Dropping to her knees, she scurried over the sleeping bags. She grabbed the flashlights, then the water bottle. Her mouth was parched. She wanted to drink, but doubted that she would be able to swallow. Out of breath, panting and sobbing at the same time, she figured she would choke.
Blinking to clear her eyes, she glanced around the encampment wondering if there was anything else she should take.
The lantern?
No. The flashlights would be good enough for now. Besides, she didn’t know how she might manage it along with the big plastic water bottle and the two flashlights.
Finley’s camera? Why bother?
She scurried to her feet and rushed into the trees. As she made her way through the woods, another fantasy forced itself into her mind. She would break out of the trees and see the others waiting in front of the lodge. And Helen would be standing there among them. Fat and homely in her black swimsuit. Smiling and beautiful. Waving. Calling, ‘What took you so long?’
Abilene knew it wouldn’t happen.
But it might.
She trotted out of the trees, the water bottle sloshing at her side, and gasped when she saw her friends standing in front of the lodge just as she’d imagined them. Vivian, all in white as if ready to prance onto a tennis court. Cora, as if dressed for a game of basketball in her tank top and shorts. Finley, looking like a tomboy in her safari suit. Helen, doughy white, bulging out of her black swimsuit - smiling, waving.
Then they were crouching over Abilene.
She was on her back, looking up at them.
At Finley and Vivian and Cora.
Cora, bare to the waist, was patting Abilene’s cheeks and brow with the moist rag of her tank top.
‘Are you okay?’ Finley asked.
‘Where’s Helen?’
‘We’ll find her,’ Cora said.
‘But she was with you.’
‘If only,’ Vivian muttered.
‘I saw her.’
‘You passed out, kiddo,’ Finley said, and gently squeezed her shoulder.
‘I what?’
‘Fainted. What do you think you’re doing on the ground?’
‘You… She wasn’t with you?’
From the looks on their faces, Abilene knew the answer.
‘You’d better drink some water,’ Cora said. ‘You’re probably dehydrated.’
‘You gave us an awful scare,’ Vivian said. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘I… thought she was with you.’
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Cora helped her sit up. Vivian uncapped the water bottle and handed it to her, but Abilene only rested it on her lap, still too breathless to drink.
Looking concerned, Vivian asked Cora, ‘Do you think it might be heat stroke or something?’
‘I doubt it. Like I said, probably just dehydration. And tension.’
‘What’s to be tense about?’ Finley muttered.
‘Her eyes are all bloodshot. What’s that a symptom of?’
‘I’ve… been crying.’
‘Oh,’ Vivian said. Suddenly her chin began to shake. The corners of her mouth turned down and tears shimmered in her green eyes.
Looking embarrassed, Finley patted her on the back and murmured, ‘Hey hey hey. Come on.’ To Abilene, she said, ‘Now look what you’ve started.’
‘Drink some of that water,’ Cora said.
Abilene took a deep breath, then lifted the bottle and filled her mouth with warm water.
‘We oughta get you into the shade. Let you rest a while.’
After swallowing, she said, ‘We’ve gotta find Helen.’
‘We will. We will.’
‘We already checked in the lodge,’ Finley said.
‘Not much of a search,’ Cora added, ‘but at least we went in for a quick look around and called her name a few times. She might be in there, but…’
‘We can take a better look later,’ Finley said.
‘Come on, let’s get you to your feet.’
Finley took the water bottle, capped it, and picked up the two flashlights. Cora shook open her tank top and pulled it down over her head. Then she and Vivian clutched Abilene by the arms and helped her up. She felt light-headed. Her heart was pounding rapidly. She was weak and shaky all over. But the girls held onto her, guiding her toward the lodge.
They lowered her onto the steps of the porch. Cora picked up her tire iron, which she’d left on the top step. Then they all sat down in the shade.
‘How you doing?’ Finley asked.
‘I’ll be fine if Helen shows up.’ Leaning forward, she braced her elbows on her knees and rubbed her face. ‘You didn’t find… anything… inside?’
‘Some wet places. You know, in the hall and lobby. Just places where we dripped last night bringing the stuff up from the pool.’
‘I took a quick look around upstairs.’ Cora shook her head. ‘I don’t think she’s in the lodge.’
‘If she is,’ Finley added, ‘she couldn’t answer when we called.’
Couldn’t answer. Because she wasn’t there? Or because she was unconscious or dead?
‘Maybe… she’s being held captive. In one of the rooms. Maybe she’s gagged, or something.’
‘It’s possible,’ Cora said. ‘But what we think is that she was taken into the woods. Probably out behind the lodge, somewhere. We were just talking about it when you came along and… passed out.’
‘It’s only a theory,’ Vivian muttered.
‘We know she didn’t go off on her own,’ Finley said. ‘Not without her shoes. So somebody had to take her. It was probably that kid. Maybe with some friends. But whoever it was, he had to know about the rest of us. And he’d know that the lodge is the first place we’d come looking for her. So if he didn’t want to deal with the rest of us, he’d hurry and get her away from here.’
‘Into the woods,’ Cora said.
‘She might’ve… just gone along with him,’ Vivian suggested. ‘You know? There’s no reason, really, to think that he forced her. Or hurt her. Maybe she went willingly. Maybe he’s a nice kid and they got talking, and she just… went with him somewhere.’
‘She would’ve put on her shoes,’ Finley said.
‘Not necessarily. I mean, if it wasn’t something like that, then…’ Vivian hesitated. Voice trembling, she went on. ‘Then she isn’t going to be all right. She’s probably… she’s probably already been raped. She might even be…’
‘Cut it out,’ Cora broke in. ‘Let’s not go off the deep end. We don’t know what happened. Maybe nothing, and she’ll just turn up.’
‘Here’s the thing,’ Finley said, a sudden eagerness in her voice. ‘Look, we’re assuming she was attacked.
