Still, he couldn’t see much inside the barn: just a slice of the space within. An ancient wooden floor, crusted with dirt. The rough beams of a wall on the far side. The front end of a car, just peeking into view. No sign of Lauren Coleman.

Sam wondered, for probably the hundredth time, what exactly they were supposed to be watching for. What had Mr. Coleman meant by you’ll see? Had he known for sure that there was a way to save Lauren? Or had his last words been just a desperation move by a dying man, sending the two of them here in the hope that they only might see a way to rescue his daughter?

Sam spent a moment thinking about that, and then a man walked out of the barn, followed seconds later by another. It was hard to make out much detail; the men were just silhouettes against the lit-up humidity of the barnyard.

Then somebody called out from inside the building. A man’s voice, loud and commanding.

The two men outside stopped and turned back to face the doorway—they were thirty feet from it now.

Sam swung his binoculars back to the opening, but no one else appeared there.

The men outside said something back to the unseen speaker in the barn. The conversation went back and forth for a moment; Sam couldn’t discern any of the words.

Then a hand gripped the heavy sliding door from inside and hauled it shut again, plunging the barnyard back into darkness.

The men outside were still talking to each other, though more quietly now. Their footsteps scraped on the ground, but it was impossible to get a sense of their direction. Then there came the sound of a chain being pulled free of something, and a door creaked open and banged loudly—wood against wood. Sam pictured the men entering some kind of equipment shed—he was sure he had seen some sort of outbuilding near the barn, the other day. A few seconds later there came a clatter of metal: heavy tools being jostled around.

“What do you think they’re doing?” Dani whispered.

“I’m not sure.”

The rummaging sound lasted a moment longer; after that there was only silence.

A minute passed. Then two. Sam began to feel nervous. It put him on edge not knowing where the two men were, or what they were up to.

Then he realized he could hear something. It was very faint—he could almost miss it under the sound of the wind. He tilted his head, putting an ear toward the barnyard, where the noise seemed to originate. As he did, he saw Dani doing the same. The sound was soft and rhythmic. A kind of hissing that came in beats, almost musical, once every few seconds.

“What is that?” Dani whispered.

Sam shook his head. He had no idea.

And then it stopped.