Nick looked at Alena. “Are you sure you should be driving?”

“Do you know these roads as well as I do?”

“No—but if you drive the way you run, we could have a big problem.”

“I’ll be okay.”

The pickup truck sped down the narrow road away from Bradenton; the stacked stone walls that lined both sides of the street looked like nothing but gray streaks of paint in the truck’s brilliant headlights. The engine emitted a constant high-pitched whine, and the dashboard rattled and clicked until Nick wondered if the old Toyota would shake itself apart.

He glanced at the speedometer. “How fast will this thing go?”

“I don’t know, but it sure beats running.”

They had made it safely to the truck before the hounds could reach them; they hurriedly loaded Trygg into the back and sped out of the grove of river birches and left the indignant hounds baying in the moonlight behind them. They had seen no further sign of Riddick, but Nick knew exactly where he was—he was not far behind them, driving just as fast as he could to try to stop them before they could tell anyone what they now knew.

Alena looked in her side mirror. “Is he following us? Can you see him?”

Nick leaned out the passenger window and saw a pair of glowing pinpoints in the distance. “I see headlights,” he shouted. “What kind of car was he driving?”

“Beats me—I woke up in a dungeon.”

“Well, we should know soon enough.”

“Who is he, anyway? What did he want with me?”

“His name is Chris Riddick—he works as a security guard for John and Victoria Braden. He wants to kill you.”

“Why?”

“It’s a little complicated. There’s an old woman who lives in Endor. She’s the librarian there—her name is Agnes. Do you know her?”

“I know who she is—she’s the one who killed my father.”

“Who told you?”

“That man—the one you called Riddick. What I want to know is, why did she do it?”

“To keep your father from uncovering a secret.”

“What secret?”

“That Victoria Braden is actually her daughter.”

“But—how could my father have uncovered that?”

“He couldn’t—but apparently a couple of other men could have over the years, so Agnes killed them. She only killed your father to keep him from finding their graves. I’m guessing that Riddick was after you for the same reason. I think the Bradens were involved; maybe they didn’t want the information coming out just before the election.”

“The Bradens? I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I. I’m still piecing it together.”

Alena abruptly jerked the wheel and steered the pickup onto a smaller road.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to my place. I know a shortcut.”

“That’s no good. We need to find a police station.”

“Great idea—just tell me where to turn.”