TWO

The fire above Dickens Beach had burned away the leaves in the forest, and it was easy to clear the ashes off the trails with a scuff of a boot. The Task Force split into groups. Elizabeth and Bonnie went with Peter Hubbard, Wanda Lindstrom, and Elias Johnson. Craig Soaras was following Amos Tarbell and Ben Dorset, while Russell Homer brought up their rear. They went through the charred woods alertly, but nothing moved. Hubbard was right. The roaches were burned to gray powder indistinguish­able from the ashes of the leaves and branches.

Or they were in total hiding.

Once again the forest closed around a weird-looking procession. Where Amos, Ben, and Russell had worn yellow oilskins when they set the rabbit trap, these figures were in body-­hugging diving suits. They seemed swimmers slowly advancing in an underwater grotto, heads turning constantly, on the lookout for shark shadows. They had to be careful not only of possible roach attackers, but of smoldering embers that lay beneath the ashes. The rain had been welcome, but the storm had blown the heaviest clouds off without a real local soaking. Fire could still explode.

Like a diver, Elizabeth tapped Hubbard’s rubber shoulder, and pointed away from the track he was entering. Despite the somberness of their mission, the man nearly smiled at the picture she made. Beneath the diving goggles, the woman’s lovely lips were moving like a fish’s as she spoke. “I remember when I was a kid, there was an open ditch along here.” She indicated the direction of the dump.

Hubbard aimed his flashlight at the earth. The lingering smoke of the forest fire and the darkness of the sky above made it hard to see clearly, but the outlines of a depression were visible. Elizabeth was right. The trench would never have been noticed before the fire because leaves would have filled it in. The scientist knelt quickly. This could be a major insect trail, possibly leading to a nest! He brushed leaves away with an impatient gloved hand. He came upright with an exclamation and held his find high for the others to share. He was holding a handful of broken cockroach shells. They were charred but had not burned completely. He said grimly, “The roaches were definitely along this way!”

He called the others at once. They joined forces to follow the trail now clear on the forest floor. Spirits rose. They might be getting somewhere at last! The column of pursuers moved faster despite the awkwardness of their protective dress.