and trembling. “When I came out of the bathroom, he was standing at the water fountain. He said I had to go with him.”

Mr. Ryan grabbed Dr. Gordon’s arm. “Let’s take a walk to the office.”

Dr. Gordon tried to shake free. “This is absurd. I assure you — ”

“Just shut up and come with me.” As he pushed Dr. Gordon along, the crowd of students funneled behind them. “Kelly,” Mr. Ryan called, looking back. “Meet us in the office. We’ll need your statement.”

Kelly grabbed Daryl’s wrist and pulled her close to me. We stood against the lockers and waited for the students to disperse. Daryl folded her hands and renewed her begging stance. “Now you’re taking me with you to the other world, right? I mean, I did what you wanted. Don’t leave me here to face Dr. Gordon when they let him go.”

“A promise is a promise.” Kelly tugged my sleeve. “We’d better hustle before they figure out what really happened.”

“What really happened, Kelly?” Steven emerged from the restroom alcove. “I know when you’re putting on a show, and that was one of your better performances.”

“Buzz off, Steven.” She turned toward the exit. “We’re in a hurry.”

Steven grabbed Kelly’s arm and jerked her toward him. “Not so fast. I want to know what’s going on.”

I pulled Kelly free and stepped between her and Steven. “You heard the lady. She said to buzz off.”

He wrapped long fingers around my throat and pushed me against the lockers. “A lady?” He laughed. “She’s got you fooled.”

“Steven!” Kelly pushed him, but he didn’t budge. “Just stop it.”

I squeezed out a choked, “Get in the car. I’ll meet you outside.”

“But — ”

“Kelly.” I curled my hand into a fist. “Just do it.”

Daryl picked up my violin, and Kelly grabbed my backpack. As they ran down the hall, Kelly called, “Don’t hurt him too badly.”

Steven loosened his grip. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”

“She wasn’t talking to you,” I said, tilting my head up to look him in the eye.

“Okay, smart guy.” He shoved me against the lockers and thrust a fist. I ducked out of the way. When his fist slammed into a locker, I grabbed his wrist, twisted his arm behind him, and bent back his thumb, applying pressure. He let out a yelp. “Let me go!”

I spun him around face to face, still holding his thumb in a torture lock. I whispered, “Kelly asked me not to hurt you.” I pushed him back, releasing the hold. “Don’t make me disappoint her.”

He massaged his thumb. “You’d better watch your back.” He then turned and hurried around a corner.

I jogged toward the main entrance. Since the student drop-off site was the only place I knew to go, I would have to pass by the office … and Dr. Gordon.

As I approached a throng of students gathered in the rotunda, I bent low and tried to sneak through the crowd. Just as I passed the office door and quick-stepped toward the exit, Dr. Gordon shouted, “There he is! That’s Nathan Shepherd!”

I burst outside and sprinted past the flagpole. When I stopped at the curb, Kelly’s Toyota peeled out of its parking space and zoomed toward me. I looked back at the school. Mr. Ryan opened the door and ran toward me, yelling, “Hold it right there!”

Kelly skidded to a stop in front of me. Daryl threw the passenger door open, and I dove headlong across the front seats. My chest landed on the center console, my legs curled across Daryl’s, and my head flopped face down in Kelly’s lap.

I twisted face up, my knees near Daryl’s nose. As heat scorched my ears, I said, “Sorry about that.”

Kelly pinned my chest with an elbow. “Just stay cool. You’re fine.”

Mr. Ryan grabbed the door handle. “Don’t move.”

“Sorry. Gotta run.” Kelly stomped the gas pedal. The car shot away, ripping the handle from Mr. Ryan’s grip. Daryl pulled the door closed and laughed, shaking me as her spasms pulsed.

Kelly covered her mouth. As she held her breath, suppressed laughing spasms jiggled my head.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, looking at her between her arms.

A wide grin spread across her face. “Oh … nothing.”

“You are!” Daryl’s cheeks turned redder than her hair. “You’re so embarrassed!”

Heat spread to my own cheeks. “Well, I’m not used to being in such awkward positions.”

