Jayson Murphy shouldn’t have hung up the phone. He thought his older sister Nicole was messing around when she called him, frantic, past curfew from a party. If Nic didn’t come home high or sometimes skip school to be with her loser boyfriend, Jay would’ve taken her call seriously. Now Nic is missing. The Newport News Police Department believes that trouble finds people like Nic. That means looking for a young, black girl from the projects won’t be a high priority. Jay can’t sit around waiting for them to act. But between watching out for their grandma and balancing school, his new job at a local Taco Bell, and an under-the-table writing gig, Jay has got a lot on his plate. Finding his sister would be impossible if not for Riley Palmer, the reverend’s daughter and resident sleuth. Though she gives him hope, Jay can’t help but to think: Could he be too late?