The Girl Who Was Taken

Set in October 2017, 13 months after Megan’s escape, this chapter follows Livia’s third-person perspective as she and Megan meet with Nate Theros again. Nate is strangely excited to meet a real victim of abduction, and he shares more information in the hopes of impressing Megan. Nate reveals that the Capture Club often discussed the case of Nancy Dee and that Casey appeared to know about new abductions before anyone else did. Nate also informs them that the body of Paula D’Amato was discovered in Georgia earlier that week. Livia is instantly intrigued because Paula was one of the girls mentioned in Casey’s folder of abduction cases.

As Livia and Megan drive away from their meeting, Livia shares her suspicion that Paula’s recent murder is proof that Casey was working with someone else to abduct and murder girls. Though Casey is dead, his accomplice is clearly still alive.

The unidentified man tosses and turns in bed. He is deep in a nightmare, imagining that the body of his dead “love” is reanimating as he buries her. He wakes in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. Beside him, his wife asks what’s wrong, but he ignores her.