Lost and Found Read Free

rosebush out of the ground.
    The plant couldn't have made the last few hours any more miserable if it had been guided by a malevolent intelligence. At one time, it had been part of the elaborate landscaping that had surrounded the Empire Hotel in northern Idaho. The hotel had been abandoned a quarter of a century ago and the rosebushes had been left to grow in to a near impenetrable tangle of thorny canes.
    Sam eased forward, hoping to avoid any more encounters with the bush behind him. The fact that the plants had provided him cover for the last sixteen hours didn't do much to ease his irritation. Sixteen hours ago he hadn't been cold and hungry. He shifted again and then muttered irritably. The roses might have provided him with cover but they hadn't done a very generous job of it. The hollow he'd found allowed him to watch the ramshackle old building without being seen, but it didn't include room to stretch out.
    "I should have been a stockbroker. At least I could have been comfortable. This is a ridiculous occupation for a grown man. Playing cops and robbers. I should settle down and get a real job."
    He shivered as a chill breeze found its way into the thick overgrowth. He didn't need to look at his watch to know that dawn was not far away. He'd move soon. He flexed his hands inside the warm gloves, his eyes on the hulking old building below.
    All in all, he shouldn't complain. It had only taken him a week to find this place. A hunch had brought him here and it had paid off. Shortly before sunset, he'd seen the girl. The elation he'd felt at that moment had worn down during the long cold hours of the night but he was still pleased with the results of the past week's work. Fifty thousand dollars was a lot of money. He could put up with a lot of discomfort to get it.
    He waited with the patience of a hunter, studying the terrain that lay between him and the building. He was studying it more in memory than by sight. In the gray predawn hour, the landscape was shrouded in shadows that concealed all but the most obvious features. The old pebble pathway gleamed pale, looking smooth and safe but he knew that it was not as smooth as it looked. Over the years creepers had stretched their way across it, offering to trip the unwary.
    He wanted to get the girl out before the kidnappers realized they'd lost their victim. He checked the contents of his pack, making sure that he knew where everything was. His gun was tucked into his waistband, a reassuring pressure against his spine. A hunting knife lay along his calf. He hoped neither one would be needed.
    The sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon when Sam left his shelter. It was early May and the air was cold and damp. There was no sign of life from the old building. It looked as if no one had been near it since the last guest left twenty-five years before. But he knew there were at least three people there. With luck, he'd only have to deal with one of them. He hoped she wasn't the hysterical type. If she was, he'd have to coldcock her, and hitting a woman wasn't his favorite way to start a spring day.
    He worked his way around the perimeter of the open space that had once been a manicured sweep of lawn. He'd already planned a quick escape route, and he left his pack where it would be easy to find. He hoped they wouldn't need it. He wanted to get in and out without them being any the wiser. With any luck, he and the girl could go straight to where he'd hidden his truck. But it never hurt to be prepared for any eventuality. He stripped off his heavy coat, laying it next to the pack. He flexed his fingers inside the gloves and reached back to touch the reassuring weight of the .45.
    In the gray light he was an ominous figure. A black turtleneck stretched across the muscles of his chest and shoulders, disappearing into the waistband of a pair of soft black jeans. Black socks and black tennis shoes completed the dark picture. His hair was as black as the clothes, but when