" I know," Amanda said. "I keep thinking maybe Nikki's going through aphase." I used to think that with Sam," Gina said. "But Sam never grew out ofit.... He rebelled about doing anything girly, even though we've had a timewith some members of our family." Well, Nikki's had a hard time with members of his real mother's family,"Amanda said. "My stepmother and her family really tried to scar her intrying to keep her from doing girlish things."The conversation was just as deep up in Nikki's room. Sam. As we neared the halfway point, we were both becoming a little short of breath, but didn't dare slow the pace. We still held hands in the darkness, so we didn't lose contact. We wouldn't have a hope of finding each other here.Somehow passing the halfway point increased the feeling of helplessness, and we pushed ourselves along as much as possible, still quiet apart from our rasping breaths, and slamming hearts.The end of the tunnel seemed impossibly far away now, and we seemed to be getting no. "Then she got off the bed and went to take care of her son. She didn't even kiss me goodbye.The next week flew by. Wally got assigned Casper Buckridge as his public defender. I found this out when I found a post-it note stuck to my monitor that said "The Ghost wants to talk to you." Casper was referred to routinely as "The Ghost" for obvious reasons. I called him and he wanted to interview me."You've got my statement and the report already," I said."That's what everybody tells you too, but you. She looked at me, who, in my shock, had not taken my fingers out of my vagina."Couldn't sleep?" she breathed, her voice sending tingles down my spine. "Me either. I'm Tammie's Mom, by the way." Oh, hi Mrs. Mitchel," I mumbled, coming out of my daze and quickly withdrawing my hand from in my pajamas."Call me Deb," she waved her hand at me. "I haven't been Mrs. Mitchel for five years. Come down to the kitchen, we'll have a coffee."I followed Lacey down to the kitchen, stunned."Do you take sugar?".