“That’s perfect!” Daryl reached around my legs and clapped her hands. “That’s so perfect!”

I rose and slid over the console toward the backseat, trying to keep my balance as the car swept around a curve. “What’s so perfect?”

“You are.” Daryl turned in her seat and smiled. “I didn’t think such old-fashioned guys existed anymore.”

“Old-fashioned?” I seated myself between my backpack and violin case but kept a foot on the console’s glove box. “I’ve been called that before.”

“Daryl, you had it right the first time.” Kelly tugged on one of my shoelaces. “Perfect is the best word. He’s a perfect gentleman.”

“Thanks.” The warmth in my cheeks spiked. “I guess.”

“No problem.” She looked at me in the rearview mirror. “How did you get away from Steven? Did you have to hurt him?”

“Let’s just say I’m not at the top of his friends list.” I looked out the windshield, trying to recognize the surroundings, but everything zipped by too fast. “Where are we heading?”

“My house real quick, then I thought Chicago would be best. Catch up with Clara and see what’s going on at Interfinity. Dr. Gordon probably already knows where I live, but maybe we can grab some stuff and hit the road before he shows up.”

“What about Daryl? Won’t she need some clothes?”

“I’ll pack extra for her. She’s borrowed my clothes before.”

Daryl touched Kelly’s shoulder. “You got a fresh toothbrush I can borrow? I’ll share jeans, underwear, and soda straws, but I gotta have my own toothbrush.”

“Not a problem.”

I pulled my foot down to the floorboard. “Kelly, what did you hear when we were in the stall?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Her eyes locked with mine in the mirror. “It’s kind of … personal. It can wait.”

I reached into the front pocket of my backpack and withdrew my phone. “I’ll call Clara and get her up to speed.”

“Be sure to tell her about Dr. Gordon. He’ll probably head back to Interfinity.”

I punched in Clara’s number and waited through the trill. After the third ring, her familiar voice buzzed through the earpiece. “Yes, Nathan?”

“Where are you? At Interfinity?”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “We are. Francesca and I blended into a school group’s guided tour. I’m looking for a chance to sneak away, maybe get into the offices when they close.”

“Make sure you look for the office of Dr. Gordon, the head of research and development. He showed up at the high school looking for me, so he can’t possibly get back there in time to walk in on you. I’ll tell you more later, but we need to stay away from him no matter what.”

“Why was he looking for you?”

“Not just looking. He was going to make me come back with him to his office, but Kelly and I got away.” As the car rounded a sharp curve, I clutched Daryl’s seat. “We’ll be heading toward Chicago soon. We have to come to the funeral anyway.”

“I’ll figure out a place to meet. I assume you have your debit card, so you have plenty of money. Be sure to take care of all the travel expenses.”

“Gotcha.”

“Don’t call again,” Clara said. “I’ll estimate the time of your arrival and call you.”

“Sounds good. We’ll see you in a few hours.” I terminated the call.

As the Camry roared down the country highway, Kelly explained our story to Daryl, cutting out enough details to keep it short.

I added what happened when I first saw my parents in the coffins and the pursuit by the gunman in the Mustang, then finished with my suspicions about Dr. Gordon. “The guy who chased us in that other world looked exactly like him, but when he showed up at school he didn’t have a cut on his cheek. Until I know otherwise, he’s a murderer in my book.”

Daryl interlaced her fingers behind her head. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m coming along. Let me tell you what I know.”

“Cool your jets.” Kelly pressed the brakes and skidded into a turn down our cornfield-bordered road. “Let’s get our stuff. You can tell us the rest on the way to Chicago.”

Kelly pushed the garage opener and zoomed inside. After screeching to a halt, she closed the door, jumped out, and ran into the house with Daryl hot on her heels. I slid my backpack on and followed them through the laundry area, across the kitchen, and into the formal living room.

Kelly pointed down the hall. “Daryl, you first in the bathroom. We won’t have time for a lot of stops.”

The moment Daryl scooted away, Kelly pulled me close. “When you played in the stall, I heard your mother and father talking.” She breathed a gentle sigh. “Nathan, I’ve never heard anything like it. They love each other so much.”

