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"Says his wife forgot her pocketbook Left it in an RV bathroom He would have come back earlier except for the storm Instructions?"

Austin chuckled "Okay, let him in"

"Roger that Over and out"

Mohts stabbed the darkness as the car ates' Buick pulled up between an RV and the shed The door opened, and a ure disappeared around the corner of a Winnebago Aunder his ar He turned toward the ranch house and waved Austin was suot into his car and drove off Austin turned to Nina, who'd found an old butcher block to sit on She must have seen the puzzled expression on his face

"Problems?" she said apprehensively

"No," he said to reassure her "False alarm"

A one A Team out"

"Thanks Good job Base out"

Trout shrugged "Maybe tonight's not the night"

Austin was unconvinced "Maybe," he said, working a muscle in his jaw

Nobody was surprised when Trout's cell phone rang about fifteenoff and on to make contact with Gamay and had left word for her to call him He pulled the miniature Motorola flip phone from his pocket

After a moment he said, "No word? Would you ask the Nereus to let me know as soon as they hear from her? Yes, I'd be happy to talk to him Hi, Rudi" He listened another et back to you"

"That's odd," he said after he hung up "Rudi had set up a du this project Phony naot a call not long ago from police in Montana Seehway Fantastic story of being kidnapped"

Austin was preoccupied with the nonevents of the night, so he was only half listening "UFOs?" he said

"I don't think we ought to pass this one off They said they'd been held a couple of days, that they were on their way to an archaeological dig in Arizona"