It's only natural now. Gladysand I understand and we want to help you," Ned reasoned. "Just relax,only three hours or so till we're home."Just then ...ed's phone rang. He answered to hear Gladys on the other end."How's the trip going?" she asked. "Fine, just fine, we'll be back in acouple hours or so," Ned returned. "Did you get Timmy changed?" sheasked. "Let me see!" she returned excitedly as Ned held the phonetowards Timmy and she noticed the floral woman's blouse and the lipstick."You. CHAPTER 8Normally, there would be at least a 48-hour delay for a missing person report, but I was on a first-name basis with the Commissioner and the Chief. We sat around the couch and table. Alonzo explained that Tony was a gardener/driver/bodyguard and that he’d never failed to call in if sick. “Is that common, Mr. Philips…that your people have multiple duties like security?”“Yes, that’s a requirement of the job. Every one of my staff is former military and licensed to carry a firearm. I have used that feature.The other room I call the interview room. It's soundproof, too, but considerably larger. I call it the interview room because it has tools and devices to encourage people to talk. If I were a dominator, I would've called it a dungeon. I suspect you know what's in it.It's a forty minute drive from The Sunset to the warehouse. Sonya filled my thoughts every second of it.When we arrived, the security guard admitted us into the outer warehouse. Mica drove to the inner door. With that understanding my dreams faded to a comforting sense of warmth and purpose and I fell soundly asleep. I woke abruptly, eyes wide and instinctively aware that something was profoundly wrong. A dull glimmer cast by the coals of the fire still penetrated the polypropylene walls of the tent. I knew it hadn’t been long since I had fallen asleep. The air of the tent had lost little of its heat or humidity. At most, thirty minutes had passed since I had shut my eyes. For a moment I held my.