“I’m really sorry to ask, but can you pick me up?”

“Sit tight and I’ll be there as quickly as I can.” she said. “You know, I told you to be careful. Doesn’t sound like you listened.”

“I’ll tell you the whole story when I see you, but please hurry. I’ll be waiting about a half-mile closer to town on the right-hand side of the road, hiding in the trees.” Jack explained. “I can’t risk staying put. Someone may show up. and I’m not feeling real sociable right now. How long will it take you to get here?”

“About an hour this time of night. You just keep your head down, and I’ll look for you. I’ll be driving a yellow Ford Zephyr with an orange Styrofoam, Union 76 ball on the antenna.”

“I’ll be watching for you.” Jack replied “and, Erma, thank you.”

“Don’t thank me until we get you out of there, it’s bad luck.”

“Okay, see you soon then.” He hung up the phone and headed out the rear door, pushing in the lock as he left. He shook the handle of the door to be sure it was secured. The door jamb was slightly cracked, but the lock held. There was no obvious reason for anyone to suspect he had stopped there.

Jack made his way down the road. About a half-mile from the garage, he hid in a cluster of bushes to wait for Erma.

The minutes crawled by. He shivered in the cold, the sound of the gusting wind his only companion. No cars passed by. He crossed his arms and leaned back against a tree.

What if Erma was being watched and now they’d caught her? What if-? Stop. He knew the late-night hours were a haven for paranoia and exaggeration. It hadn’t been much more than an hour since he’d spoken to her. Besides, she was an old lady, and old ladies didn’t drive fast.

At that moment, he heard the sound of a car engine.

He peered up over the large clump of bushes. It couldn’t be Erma, he thought. The car was coming too fast, at least seventy. Damn, they knew he’d gotten away. He wondered if the thugs who’d drugged and beaten him were returning to make sure the animals had finished what they had started.

Jack ducked down, concealed behind branches thick with leaves as he observed the vehicle. The car slowed. The orange ball glowed on the antenna. Erma. He straightened up.

She rolled down the window, took one look at Jack, and just shook her head. “What a sight you are.”

“This is an upgrade. You should have seen me before I found the gas station.”

Erma chuckled, then leaned over to unlock and push open the passenger side car door. “We should get you out of here.”

Jack climbed in and rolled the window back up.

“Buckle up.” She stomped on the gas pedal as she spoke.

Jack grabbed the armrest as they tore off down the road. So much for the idea of the elderly being conservative drivers, Jack thought. Erma’s foot reminded him of an anvil.

Erma drove Jack to her home and immediately sent him to the shower. She placed some of her deceased husband’s clothing in the guest bedroom for Jack. “The clothes on the bed will be a little short, but they’ll keep you decent,” she shouted over the sound of the streaming water.

When he finished cleaning up and dressing, he walked down to the kitchen. Erma applied antibacterial ointment to the cuts on his face, arms, and feet. “You really should be seen by a doctor.”

‘Thanks, but I’m fine,“ Jack said. He could smell the aroma of her cooking.

“No, you’re not. You’ve definitely got some broken ribs and probably a concussion. How many fingers am I holding up?” Erma raised her hand, extending two fingers.

Jack smiled feebly. One of his eyes was swollen shut, his head throbbed, and his vision, if not double, was certainly not very clear. “I appreciate your concern, but I don’t think it would be wise for me to turn up in a hospital emergency room right now.”

Erma frowned. “You’re probably right. Whoever did this to you definitely didn’t want you to be found. You’re not the first person to disappear without a trace into the Missouri backwoods, and you’re one of the few to survive the experience.”

“I may have survived, but living to tell about traveling buck naked through the woods could have its downside.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, is poison ivy a problem this time of year?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Thank God.” Jack met Erma’s gaze and they both laughed. Jack held his ribs in an attempt to lessen the pain.

“Time to feed you.” Erma served him chicken with dumplings, followed by hot cocoa and the apple strudel that she’d made the day before.

“Erma,” Jack said. “I’m in heaven. This is the most delicious food I think I’ve ever eaten. I feel like I’m at my grandmother’s house. You really didn’t need to go to so much trouble. It was nice enough of you just to pick me up.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. Jack.” Erma said with a wave of her hand. “You look thin as a rail, and I won’t be having anyone go hungry in my home.”

While he ate, Jack explained what had happened, at least as much as he remembered.

“You’ve been through an ordeal, young man, and you should eat.” Erma dished up more strudel.

He consumed the strudel with gusto, but his body throbbed with pain and ached for sleep.

“What day is it?” Jack asked assuming it was early Wednesday.

‘Thursday morning,“ Erma told him.

He’d lost two days. That meant he must have been poisoned at the diner Monday evening. Jack put his fork down and stared at the wall. Either he’d eaten something, or the cigarette he’d bummed had been laced with a toxic substance. He reviewed the sequence of events and decided it must have been the cigarette.

Thank God, he didn’t finish the cigarette. If he’d smoked the whole thing, he’d probably be dead now. How stupid he’d been. He knew to be careful, but he hadn’t paid attention, instead he’d been negligent.

“I have something for you,” Erma said, walking into the living room.

“I couldn’t eat another bite.”

“It’s not food. I was going through my husband’s things and found these files. I don’t know if they’re important, so I thought I’d let you decide. I was going to send them to your office at the magazine.” She lowered the box to a spot on the floor next to him.

“I’m glad you didn’t. What’s in them?” Jack slowly reached for the box.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” Erma pushed the box out of reach with her foot. “You get your rest first, then you can get into these.”

Jack stood up from the table. He didn’t feel much like arguing. “Can I use your phone? It’s long distance, but I’ll pay you back.”

“Go right ahead and don’t worry about it.”

“I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for all you’ve done, Erma.”

“You can repay me by keeping your fanny out of trouble.” She shook her finger at him.

Jack walked across the kitchen and gave her a hug. “Thank you, you saved my life.”

Jack picked up the receiver of the wall phone. He was concerned about Katherine. He knew she would worry if she couldn’t reach him. She might even try checking with the magazine if she thought he was in trouble. He needed to stop her. If they found out she was associated with him, she could be in grave danger. He didn’t know the identity of the person who’d masterminded his abduction, but he didn’t want to take any chances with Katherine.

He glanced at the clock on the stove. It was four o’clock in the morning in Missouri, five in Washington. When Katherine answered, she sounded wide-awake. “Kate, this is Jack.”

“Where’ve you been? I was so worried. I haven’t been able to reach you for days. Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t want to stay on the phone too long, so listen carefully.”

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t want to discuss it on the phone.” Jack decided not to take any chances. He didn’t want to endanger Erma, either. “I’ll see you very soon, but first I need you to do me a favor.”

“Sure, name it.”