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"Oh," I repeated. I took quick stock of myself, thinking a wave of PTSD might set me off-balance and I would need to set myself straight. But I was okay. Mostly. Anxiety tightened my throat, but it wasn't debilitating. Our stories were similar. I'd been taken by a stranger. I'd gotten away, but unfortunately, I hadn't had a bear nearby to finish off my captor. Travis Walker was in jail, and it wasn't as difficult as it used to be to remember that I was now safe. Completely safe.

"I'm heading back to the island to look for the body," Tex said. I blinked back into the moment. "By yourself?"

"No, the other two are going with me, but I wondered if you'd talk to the woman. Her name is Sadie... That's all we've got. I know enough about these sorts of situations to know that as time passes, facts become murkier. Maybe you could find something out, even help her." He paused but locked his serious eyes on mine. "If it's not something that will upset you."

I nodded. If anyone understood what she was feeling right now, it would be me. The passing of a year hadn't made the memory of that sort of shock murkier. Though I'd worked hard to get past what had happened, that day that Travis Walker took me from my house and the three days he kept me in his van wouldn't be easy for anyone to let go of. I still knew the fear, desperation, and raw rage that came with the aftermath. However, remembering how it all felt didn't mean I would feel it all again anymore.

Even today, though, I thought I could probably kill him given the opportunity. What I would have given for a hungry bear.

"Beth, is this going to be okay?" Tex put his hands on my arms.

"Yes. Absolutely. I wish you weren't going back onto that island, but I can help her. I can try."

"We'll be fine." His eyes held mine for another long beat. It wasn't a romantic gesture. He was wondering if I could handle what he was asking of me.

I nodded. There was a time, not that long ago, that my concern for Tex's, anyone's, safety would take a backseat to my own fear. Not anymore. I was more concerned for him than me. "Okay, let me talk to her."

Tex nodded, too, and then turned to lead us back inside. He hesitated at the door to the room, his hand on the handle, and looked at me. I nodded and he opened the door and went through, shutting it behind us.

The room was simple, with walls made of the same white material— probably Plexiglas—as the floors. As far as I knew, it wasn't a fishing boat, but the room smelled like the ocean, fishy. Light filled the space from a small porthole and overhead fluorescents.

The woman sat on the one chair in the room—more a stool, though. Captain Moorehouse stood next to her. She was wrapped in heavy blankets, and despite the swim through the water, she still had blood on her face and in her hair. Like Tex, the other two rescuers were out of their wet suits. They were standing back, their arms crossed in front of themselves as they both leaned against a wall, appearing to want to be both out of the way and ready to do whatever they were asked.

The captain stepped close to me.

He lowered his voice, but the room wasn't big enough for any conversation to be completely private.

"You've been kidnapped?" he asked with no preamble.

I nodded. "Three days in a van. I got away, too, escaped I mean."

He nodded, his eyebrows coming together. "Okay then. We have her first name. Sadie. She keeps repeating that he took her from her house in Juneau a week or so ago; she's not too sure of the time frame. She said that a bear ate him. But that's all we've got. We could use more. She claims she's not physically injured, but she won't allow any of us to examine her. And I don't know what kind of a mess she's in, psychologically. She could just be in shock, but some real empathy might help. Tex told us a little about what happened to you, said maybe you could help." He shook his head as he looked at me, then continued. "Don't push if you think it's too much. But I'd really like to be able to report a full story here, maybe send some official folks out here to investigate."

"I can try."

"Much appreciated." The captain turned to Tex and the other two. "Okay, the dinghy is ready. I'm not commanding anyone to do this, but the sooner someone looks, the better. Are you sure you want to?"

Tex and the others nodded as they uncrossed their arms and bounced themselves off the wall.

"I know Gril will appreciate your timely investigation, but...well, be careful. Err on the side of getting the hell out of there." He looked at his watch. "Check back no later than one hour from now."