I dipped my head. “Yeah. I know.”

“Anyway, your father said he was being tortured to draw you to them. They think someone named Simon is behind it, but they’re not sure.”

I refocused on her. “But Dr. Simon is dead. How could that be?”

“Your parents are dead, too, but they still seem to be talking.”

The sound of a toilet flushing came from down the hall, followed by a closing door. Kelly glanced that way and sped through her words. “They’re worried about you. Something’s gone wrong with their plan, and if you follow the clues they’ve left behind, you could be in big trouble. They said Simon might have set a trap, thinking you’ll respond to your father’s suffering and come to help him.”

Daryl peeked around the corner. “That sounds like The Empire Strikes Back. Darth Vader tortured Han Solo to get Luke to show up. That was a trap, too.”

I nodded. “And Luke went anyway. Just like I have to go now.”

Daryl flashed a thumbs up. “That’s what heroes do.” Angling her thumb toward the hall, she grinned. “Speaking of having to go, who’s next in the bathroom?”

Kelly pushed my backpack. “You go. I already went.”

“In the guys’ bathroom at school?”

“Why not?” She pushed me again. “Hurry. Then pack your stuff while I get mine. ”

I rushed through my bathroom break and picked up my toothbrush on the way out. When I arrived at my bedroom, I flipped on the desk lamp and laptop computer, threw my suitcase on the bed, and hurriedly packed it. I glanced at the mirror on the wall. Everything seemed normal. The trunk was closed. The lights stayed constant.

I pulled open a desk drawer and lifted Dad’s camera by its strap. No sense in leaving it behind for Gordon to steal. I laid it among my clothes, and, after zipping the suitcase, I slid into the desk chair and accessed the Internet. A quick search located Interfinity’s headquarters and a map to the location. Just as I clicked the print button, Kelly bustled into the room, a duffle bag strap over her shoulder and a pillow tucked under her arm.

“You ready?” she asked.

I nodded at the suitcase on the bed. “Yeah. I just sent a map to the printer.”

She set her bag and pillow down. “I’ll get it.”

I packed the laptop and grabbed my suitcase, then paused to get one more look at the mirror — still normal, a perfect reflection. This might be my last chance to see the big mirror for quite a while. Maybe I could try to get a final clue before leaving.

Moving quickly, I slid off the backpack, fished out the mirror, and reapplied it in the blank corner section. It stuck in place and sent a shimmer of light across the glass. I pulled my new violin from under the bed and took it out of its case. Then, with a few quick strokes, I played part of a Sibelius piece that had been running through my head — Finlandia.

As I watched the mirror, my eyes glowed the same way Mom’s had, though not as brightly. Soon, the glass surface flickered and transformed into a close-up of Dr. Simon’s profile. He clutched a steering wheel and bounced as if driving over a bumpy road. Beyond him, farmland whisked by. Several black-and-white cows grazed in fenced, grassy fields, and, in another lot, a big-wheeled tractor dragged a plow through rich black earth.

Simon’s lips moved. After a few seconds, his voice became audible, a slow, careful speech seemingly designed for recording.

“Nathan Shepherd, if you can hear me, you have learned that music is the key to opening a video and audio portal between worlds. You might have also learned that flashes of light allow you to move between the worlds once the portal is open.”

Kelly walked into the room and stared at the mirror. “What the — ”

“It’s Dr. Simon. Shhh.”

I played on as he continued in monotone. “You can use a flashlight, a flickering lamp, almost anything that surpasses a certain lumens minimum, but that is far too technical for this message. I need you to come here to help me stop a madman who is trying to manipulate these cross-world boundaries for his own purposes. I know you have lost your mother and father, but there is still hope. Come to this place so that we can prevent Interfinity from happening. The entire cosmos is at stake.”

Simon took a deep breath and restarted the message.

I lowered the bow and packed the violin. Within seconds, Dr. Simon’s image faded, and the mirror returned to normal. After sliding the violin case under the bed, I grabbed the screwdriver from the shelf and pried the mirror section loose again.

Kelly shivered. “I don’t like how he said that.”

