Karen Solomon stumbled through the shin-high surf, squinting against the brutal sun. She shook her head to clear it and felt the damp ends of her hair slap against her bare shoulders. The rising tide had awakened her, and she spit sand from her lips; why had she been sleeping on a beach? She looked down at the sand working its way between her toes, and then realized when she saw her bare breasts that not only was she lost and disoriented, but she was also naked. Completely naked.
Her heart began to pound. What the fuck?
The beach stretched off in both directions until its trailing ends vanished into the thick palm trees. A breeze tickled the sweat rolling down her back. Seagulls hovered in the wind, but when she looked back at the ocean she saw its flat, uninterrupted horizon. No boats, no smoke, no airplane traces in the sky. The only footprints were her own, trailing from imprint of her body disappearing with each wash of surf. How had she gotten here?
The beach ran unbroken to the edge of a tropical jungle. Immense palm trees bent low, and around them grew smaller plants and tangled vines. She heard nothing over the noise of the surf, but there were no signs indicating trails, or the direction to any resort. Where the hell was she?
She took several long breaths to calm herself. She had to pick a direction, so she chose the right, east according to the sun, and began to jog through the sand. Her unsupported breasts rippled with each step, making her wince, and the sand tugged at her with every step. Finally she stopped, hands on her knees, gasping. Running in this heat and humidity across thick sand was exhausting, and now she was thirsty. She should've searched first for fresh water.
Karen stood up and again shook her head, trying to organize her still-muddied thoughts. Her last clear memory was of confronting Monsignor Gillespie about what she'd discovered. What had she told him? "Your church has been systematically eliminating any women who pose any idealistic threat, especially at your universities. I have the proof, and now all I want to know is where the hell are they? Where is Sister Agnes Cheever?"