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"How did you find me?"

"The note."

Her focus snaps back to me. "The note?"

"The one hidden in Ben's book."

A change flashes across her face. Relief hits first, so strong it almost buckles her. Then the relief burns away, replaced by a fresh wave of worry. "You found it?"

"I found it."

She closes her eyes and exhales. "Good. I wanted someone else to find it."

I stare at her. "What do you mean?"

Instead of answering, she looks past me again. Cars roll through the intersection. A cyclist splashes through a puddle. A woman wrestles an umbrella that's losing a fight with the weather. Maggie watches all of it as if every stranger might matter.

"Maggie."

She turns back to me.

The fear in her eyes settles into place, and pieces I've been trying to force together suddenly click. I still don't know what happened. I don't know where she's been or why she disappeared. I don't know who's involved.

I know she's terrified.

I know this fear didn't start today.

"Maggie," I say, gentler this time. "Talk to me."

Her composure gives way around the edges. She presses her lips together and shakes her head.

"I can't be here." The response comes too quickly, like she's already had the argument with herself. "We need to go somewhere else."

I glance toward the resource center.

Briggs stands near the entrance with his hands tucked into his coat pockets. He's giving us space while keeping watch over the situation in that annoyingly competent way he does.

He catches my eye and lifts his phone slightly.

"I've already called the others," he calls. "Take your time."

Relief loosens something tight inside my chest. I lift a hand and point toward a small park half a block away, where a cluster of trees offers a little privacy from the street. "There."

Maggie follows my gesture. Her gaze stays there for a beat before she nods. "Okay."

Five minutes later, Maggie and I sit beneath a covered picnic shelter overlooking a stretch of rain-darkened grass. The Seattle skyline disappears behind layers of gray clouds, and the weather feels determined to make this conversation as miserable as possible.

Briggs, Torin, and Ashby give us space. They're far enough away that Maggie doesn't have to lower her voice, but I can still see them across the park. Ashby keeps glancing in our direction every thirty seconds, which is probably the longest he's ever gone without checking on a crisis.

Maggie notices them too. "Friends?"

Heat creeps into my face before I can stop it.

Fantastic.

My missing sister resurfaces after six weeks, and somehow I'm still capable of embarrassing myself.

"That's a complicated question."