“I didn’t like anything he said.” I stuffed the mirror into the backpack. “What part bothered you?”

She mimicked his deadpan tone. “The entire cosmos is at stake.”

“He’s baiting me.” I slid the backpack on and picked up my suitcase. “Listen, I saw Dr. Simon’s eyes get burned out. He’s dead, at least the guy I knew. So this one has to be a copy.”

“From the world where the copies of us died?”

“Maybe, but whoever he is, he’s probably luring me, just like my parents said.”

“So what are you going to do?”

I picked up Kelly’s bag and slung the strap over my shoulder. “Be a hero.”

“Don’t overload yourself, hero.” She grabbed her pillow and my laptop from the floor. “I’ll get these.”

We hurried out to the Camry. As the garage door rumbled open, Daryl lifted a bag into the trunk and tossed the keys toward Kelly. She caught them, hopped into the car, and started it. I shoved the other bags on top of Daryl’s and closed the trunk. When I opened the back door to get in, Daryl was already sitting there clutching Kelly’s pillow in her lap.

“Ride up front,” she said, reaching for my backpack. “When I get done with my story, I’m gonna lie down and snooze.”

I gave her the pack, climbed into the front seat, and closed the door. Kelly zoomed out of the driveway and onto the main road. When she accelerated to a safe cruising speed, she looked at the rearview mirror. “Okay, Daryl. Time to spill it. Tell us everything you know about Interfinity and Dr. Gordon.”

Daryl closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, a proud smile spreading across her face. “Interfinity used to be called StarCast. They got a lot of press about their project to send radio signals into space, you know, hoping to contact intelligent life out there.” She opened her eyes. “Remember the movie ET? This was bigger, like souped-up, extraterrestrial phone tag. Crazy, right? But, guess what? They got an answer.”

Kelly’s brow lifted. “From an alien?”

“No. That’s the weirdest part of all. They got an answer from themselves.”

“From themselves?”

“Yeah. And a whole lot quicker than they thought possible.”

“Did the signal bounce off something?” I asked. “Maybe it went in a circle.”

“Nope.” Daryl gave me a mischievous smirk. “You of all people should be able to figure it out. Keep guessing.”

“Keep guessing? That could take hours.” I leaned my head back and looked out the window. The countryside zipped by, dressed in its autumn attire — red maples, withered corn stalks, and a flock of birds migrating southward, making Vivaldi’s “Autumn” play in my mind.

The soft violins eased my tensions. I closed my eyes and imagined the notes’ arrangement on the staff, each one appearing in its proper position as it played. When the pages filled, a breeze picked them up and carried them into the sky, page after page joining in a musical chain reaching toward heaven. When the last page drifted away, I opened my eyes. “They didn’t send words into space. They sent music.”

Daryl pushed on my seat. “Smart boy.”

“What made them decide on music?” Kelly asked.

Daryl restarted her rapid-fire chatter. “They tried everything, but when they sent music, they finally got an answer, and it was the same music they sent out. So they started experimenting with different varieties. They recorded about a hundred songs, mostly classical, but some rock and country, even some polka, and they started broadcasting them in order. But do you know what happened? They received song number five on the list while they were still sending song number three.”

“So it couldn’t have been bouncing back at them,” I said.

“Brilliant deduction, Holmes.” Daryl pushed my elbow with her foot. “So after all their experiments, they came up with a wild theory. When Dr. Gordon presented his paper about it during a seminar at a fancy scientists’ convention, he got laughed out of the building, and he lost his grant from the National Science Foundation.”

“I’ll bet that ticked him off,” Kelly said.

“Definitely. He went out and got what you might call” — Daryl drew quotation marks in the air — “alternative funding from some kind of fringe group.”

“How do you know they’re fringe?”

“Are you kidding me? Anyone who would throw money at this crazy project has got to be fringe.”

Kelly looked at her again in the rearview mirror. “But you don’t think it’s crazy, right?”

“Normal people think it is, but, as you know” — Daryl pressed her thumb against her chest — “I’m far from normal.”

