He removed a candy bar and set the brown paper bag with the extra food on the floor at my feet. After locating the drinkholders, he set his soft drink aside and put the key in the ignition. “Well, let’s see. You’ve been asleep all day. I took your car because if I’d taken Eliza’s she would have probably reported it stolen and then we’d really be screwed. I went back to your hotel, paid for another night so I could get some rest, then put you back in the car and started out about two hours ago.”

“I slept through all that?”

“Yes, and all this while I’ve been toting you around like a sack of potatoes. Allow me to add that you’re heavier than you look.”

“Thanks. Lotsa muscle. Meat on my bones, or something.” I squirmed in the seat and rolled my head and shoulders back and forth, trying to crack my neck. It didn’t work. The stiffness remained, and so did my bewilderment. In the near distance I saw a stream of steady headlights that suggested an interstate. The presence of half a dozen other gas stations and fast-food stops supported that assessment, and furthermore hinted that we were at an exit. “Where are we?” I asked, hoping to learn something more specific about our location.

“Somewhere in south Georgia. I don’t think we’ve hit Tifton, but we will soon.”

“Why . . . why are we driving through Georgia?” I asked, though the obvious answer was “To get to Florida,” because that’s really the only reason anyone ever drives through south Georgia.

“Because it’s rather hard to get to Florida without doing so,” Harry confirmed. “Well, unless you’re coming from the west. Or unless you want to go many hours out of your way. Or I suppose you could swim for it. But in the interest of efficiency, we’re taking the direct route.”

“Why are we . . . oh.” Yes, the letter.

He cleared his throat and looked both ways before he pulled out towards the interstate and into the merging traffic. “I didn’t have any better ideas, and you seemed pretty sure there was something important in Highlands Hammock. I thought it might be worth a chance to see. Actually, I thought I’d head for St. Augustine first. There’s a whole library full of reference materials at the church. Perhaps we can find a good starting point there. It’s not that far out of the way, anyway. Just a few hours.”

“Oh.”