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hospital parking lot. "You the driver?" he asked,

nodding at me.

"Yes sir," I said.

He made a turn and drove slowly.

"So you're all from New York?" he continued. I turned and looked at Crystal. Had any of us

said that? She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes

into slits of suspicion.

"Yes," I said cautiously.

"A long way from home, aren't you?" he asked. "We're on our way to visit relatives," I

answered.

"A huh," he said.

He made another turn and sped up. I couldn't be

sure because I was so nervous and excited at the time,

but it seemed to me he was going in a different

direction from the direction in which we had come. "When we got the call from the hospital, I was

patrolling in the vicinity where you had left your

vehicle. I saw your license plates," he added, leaning

toward me and then making another turn. "That's how

I know you're all from New York."

"Oh." I smiled and looked back at Crystal, but

she didn't seem relieved. She stared ahead, her face

full of anticipation.

He made another turn, taking us past a more

populated area. Soon we saw stores, gas stations, shops, and then he drove down a hill, leaving the

community behind.

"Is this a shortcut or something?" I asked. "I

know I didn't come this way."

"Whenever we find a vehicle deserted on one of

our highways, it's just procedure to run a make on the

plates," he explained softly. He flashed another smile