echoed behind her as she flew down the empty hall and burst through the glass entrance doors.
She skidded to a stop in the cool night air. The rims of street lights angled a soft glow around the trees lining University Drive . Heavy gray shadows fell across the campus grounds.
Then she heard them—footsteps shuffling through the lawn. She rounded the building and saw the shadow of the thief, all but dissolved into the darkness, continuing to a lone car parked in the lot nearby.
“Hey!” she shouted.
The shadow turned, the street lights glinting off his belt buckle, a bulky black container tucked under his arm. He spotted her and bolted for the car.
“Shit!”
Lori raced across the grass and caught herself as she nearly flew off the curb. The thief struggled a moment with the handle on the car door, giving her precious seconds to catch up. He managed to jerk the creaky door open and slip inside just as Lori reached the car. As he ripped the door from her grasp she noticed the black box fly from his other hand, landing atop Modern Archaeology ’s slick cover photo of the effigy. She pulled on the door handle as it slammed shut. The door was locked.
“You can’t take the effigy!” she cried, pounding on the window.
The driver fired up the engine and a cloud of exhaust plumed the air. Lori pounded harder.
“Wait a minute!”
The car lurched backward and to Lori’s surprise, she staggered with it. To her horror she found the length of her lab coat caught in the car door. In a panic, she pounded on the window.
“Stop! Please!”
The car screeched to a halt and the driver looked at her through a black mask that hooded his menacing eyes.
Lori pulled on the lab coat but it wouldn’t come free.
“Open the door!” she demanded.
The engine revved.
“ Please! Open the door!”
The driver’s lips peeled into an amused smile. Without bothering to turn away he jammed the gear selector into drive.
* * * *
Peet heard the growling engine as he burst out of the anthropology building. When he rounded the corner he found a battered Ford Taurus backing away from the concrete curb, taking Lori with it.
At first he thought Lori was simply hanging on to the car but upon a closer look, he noticed that it wasn’t the door handle she was tugging on. She was caught by her own lab coat and by the sound of the revving engine; the situation was quickly getting serious.
“Let me go! Please!” she begged as the car hesitated to change gears.
The driver was just a shadow in the dark windshield with no apparent regard to Lori’s peril. A heavy sense of dread sank into Peet’s chest as he stood helplessly on the cushy lawn, watching the tires squeal over the pavement.
“Get out of the coat!” he yelled. “Lori! Get out…of…the…coat! ”
The spinning tires found their traction and the car lurched forward. Lori screamed as she was jerked off her feet. She clung desperately to the coat, her legs flailing beside the car.
“Dear Lord!” Peet gasped as he ran, angling toward the car as it sped across the paved lot. “Lori! Get out of the coat!”
Lori screamed again, twisting alongside the car with the back wheel threatening to roll over her feet. Peet heard the lab coat tear. This wasn’t going to end well if it gave out now.
Peet flew into the vehicle’s path. The car avoided him and turned onto President’s Circle, flinging Lori to the outside. A final rip and she was free, flying over the curb and landing onto the central grassy berm. She rolled to a motionless stop beneath the limbs of a young cottonwood tree.
Stunned, Peet rushed over just as the driver rounded the loop. He reached her within the glare from the headlights of the oncoming car. The engine was growling ever louder. With a metallic crunch of undercarriage the Ford jumped the curb, the reckless tires chewing a scar through the sod. Peet grabbed Lori and pulled her behind the cottonwood just as the car roared past.
His heart hammered
She skidded to a stop in the cool night air. The rims of street lights angled a soft glow around the trees lining University Drive . Heavy gray shadows fell across the campus grounds.
Then she heard them—footsteps shuffling through the lawn. She rounded the building and saw the shadow of the thief, all but dissolved into the darkness, continuing to a lone car parked in the lot nearby.
“Hey!” she shouted.
The shadow turned, the street lights glinting off his belt buckle, a bulky black container tucked under his arm. He spotted her and bolted for the car.
“Shit!”
Lori raced across the grass and caught herself as she nearly flew off the curb. The thief struggled a moment with the handle on the car door, giving her precious seconds to catch up. He managed to jerk the creaky door open and slip inside just as Lori reached the car. As he ripped the door from her grasp she noticed the black box fly from his other hand, landing atop Modern Archaeology ’s slick cover photo of the effigy. She pulled on the door handle as it slammed shut. The door was locked.
“You can’t take the effigy!” she cried, pounding on the window.
The driver fired up the engine and a cloud of exhaust plumed the air. Lori pounded harder.
“Wait a minute!”
The car lurched backward and to Lori’s surprise, she staggered with it. To her horror she found the length of her lab coat caught in the car door. In a panic, she pounded on the window.
“Stop! Please!”
The car screeched to a halt and the driver looked at her through a black mask that hooded his menacing eyes.
Lori pulled on the lab coat but it wouldn’t come free.
“Open the door!” she demanded.
The engine revved.
“ Please! Open the door!”
The driver’s lips peeled into an amused smile. Without bothering to turn away he jammed the gear selector into drive.
* * * *
Peet heard the growling engine as he burst out of the anthropology building. When he rounded the corner he found a battered Ford Taurus backing away from the concrete curb, taking Lori with it.
At first he thought Lori was simply hanging on to the car but upon a closer look, he noticed that it wasn’t the door handle she was tugging on. She was caught by her own lab coat and by the sound of the revving engine; the situation was quickly getting serious.
“Let me go! Please!” she begged as the car hesitated to change gears.
The driver was just a shadow in the dark windshield with no apparent regard to Lori’s peril. A heavy sense of dread sank into Peet’s chest as he stood helplessly on the cushy lawn, watching the tires squeal over the pavement.
“Get out of the coat!” he yelled. “Lori! Get out…of…the…coat! ”
The spinning tires found their traction and the car lurched forward. Lori screamed as she was jerked off her feet. She clung desperately to the coat, her legs flailing beside the car.
“Dear Lord!” Peet gasped as he ran, angling toward the car as it sped across the paved lot. “Lori! Get out of the coat!”
Lori screamed again, twisting alongside the car with the back wheel threatening to roll over her feet. Peet heard the lab coat tear. This wasn’t going to end well if it gave out now.
Peet flew into the vehicle’s path. The car avoided him and turned onto President’s Circle, flinging Lori to the outside. A final rip and she was free, flying over the curb and landing onto the central grassy berm. She rolled to a motionless stop beneath the limbs of a young cottonwood tree.
Stunned, Peet rushed over just as the driver rounded the loop. He reached her within the glare from the headlights of the oncoming car. The engine was growling ever louder. With a metallic crunch of undercarriage the Ford jumped the curb, the reckless tires chewing a scar through the sod. Peet grabbed Lori and pulled her behind the cottonwood just as the car roared past.
His heart hammered
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