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tangle of bramble and waist-high weeds. Most of the time I couldn't be certain what the next step would lead to. |
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I don't really know what we expected to find, but we didn't find any blackened patches of earth similar to the one where Percy was killed. Nor did we find any evidence of broken saplings, unusual holes or gouges in the surface. Even more importantly, I encountered nothing that looked like a two thumb, three finger imprint. |
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There was a definite lack of what you would term the sounds of natureno chatter of birds begrudging our invasion and no trace of any wildlife. There was only the steady, almost mocking sound of the placid water lapping against the rocky shoreline. |
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The whole effort, as it turned out, was a tiring, fruitless and time-consuming fourhour drill in futility. The sweep from east to west by Madden's group accomplished a big fat zero. |
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We intercepted Constable Kendall's group, four men and two teenage boys carrying kerosene lanterns at the junction of two sandy trails. The dancing flames of their lanterns created a bizarre flickering setting in the foggy landscape. From there on, the two squads combined their efforts and collectively canvassed the area on into where Percy's deserted pickup truck still languished. Caleb's squad and Harlan's men |
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