Grace helped Maria inside and eased her down onto the bed, pulling over a chair to sit across from her.
“What happened?”
“The police just called me… they found Rachel Collins…” Grace’s face was pale as a sheet.
Maria blinked in surprise. Wasn’t she supposed to be on the run? That was quick. Still, if she got caught, a few years in prison at most.
“We should go see her later. Before I leave Cloud City, I want to say goodbye.”
Grace shook her head, her voice cracking. She looked down and started picking at her fingers. “We can’t. She’s gone.”
“What?” Maria almost shot up from the bed, completely stunned. “No way. She just told me last night she was running off, starting over in a new place where no one knew her. How could she be dead?”
Grace pulled up a fresh news arti