“No argument from the sanity section.” Kelly rolled her eyes. “Go on.”

“Anyway, Dr. Gordon sponsored this seminar for students who were interested in learning about radio telescopes and broadcasting into space, which sounded reasonable enough to a lot of teachers, so about a hundred kids showed up. But as he got to know the group, he pulled some of us aside into a special workshop and explained his newest theories.”

She lowered her voice to a dramatic whisper. “He believes there are multiple worlds exactly like ours, you know, multidimensional stuff, only they’re slightly off time-wise.” She set her palms close together. “While something happens here …” She wiggled the fingers on one hand. “It happens a little while later in one of the other worlds.” She wiggled her other fingers to match. “But it might have already happened in yet another world.”

“So that’s why they got the music before they sent it,” I said. “Copies of scientists at StarCast were sending it from another world, but the copies were ahead on the timeline.”

“Exactly.” Daryl leaned back and sighed. “It’s fun talking to smart people. I don’t have to spell everything out.”

“How many worlds are there?” Kelly asked.

“Dr. Gordon identified three, but there might be more. We tried to pry more information out of him, but he went all Gandalf on us. You know …” Daryl leaned between the front seats and glanced at Kelly and me in turn. “Keep it secret. Keep it safe.”

Kelly pushed her back with an elbow. “You and your movies.”

“Dr. Gordon seemed to be a good guy,” Daryl continued, “so when he emailed me about Nathan’s parents and said he could help find the killer, I decided to keep a lookout and tell him if Nathan showed up at our school. I heard he sent the same message to a lot of kids at other schools.” She winked at me. “I guess I got lucky.”

Kelly frowned. “You’re lucky I don’t kick your butt for keeping me out of the loop.” Watching her side mirror, she merged onto the Interstate. “Let’s just settle back and chill. We have about five hours to go.”

I closed my eyes. “What about your dad? You gonna call him?”

“Later. I’ll tell him we’re out on a date. He’ll love that.”

I opened one eye. “Really?”

“Well …” Kelly let a smile break through. “He likes you.”

“Yeah,” Daryl piped up. “And after Kelly decided to give up guys because of her mom’s running around — ”

“Daryl,” Kelly growled as she tightened her grip on the wheel. “You’re asking for it.”

“What’s the big deal? Everyone knows about your parents. Anyway, Steven decided with parents like that Kelly would be an easy target, so one night she had to put him in his place.”

Kelly’s cheeks turned bright red. “Daryl, cut it out!”

“Why? I’m complimenting you. He deserved that kick in the — ”

“Daryl! If you don’t stop it, I’ll — ”

“So Kelly said she’d never date anyone again unless the perfect gentleman came along, and that worried her dad. I guess he thought she’d turn butch or something, but since she just called you a perfect gentleman —Alakazam! Everyone’s happy.”

Kelly raised a fist. “You won’t be happy when I kick you and your motor mouth out of the car and make you walk home.”

“You wouldn’t dare. I know all your secrets.” Daryl fluffed the pillow, lay on the seat, and closed her eyes. “Wake me when we get to Illinois. I like to blow kisses at state welcome signs.”

Kelly gripped the wheel with stiffened fingers, her arms tight and her stare locked straight ahead.

I pulled my lips in. No way was I going to breathe a word. If Kelly got any hotter, steam would spew out her ears.

After a few minutes, a light snore sounded from the backseat. Kelly let out a long sigh and relaxed her grip. A tear glistening in her eye, she whispered, “I guess I don’t have much left to hide, do I?”

I gave her a slight shrug. “I didn’t hear anything bad.”

“Daryl made it sound a lot better than it was.” As she turned toward me, the tear meandered down her cheek. “I’m not the kind of girl you’d be interested in.”

“Don’t you mean …” Leaning toward her, I lowered my voice. “… you weren’t that kind of girl?”

She wiped the tear, but a new one streamed from her other eye. “Does it make any difference? What’s done is done.”

“Yeah. It makes a difference.” I rubbed a finger along the seatbelt strap, swallowing to keep my voice steady. “It makes a big difference, at least to me.”

Her lips formed a trembling smile. “Why?”

