Frost rolled off the sofa and stumbled to the dining room table, where he’d left his phone. “Herb, what time is it?”
“Almost two. I’m sorry to wake you up.”
“Don’t worry about it. What’s going on?”
“Street Twitter came through.”
Frost was instantly awake. “What did you find out? Did someone see Lucy?”
“No, but a guy wearing that creepy mask gave twenty bucks to a homeless vet to pass along a message.”
“What message?” Frost asked.
His friend hesitated, didn’t answer.
“Herb? Come on, what was the message?”
“It may be nothing. This guy may just be playing games with you.”
“Tell me.”
“He said if you want to find what you’re looking for, ask Katie.”
Frost’s fist clenched. He breathed in and out. “I have to go,” he told Herb.
“Listen to me. He’s just getting inside your head. That’s what he’s trying to do.”
“I have to go,” Frost repeated. “Thanks, Herb. Really.”
He hung up the phone, and he stood in the nighttime chill of the house. If the Night Bird wanted to get inside Frost’s head, he’d succeeded. Frost knew exactly where to look for Lucy.
She was in the backseat of a car near Ocean Beach.
That was where he’d found his sister’s body.
36
Near Ocean Beach, the thunder of the waves was unrelenting. Frost got out of his SUV and felt salty spray on his face. The long stretch of the Great Highway down the hill from Cliff House was deserted, but Frost could feel the Night Bird watching him. Somewhere in the darkness of the beach, or on the rocky trails of Sutro Heights above him, the man had binoculars to spy on his prey.
The stretch of sand here was wide, flat, and seemingly endless, like a cold imitation of Santa Monica. He shivered as the damp chill got inside his bones. Across the street, he spotted one lonely car in the beachfront parking lot. It was an imperial-blue Chevy Malibu. This was no accident; the Night Bird had done his research. Katie had driven the same kind of car.
He ran the vehicle plate. The car had been stolen three days ago. It was all part of the plan.
Frost called for backup, but he didn’t wait for the sirens. He had to know. Ocean wind screeched in his ears, and a headache pounded behind his eyes. He crossed the street toward the Malibu, just like he’d done once before, when a mysterious phone call took him here. In the middle of the night. Six years ago.
Are you looking for Katie?
Yes, I am. How did you—
She said she’s waiting for you at Ocean Beach.
What? Who is this?
A cloud of sand rose off the beach and blew grit into his face. White surf undulated from the water. His chest felt heavy. Time drew out, making each step a journey against an invisible tide. He didn’t want to get there. He didn’t want to see what was waiting for him.
Streaks of mud crusted over the car’s blue paint. He saw a single sentence scrawled in the dirt of the rear window. The same awful question.
What’s your worst memory?
Frost remembered everything about that night. Every sensation was tattooed on his brain. The blue-and-green wool of the blanket in the backseat, covering Katie. The cool metal of the door handle. Her torso spilling out, head nearly severed, blood everywhere, like a red ocean. The wail of his own screams.
He pulled open the rear door of the Malibu, and his heart seized. Again, again, again. A blanket covered Lucy’s body. Blue-and-green wool in the same diamond design. He knelt down, using both hands to peel back the blanket to reveal her face, and there she was. Eyes closed. Perfect and peaceful. He put two fingers on the soft skin of her neck, and he found—
A heartbeat. She was alive.
Frost yanked the blanket from her body. She wore the same outfit as when he’d last seen her. Cropped jeans. Striped top. Gently, he lifted her torso and climbed into the back of the car beside her. He rustled her shoulders and whispered her name.
“Lucy... it’s Frost. Lucy, wake up.”
Her eyes blinked open and closed. And open again. She tried to focus, but her gaze wandered, as if she were following the buzz of a fly. Her limbs squirmed. A groan rumbled from her throat.
“Lucy. It’s me.”
She shook off the fog. Her fingers rubbed her face and left pink impressions on her skin. Through dry lips, she said, “Frost?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t — where are we?”
“Long story. Do you remember anything? What’s the last thing you remember?”
Her eyes blinked again. “I don’t even know.”
“That’s okay. Hang on. I’m getting you out of here.”
Frost climbed out of the car and listened for the wail of an ambulance, but he heard nothing. He leaned in again and put his arms under Lucy’s knees and around her back. Instinctively, she clung to his neck and let him carry her out of the car. He kicked the door shut with his foot and half ran across the Great Highway back to his Suburban. Part of him wanted to scream at the Night Bird, knowing the man was watching him.
Why are you doing this?
At his truck, he eased Lucy into the front seat, just as he’d done once before, atop the Bay Bridge. He called in an update and threw his phone on the seat between them. He headed east, driving fast and using his siren to cruise uphill through the stop signs. The nearest hospital was on the other side of Golden Gate Park, three miles away. Lucy stared vacantly through the windshield as the city flashed by on both sides. He kept looking at her as he drove, but she didn’t look back at him. Pieces of a puzzle worked their way through her brain.
Finally, she said, “He took me?”
Frost nodded. “Yes.”
Lucy was silent again as he sped through two more intersections, and then she went on: “How long?”
“More than twenty-four hours.”
“An entire day,” she murmured. “I don’t remember any of it.”
“What do you remember?”
“I–I remember picking out a dress. To meet you. I draped it across the bed. After that, nothing.”
He glanced at the expression on her face, which was intense, as if thinking hard would bring everything back.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“The hospital. I want you checked out.”
Frost kept driving through the residential neighborhoods, which were empty of traffic. The up-and-down hills made a roller coaster, and the Suburban nearly left the ground as he shot over each peak. He made good time. He was already turning toward the emergency room on the east end of the park when Lucy suddenly grabbed his arm and said in an urgent voice, “Frost, stop!”
He swung the SUV sharply to the curb opposite the University of San Francisco campus. “What is it? Are you okay?”
Lucy unhooked her safety belt and scrambled across the seat. She threw her arms around him and leaned into his neck. He could feel the heat of her skin. Her body shivered, and her breathing was crazy fast. “Frost, I’m scared. What did he do to me? What did he put in my head?”
“You tell me. Is there anything? Any memories? Any feelings?”
“No! It’s all blank! I need to know what he did. We can’t wait. Whatever it is, we need to get it out.”
“I can call Dr. Stein and ask her to meet us there. She’s the expert.”
Her reaction was volcanic. “No! No, not her, not her, I never want to see her again, ever. Ever. Don’t make me see her again, Frost. Please, I never want to look at her face.”