“Sure is,” Jack whispered in return.

He quickly sent off a text to Dennis, telling him that they had confirmation the driver of the Benz was indeed Zack Meadows.

“Back, back,” Lionel said as he pulled at Jack’s arm. “His headlights will light you up like a Roman candle. Move, damn it!” Cyrus moved, then Jack simply dropped to the ground, as did Lionel. “We’re good,” Lionel said, packing up the two sets of night-vision goggles. “That was close for sure.”

“Too close,” Jack said, his nerves twanging all over the place.

“I have to check in with the guys. Ten more minutes and it will start getting light out. I can take you to town and be back here to write up my report just in time to end my shift. Does that work for you and Cyrus?”

“Sure. Take your time. What are the chances that one of your guys saw who Meadows was meeting?”

“Not good. They would have been in touch right away if that had happened. Whoever it was got away, so that has to mean he knows this complex, knows we patrol, and knows how to make a quick, quiet getaway. We can’t be everywhere. I wish I had more people, but I don’t, so we just do the best we can. Ten minutes and we can head to town.”

Jack sat on the ground, his back to a spindly young tree, and hugged his knees, Cyrus at his feet. His thoughts were flying in all directions as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. Who was the nameless, faceless person Zack Meadows met here at Happy Village? That fact alone had to mean that Gentry Lomax was in the clear where Cosmo Cricket was concerned. And yet . . . his gut was telling him that Lomax was not what he appeared to be. Maybe there were two factions working against Cosmo.

Charles and the others were going to want answers, and he didn’t have any to give them.

What the hell am I missing here?