"We've gotta get out of here," Mark said.

"Where? What are you talking about?" Maddy asked.

"This is a set up. We've been trapped here. I don't know what this guy has in mind, but I don't think we should just sit here and wait for him."

Maddy looked down at her wrists, rubbed them, and said, "I know what he has in mind for me."

"Exactly," Mark said as he began to remove his shoes and socks. When his socks were off, he held them out to Maddy and said, "Put these on. They should at least help a little. We'll try to avoid any terrain that's too rough."

Maddy pulled the socks on over her feet while Mark put his shoes back on. Maddy asked, "What about when the police come? It won't be too much longer until your friend gets to a cell signal or reaches the road."

"I hope that's true," Mark said, "but we're not going far. Just far enough to hide out."

As they began walking Maddy shined the flashlight to the ground to watch her step. Mark reached over and gently took it from her. "Someone may be watching," he said.

"Right."

"Your eyes will adjust in a few minutes. Stay close."

Mark led her to the rear of the compound in silence and then headed back to where he and Joe had found the grave. They reached the creek, he showed her the log crossing and they both made their way over to the other side. As they passed within sight of the grave, Maddy's eyes widened. She was about to say something but Mark held a finger up to his lips, signaling silence. Maddy held her tongue.

Once they were beyond the grave, the brush began to get thicker. They continued on through. After a few hundred feet, Mark stopped at a dead pine. It was a little odd looking. He ran his hands up and down the trunk and then put his face close to it sniffed. After inspecting the tree he held up his GPS and marked the spot.

Maddy was looking at him quizzically. Once again, He held his finger to his lips. He then pointed to her feet. She help up her right hand with the thumb extended upward. He nodded and waved forward. They came upon a patch of palmettos and carefully made their way around it. On the other side was a small stand of thick brush. Mark led them into the heart of it and stopped. He motioned to the ground and sat. Maddy joined him on the ground.

Mark whispered, "If we weren't followed, we'll be safe here for a while."

"What if we WERE followed?" Maddy asked.

Reaching into his bag he pulled out a small knife. He opened the blade and handed it to her. She grasped it. After a few minutes of silence she asked in a whisper, "What was that dead tree about?"

"It was a Longleaf Pine, they get turpentine from them. That one was killed by a lightning strike. It does something to the sap. Kind of like it boils it right in the tree and changes it. It makes it like a log soaked in lighter fluid. It creates tons of smoke when you light it. Might come in handy."

"Was that one of the graves back there?"

"I think so."

"Mine?"

He looked at her but didn't answer. That was all the answer she needed.

"What if the police come?"

"Cops usually have a pretty big footprint. I think we'll know. We'll just need to get their attention."

Maddy pulled her knees to her chest, and rested her chin on them. Mark stretched out his legs and leaned back against a small tree. They sat in silence and waited.

---------------------------------------

He watched as darkness fell. They were sitting in the Jeep exactly according to plan. A little bit darker and he would sweep in and have his fun. Screams were always louder in the dark. He would enjoy it.

Then the unexpected happened. After fiddling with the tires, they walked off into the woods. He watched them through the binoculars as far as the remaining light would allow, but then he had to follow on foot. He was wary of getting too close because he didn't want to spook them. It was still two to one. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle on his own terms, but if they were frightened AND saw him coming...

He had managed to stay with them past the creek, but then they disappeared into the brush. The good news was there was nowhere to go. They'd have to come back eventually and he would be waiting. He knew they were waiting for the Calvary to arrive, but he also knew it wasn't coming. Feeling the two cell phones in his pocket he chuckled.

---------------------------------------

Littlepage was tapping at the keyboard on his laptop. It was easier to manually enter the coordinates into the laptop than the GPS. Besides, he had the mapping software in the laptop so they could more easily see the locations. Also, once they were entered he could quickly upload them into the GPS. "That's eighteen," he said, "two to go."

"Hurry up," said Byrd as he drove.

A few moments later Littlepage said, "Done!" He turned the laptop so Byrd could see the screen from the driver?s side. "Take a look." He worked the map with the mouse pad until all 20 waypoints were visible. They were spread throughout the Jacksonville area. He zoomed in on two of them and taped the screen; "These are the two in Jennings. This is the first one, and this is the one at Serial Finders cache -- the Krist girl."

"What about the rest?" Byrd asked.

"Gimme a minute," Littlepage responded as he began to work the map. He zoomed out and then back in. This time on a different waypoint. "This is the one behind the Gate," he said, and then repeated the process, "This is the one on Hecksher. And this is that Russian girl we found at Pumpkin Hill."

"They're all bodies."

"Looks that way."

"What do we have in Nassau County."

"There's just one. Right here," he tapped the screen again, "Right in the middle of Nassau Wildlife Management Area."

"That's where we're heading."

"In the morning?"

"We both need some sleep, and we're gonna need help getting there."

"You don't think the General Lee can make it?"

"I don't think I want to try it alone in the dark anyway. Let's go put this list in evidence and then we'll sack out for a few hours. We'll be there with bells on first thing in the morning."

----------------------------------------

Mark looked upward through the brush. They were far enough from the city that there was no light pollution. The stars were out in infinite numbers. As his eyes adjusted, a wispy cloud materialized above. It wasn't really a cloud though; it was the Milky Way. The stars of our galaxy were scattered across the heavens forming the milky cloud for which it was named. This was a rare sight in these modern "enlightened" times. Out here in the middle of nowhere, without any lights to interfere, you could still see it on a clear night. It was beautiful. Even with all the danger they were in, he was thankful to have an opportunity to see such beauty in the sky above.

Mark pressed a button on his GPS to turn on the backlight and checked the time. It was now well after midnight. He was thankful for the warm and dry night. If it were cold and/or raining, they would be in even more trouble. Joe should have either reached cell reception or the highway an hour or two ago. Once at the highway he could have flagged down help even if he never got a good cell connection. Where was Joe Merchant? Where were the cops?

Stay tuned next month for the final installment of Serial Finder!