Michael exited the woods to find Kitt waiting for him. As he got behind the wheel, Kitt exclaimed, "Michael, you've been shot!"

"The bullet merely grazed my back," he reassured both his partner and the girl.

"Your jacket should have blocked a glancing shot. That is one reason you wear leather."

"I wasn't wearing it."

"Why ever not?"

Michael explained to his two-person audience. "We need to keep the bad guys from leaving town before Agent Rinaldi gets here. Those thugs found the front door locked. When they spotted me running away from the house carrying something, they assumed I had already gotten Maria's daughter and was taking her to safety. When I subsequently 'dropped' my jacket, they realized I wasn't carrying her. So now they're breaking into the house, assuming she's still inside. It'll be at least a half-hour before they realize she isn't there. And then they'll have to figure out what to do. Which will be another half-hour. Pretty soon, we're at 10:00, and the federal DEA team is here."

"I realize it is dark outside, Michael. But really: who could mistake your folded-up jacket for a 10-year-old child?"

"Never said they were bright. Right, Pumpkin?" he asked the girl with a grin.

"Her name," said Kitt, "is Emily Grace."

"Pleased to meet you, Emily Grace."

The girl leaned over and tapped Michael on the knee. He looked at her. She brought her hand up to her chin and then brought it down.

"Emily Grace is mute, though not deaf. She is saying 'thank you' in American Sign Language."

"You're welcome, Pumpkin. I mean, Emily Grace."

Emily Grace turned to face Kitt's monitor and signed something to him.

"Apparently, she is okay with the nickname Pumpkin. And she would like to know whether she may call you Uncle Michael."

"Of course, Pumpkin." He grinned at her, and she gave him a shy smile in return.

"Michael, we really should do something about your injury."

"I'm good. Besides, going to the hospital will raise more questions than I want to answer right now. Not until Kevin gets here."

"We do have a first aid kit."

"Except the injury is to my back. Kind of hard to work on it myself."

Emily Grace signed to Kitt, who asked a few questions and then said, "Emily Grace knows a place we can go. Somewhere out of the way. And she can tend to your injury."

Michael considered, and then agreed. Maria had asked him to keep her daughter safe. Going to an out-of-the-way spot sounded good to him. For the moment.

Emily Grace directed Kitt to a secluded field on the outskirts of Bremerton, the other side from where Michael had come from and from where Brem Chem was located. There was a large tree stump that she and her mother used for picnics. Kitt parked with his headlights aimed at the stump. Michael sat on the stump, with his back to Kitt. He removed his jacket and lifted his shirt. Kitt talked Emily Grace through cleaning and bandaging the wound.

When she was done to Kitt's satisfaction, Michael turned to face her and Kitt. He thanked her with both words and sign language. That earned him another shy smile.

Emily Grace signed and Kitt translated. "She wants to be a doctor when she grows up."

"Well, if you need a testimonial, I'm your guy."

Emily Grace held up a finger and dashed back to the car. She rooted through her backpack. She came back to Michael and handed him a lollipop.

"Apparently, Michael, you were a model patient. For once."

Michael unwrapped the lollipop and popped it into his mouth. "Right, now we have to decide what to do next. We have two options. First, we hide out and hope the bad guys are still there when Kevin and his men arrive. Second, we go to Brem Chem and rescue Emily Grace's mom." He paused, then added, "Ordinarily, I'd go with Option Two. My job is stopping the bad guys. But . . . your mom told me to keep you safe. Even if I leave you with Kitt, it's still not as safe as hiding out."

Emily Grace considered what he said carefully, a solemn expression on her young face. Then, turning to face Kitt, she signed a lengthy conversation, punctuated by some cryptic (to Michael) questions from Kitt. When she was done, she looked at Kitt expectantly.

"Emily Grace says you should find her mother's friend, who sends her books. She could stay with him while you go rescue her mother."

"Her father?"

"No, this man sends her books for her birthday and Christmas. Loathsome Toad hasn't ever sent her a single gift."

"Loathsome Toad, eh?" Michael was amused. "Does she know the man's name? Or where he lives?"

"She doesn't remember his name and she doesn't know where he lives."

Michael gave it some thought, and then shook his head. "No, too much up in the air about who this man is or where we'd find him." Emily Grace started to sign. Michael leaned over and put his hands over hers. "I said no, and I meant no. And going to rescue your mom puts you in too much danger. That just leaves us the first option: hiding out. It's only a couple more hours until Kevin gets here. In the meantime, I think we need to get some food. I haven't had dinner, and I'm guessing you haven't either, Pumpkin."

Emily Grace had another lengthy conversation with Kitt. She must have been explaining something rather than just answering the question. When Kitt was satisfied he had the story, he summarized for his partner.

"Emily Grace goes to a friend's house after school, until her mom gets home. But her friend's family had somewhere to go this evening. Since her mom hadn't called, they thought she would be home on time. They dropped Emily Grace off at home. She used her key to let herself into the house. And then locked the door behind her, like her mother always tells her to do. Her mom didn't come home. And then a strange man knocked at the door. But Maria Daniels has taught her daughter not to open the door to strangers. She didn't answer but instead hid until the man went away. She stayed hidden until you arrived."

"So . . . no dinner?" Emily Grace shook her head. "Okay, you need to eat. So do I. How do you feel about IHOP, Pumpkin?"

"Michael, are you sure that's wise?"

Michael ticked off on his fingers. One: IHOP is open late. Two: They won't try to rush us to finish and leave. Three: It's well-lit and public, so even if the thugs find us, they won't try anything. Four: I saw one as we were driving here. And five: I feel like having pancakes."