Katy sat up straighter, her hand stiffening in Victoria’s. “What did he ask her to do?” Panic rang in her tone.

“No! Nothing sexual. Not like that. I didn’t get that vibe from the conversation at all.” She crinkled her nose in thought, looking out the window. “It had to do with his parents. He was trying to avoid them and asked her for help. She’d told me she didn’t know him that well.”

“Then why did he ask her?”

“That’s what I asked her. I told her he must have closer friends he could ask. She did say he was worried about some sort of punishment from his parents.”

Katy didn’t relax. “How horrible to put that sort of guilty request on her. But I don’t think she took your advice. She gave someone a ride this morning, and I’ve talked to all her girlfriends. None of them have heard from her.”

“Maybe the thing to ask them is if she has a new boyfriend or has been talking about a boy.”

“That’s what Detective Callahan said, too,” Katy admitted. “But I’m afraid she’s in trouble.” She looked at the kitchen window. “This rain has been insane. There’s flooding all over the place. Maybe she got stranded.” Her voice lowered. “What if someone took her somewhere? What if whoever she gave a ride to had different ideas?”

The door between the garage and kitchen opened. Seth entered, stomping his wet shoes on her large mat. “Katy, you had a street drain clogged out front. I managed to move the debris with a branch. The thing was packed with leaves. That lake out there should vanish in a minute.” He looked up, his gaze flickering from the women’s grasped hands to their faces. “What’s happened?”

“Trinity’s missing. No one’s seen her since this morning and her phone is either off or dead,” Victoria stated.

His eyes filled with concern, and he shrugged out of his wet coat. “You’ve talked to her friends?”

Katy patiently updated him. His frown grew deeper as he listened.

“This isn’t right.” He squeezed Katy’s shoulder, holding her gaze. “We’ll find her.”

Victoria’s heart melted. He’s a good man.

“I’m freaking out,” said Katy, her eyes wide. “What if the same person who killed those girls got Trinity? She told the police Brooke was with a photographer. What if he decided Trinity saw or knows too much about him? What if this person contacted her for a ride?” Hysteria elevated her tone.

Victoria bit her lip. Why hadn’t she asked Trinity more questions this morning instead of giving advice? Police had theorized a man had used the photography cover to recruit the girls. What if Trinity had fallen for a similar ploy?

Katy stood. “I’m going to go call her friends again. God help them if I find out one of them is hiding Trinity’s relationship with a boy or knows more about this photographer. They better understand how serious this is.” She left the room.

“This isn’t good,” Seth said. He pulled Victoria out of her chair and into his arms in a deep hug, kissing her forehead. “God, I’m glad my Eden made it home safe and sound. And I’m thankful I was blissfully unaware she was missing for a few hours when her mom couldn’t reach her. I would have been sick with worry. Exactly how Katy is feeling right now.”

“I’m worried,” Victoria whispered into his neck. “I’m afraid she might have done something stupid, trying to help this friend. What if it wasn’t a friend? What if Katy is right that someone is upset with what she told the police?”

Her cell phone vibrated inside her big bag. She reluctantly pulled out of Seth’s arms to address it. An unfamiliar number showed on her screen. Trinity?

“Hello?”

“Ms. Peres?” An old man’s voice came through her cell. “My name is Cecil Adams. A reporter contacted me, saying he was helping you search for your birth parents.”

Victoria’s heart jumped. “Yes. Michael Brody is helping me.”

“That was his name. He called me asking about some records of the Leader’s Way church. He was wondering if any of the records still existed from when they used to organize adoptions.”

“Yes. I knew mine was through the Leader’s Way church from the coast.” Her parents had continued to attend until she was nearly ten. Her memories were faint.

“Well, I’ve kept a lot of things. You’re not the first to come searching for adoption records over the years. I’ve helped out a few times.”

Victoria exhaled. Would he have a record of her parents’ names? Would Isabel Favero be on it?

“Are you the pastor?”

Seth was watching her conversation closely. She covered the phone with her hand. “Michael found someone with the church records,” she whispered. His eyes lit up and she tilted the phone away from her ear so he could hear the other half of the conversation.

“Oh, no. He passed away a while back. The records have been stored in my barn since the fire destroyed the original building twenty-five years ago.”

“They’ve been in a barn that long? Are they legible?” Images of water damage and mold crept into her mind. She remembered the church had burned soon after her parents had left.

“Oh, yes. It’s dry and the containers are waterproof. Last time I dug through them was about six months ago. Everything looked good.”

“Do you think you could go look for—”