45
Between sleeping late, Rachel’s mom constantly hovering, and the Sheriff questioning them again, Evie and Rachel hadn’t had a moment alone all day. Now, sitting cross-legged on the floor of Rachel’s room, Evie couldn’t help looking over her shoulder at the door. She felt trapped. They might as well be in school.
Evie walked to Rachel’s window and peered around its edges. Second story, no close trees, no overhang, no ladder. Wait a minute… Rachel’s mom was paranoid (that’s what Evie’s mom said; Rachel’s mom called it “safety conscious”). Every few months, she made the whole house do a fire drill. Evie had stayed over during one. She walked to Rachel’s dresser and reached behind it where she found—yes—a ladder. It was a folding kind that hooked under the interior windowsill, then dangle
