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