“Like you said. What’s done is done.” I lifted my shoulders in another casual shrug. “I love you for who you are now.”

Kelly’s eyes narrowed, and a hint of anger spiced her voice. “Don’t use that word on me.”

I drew back. “What word?”

“I’ve heard it too many times. My mom used it. My dad used it. Steven used it. And none of them ever meant it. They just used it.”

“You mean love?”

She brushed a fresh tear from each eye. “You can’t possibly love me yet. Don’t say it unless you really mean it.”

Not knowing how to respond, I folded my arms over my chest and slid away. Who would’ve thought I could get into trouble by using that word? I did love my new sister, so didn’t it make sense to let her know?

I gazed at her, trying to figure out the demons that stalked her mind — unfaithfulness, betrayal, abandonment. As more tears streamed, she kept her eyes focused ahead.

I let out a quiet sigh. Kelly didn’t need to hear the word; she needed to see it acted out.

Reaching under the dash, I touched the glove box. “You got any tissues in here?”

“Should be some.”

I opened the box, withdrew a pack of tissues, and handed her one. “Want me to drive for a while?”

She dabbed her eyes and nodded. “We need gas anyway.”

I yanked on the cuff of Daryl’s jeans. “Wake up, O Keeper of Dimensional Secrets. It’s time to dock the Millennium Falcon.”

Daryl yawned. “You know, you shouldn’t talk about movies so much. It gets kind of annoying.”

After stopping at a convenience store, filling up with gas, and grabbing some snacks, I set a bottle of Dr Pepper in the cup holder and started the car. “Everyone ready?”

“I am,” Daryl called from the backseat. She pulled a Hershey’s Kiss from a bag and unwrapped the foil. “Anyone want a kiss?”

“Not from you,” Kelly said. Now sitting in front on the passenger side, she leaned against the pillow squished between her head and the window, closed her eyes, and pushed my leg with her sock-covered toe. “Ask Nathan. He looks like he could use a kiss.”

I reached back. “Sure. I’ll have one.”

Daryl laid a kiss in my hand. “As you wish.”

“Thanks.” After peeling off the foil wrapper and popping the candy into my mouth, I scanned the radio dial and found a classical station. I kept the volume low, hoping the music wouldn’t activate the mirror in the back. During a soothing Chopin sonata, Daryl fell asleep, and Kelly eased into a restless doze. Her eyelids twitched from time to time, and her brow furrowed. Once, she let out a low groan and whispered something imperceptible.

I squeezed the steering wheel. Bad dreams. But it would be a shame to wake her up. With her lips pursed, her eyes closed, and her hands spread softly on her lap, she looked more like a child than a young woman. Still, she had probably experienced far more pain than any child should have to suffer.

I mentally replayed her recent love tirade. It was tragic. She couldn’t even stand hearing the word. Maybe she hadn’t experienced enough real love.

Leaning toward her, I slid my hand under hers and held it, barely touching her skin. Her fingers twitched and returned the light grasp. I caressed her knuckles with my thumb. Maybe my touch would chase the phantoms away.

Kelly gasped. Her eyes flashed open. She jerked her hand away and laid it on her chest. “I had the worst dream!”

Daryl’s heavy breathing ended with a snort. “What’s going on?”

“Kelly had a bad dream.” I looked at her. “Want to tell us about it?”

She gestured with her hands. “We were driving behind a big truck, some kind of tanker, and then we —”

A phone rang. I scanned the console and the seats. “Where did I put it?”

As the ringing continued, Kelly searched the floorboard. “Here.” She picked up my phone and gave it to me. “I’ll tell you the rest later.”

I touched the Answer icon and raised the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Nathan, are you almost here?”

“Hi, Clara. We still have about three hours to go. Why?”

“Tell Kelly to floor it. I need you to — ”

Silence followed.

“Clara?” I looked at the phone’s screen. The call had dropped.

Kelly slid closer. “What’s wrong?”

“Just a second.” I called Clara’s phone and waited through several trills. When her voice mail picked up, I disconnected and set the phone on the console. “I think Clara’s in trouble.”