“Maybe we should split up and see what happens. I want to talk to Avery and Abner. I was sure they’d be in touch by now. They must be onto something. Ferg and I can go back to Babylon and find out what’s going on. I’ll get a suite for Lizzie. We do not want her going back to her house,” Charles said, quietly but firmly.

“We have to decide which takes precedence, Lizzie’s unwelcome guests or Mr. Hershel. Talk it up, people, and tell me what you want to do,” Charles said.

Maggie reached for her third donut, this one loaded with chocolate frosting and colored sprinkles. “We split up. We concoct some kind of story that allows us to go right up to the front door and knock. Whatever reaction we get will let us know what we have to do, like fall back and regroup, call the local authorities, the feds, whomever we can get to investigate. Sounds pretty simple to me. But I would like to know what Abner and Avery have going on before we make a move.”

The intercom in the kitchen squawked to life, with Lizzie inviting everyone back to her office. The gang trooped out, but not before Maggie snatched her fourth donut, this one filled with lemon pudding with an inch of vanilla frosting on top. She rolled her eyes in delight as Ted admonished her that she was going to be on a sugar high and no good to anyone. Maggie just shrugged. She did love her sweets. The bare-bottom truth was that, when it came to food, there wasn’t a single thing Maggie Spritzer didn’t love.

“Listen up, everyone!” Lizzie said as she took her place behind her desk. “My people are on this. We’re going to do our very best to expedite the proceedings in a timely manner. Be aware this is not an easy thing to do time-wise. It’s going to take as long as it takes, and you all might not like it, but there is no way to cut to the chase. You have to follow the rules, like it or not. Having said that, everyone on my staff is prepared to work around the clock if that becomes necessary.