"Michael, you appear to be headed away from the motel."

"I want to get a feel for the area. And I want us to have a chance to talk. Sitting in a car by myself and talking will attract attention."

"You could sit in the motel room and talk to me over the comlink."

Michael shook his head. "Not the same as a face-to-face talk."

Kitt was going to point out he didn't have a face. However, he was getting used to the vagaries of his driver. He added this to his database of interactions with Michael and instead asked, "What would you like to discuss?"

"Let's start with Eddie Summers. What did he do after he left the diner?"

"He did not go far. He went a short way down the sidewalk and waited. A man came out of the diner and walked to where Eddie Summers was standing. They both smoked a cigarette. A filthy habit, by the way."

"No argument from me on that one, pal. Did they speak at all?"

"Yes, though their conversation made little sense. Eddie Summers asked how much longer it would be, and the other man said no more than two weeks. However, neither of them provided details about what 'it' was. Eddie did tell the other man about you. Or rather, your cover story as a representative of mine operators here to talk with the Brinleys about mining on their land."

"Did they seem, well, friendly?"

"Michael, they exchanged a handful of words."

"Amber said the Summers were anti-social. And we're trying to figure out whether something is going on. So, did Eddie seem friendly towards the other man? Or like dealing with him was an unpleasant or even an unwanted chore?"

"I am not sure," said Kitt, realizing he had let Michael down. Another entry in the database: Kitt was expected to analyze the situation, not merely observe and record.

"Never mind, pal," said Michael reassuringly, as he patted the dashboard. "We'll figure it out."

Michael pulled out his map and opened it up.

"Kitt, which of the spots Amber marked would give me the best view of likely molybdenum mine shafts on state land and on the Summers's land? Mine shafts off the beaten path, of course."

"Of course. Naked eye?"

"Binoculars. I have a pair in my rock-climbing bag. Military grade: 10x50."

Kitt scanned the map, compared it against his internal map of the area and information about molybdenum. He then circled three locations indicated by Amber and displayed the first two for Michael.

"For state land, here. For the Summers's land, here." He paused, then added the third. "And for the Summers's home, here. With the binoculars you have."

"Right, first thing tomorrow, we'll try this one, overlooking the Summers's land."

The road wound its way through the hills, steep cliffs up and down on either side. And few turn offs. Michael was relaxed and smiling. And Kitt added another entry to his "All Things Michael" database: Michael took pleasure in driving without an end purpose and no matter where the road was.

A set of headlights came up behind them in the dark, fast and with the high beams on. The vehicle behind them hit Kitt's rear bumper, hard. Michael sped up, and the vehicle behind them did the same.

"Michael –"

"All yours, buddy." Michael pressed the Auto Drive button. "Get us out of here."

Kitt took over the controls and sped away, taking the curves at speeds no human could manage. Eventually, they lost the other vehicle, which just couldn't keep up.

"Any chance you got the license plate or a good look at the driver?"

"No, Michael. The lights were too bright. I couldn't even identify the type of vehicle other than it was some sort of light duty truck. And unfortunately, due to the mountains we are in, I was not able to tag and track the vehicle after we left it behind."

"We definitely rattled someone's cage. Call Devon, and let's get him up to speed."

After a short pause, Kitt said, "I have Devon on the line."

"Yo, Devon."

Devon looked slightly pained at Michael's cavalier greeting. "Michael. You have something to report?"

Michael replied cheerfully, "Something's definitely going on out here. Someone just tried to run us off the road and over a cliff."

"What?! Any idea who –"

"They were behind us in the dark with high beams. Didn't get a good look. And there's no shortage of suspects. We've got the Summers, either together or separately. Then there's a group of campers that I am pretty sure are miners. Possibly working an illegal mine, if Harlow is right. Oh, and I had a run-in at the local diner with one of them, so it could even be personal. Did you find out anything at your end?"

"Kylie and Eddie Summers are merely trustees of the land."

"Oh?"

"Jess and Daniel Brinley had a daughter, Nicole. She's eight now. The Summers are her guardians. And the land is in trust, with the Summers as the trustees."

"There's a kid? Really?"

"You seem surprised, Michael," replied Devon.

"When we visited the Summers's place, I didn't see any signs of a kid. No little face peering out the window –"

"Michael, a strange man showing up unexpectedly at a house with no nearby neighbors –" Kitt started to point out.

"Oh, I wouldn't have expected the kid to come out. But . . . And there weren't any toys or anything outside. No bike or wagon or even a ball."

"Not everyone is as careless with their belongings as you. And we were there during the school day."

"Yeah, but back at the diner, Eddie told me to stay away from him and his wife, not him and his family."

Kitt sounded slightly exasperated. "Perhaps he does not want a complete stranger to know there is a child in the picture."

"Just strikes me as odd. Anyway, Devon, you were saying?"

"Kylie and Eddie Summers may, with court approval, arrange for the sale of timber and mineral resources. To cover medical and other expenses of raising their niece."

"Don't tell me: no such approval exists."

"Not even submitted for consideration."

Michael considered what Devon had told them. "Thanks for the info, Devon. I'll poke around tomorrow and see what I can find out."

"Bonnie and I should be there tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Bonnie has been wanting to field test the Home Office several days' distance from the Foundation. This assignment is an excellent opportunity as Knight Industries has a facility near Denver. If something goes wrong, we would only be a few hours away from the necessary technical support. We left shortly after you did, but, of course, the Home Office travels slower than Kitt does. We will let you know when we arrive." Devon paused, then added, "And Michael?"

"Yes, Devon?"

"Be careful. You have clearly upset someone, and we have no idea who."

"Always, Devon. Always."