IT WASN’T UNTIL AFTER they’d checked everywhere, virtually everywhere, from the thriving common areas to the sandbagged and razor-wired battlements to the radio station itself, that Sammy hit upon the idea of using the plane to search for her—an idea which was well-received by both Bella Ray and Peter, for they were each of them eager to see if the Cessna would still fly and if the former airline pilot could accommodate himself to its streamlined and mostly manual controls.
As it turned out, the answer to both was a resounding ‘yes,’ and before Sammy knew it Peter and himself were jouncing along the crude airstrip and swooping into the air, even as Erik and Samantha looked on from the sidelines and the residents of Barley threw up a cheer. Then they were circling the fortified town and it
