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They stepped off the road into the drainage ditch, which was shielded by high grass on either side It ran up to the drivehere it was funneled into a culvert
Hunched over, pausing every few steps to listen, they followed the ditch to the driveway, then clih the trees After twenty feet the trees began to thin out and they found the
The space was i tubular shapes, so at angles like a child’s set of pick-up sticks As Sam’s eyes adjusted to the darkness he realized what he was seeing: a boiler junkyard How and why it was here, in the middle of the Maryland countryside, he didn’t know, but here it was Judging frouessed the boilers had come from a variety of sources—loco rain pattered the leaves around the echoes through the trees
“Well, this is the last thing I was expecting to find here,” Remi whispered
r />“Me, too” And this told the about Ted’s assailant Either he knew this area well or he’d done soave Sam much comfort
The Buick Lucerne was parked in the n of either Frobisher or the car’s driver Clearly they’d gone deeper into this maze of boilers But why come here? Sam wondered The first answer that came to mind chilled him What Ted’s abductor had planned for hi seemed certain: The man wanted privacy Or a place to leave a body Or both Sam felt his heartbeat quicken
“We can cover ested
“Forget it We don’t knoho this guy is or what he’s capable of”
He was about to step out from the trees, when an idea formed in his head A Buick Lucerne BuickGMC He pulled Reht back”
“What—”
“Just stay put I’ far”
He took one last look around, watching for the slightest , dashed out and headed for the Lucerne He reached the driver’s-side door, crouched down, then said a quick prayer and tried the door handle It clicked open The doain
Danition” chime
Nothing to do but risk it
Sam opened the door, slid inside, shut the door behind hi over the dashboard Nothing wasaround the car’s interior and found what he was looking for almost immediately Set into a panel on the dashboard was a button labeled ONSTAR Sam pushed it Twenty seconds passed, then a voice came over the radio speakers