Alice's heartbeat dropped.
This was it.
This was the move.
The message. The warning. The "check."
The thumbs-up emoji Nora sent her it wasn't just weird. It was wrong. It wasn't Nora. It was never Nora.
Lee's words blurred in her ears, his panic filling the doorway like a thundercloud, but all Alice could hear was the pounding in her head.
"She's not at her parents'. Not answering her phone Alice, please tell me she's with you-"
"No," she whispered, eyes wide. "No. Oh my God, no."
Her phone slid from her hand and hit the tiled floor with a sickening crack. She didn't reach for it. Couldn't.
Travis stepped forward. "Lee, calm down. When last did you speak to her?"
Lee was shaking. "Before she went to meet Alice. After that nothing. She's always texting. Even if she's annoyed, she texts. Now nothing."
Alice's knees buckled, but Travis caught her just in time.
"She texted me," she whispered.
"When?" Lee asked sharply.
