The man grinned at her. He had gleaming white teeth that remined Jennifer of some kind of animal, and Jennifer realized the car wouldn't be all he wanted.

"That's nice of you," he said, "but the car wouldn't do me any good if I had to drive it. The cops are looking for me everywhere. I wouldn't get a half mile."

"You're Dave Madden!" Rena blurted out.

Jennifer felt a coldness in her soul. She hadn't put it together as quickly as Rena had. Dave Madden was an escaped convict.

It had been in all the newspapers. He had shot a guard escaping and the police were all over looking for him.

"That's right, lady," he said. "So now you know I'm a desperate man. I can't go back. So both of you will do exactly as I say and we'll get along just fine.

Jennifer had two choices. She could scream and hope that he wouldn't kill them both, or she could get into the car and hope he wouldn't throw them into a ditch somewhere. The first choice was not a very good one. She had a feeling that he would do exactly as he said.

They would be two dead bodies lying together before anyone could help.

"All right," Jennifer said slowly, "just tell us what you want us to do."

He studied them both carefully for a moment and then evidently made a decision. He put the gun away in a side pocket and gave the keys to Rena.

"You drive, honey," he said. "Just be real careful. Remember that I'll be sitting in the back seat with your girlfriend."

"Please," Rena said, "I don't think I can. I'm too scared."

"Drive, damn it," he said, "or you'll be dead."

He motioned her into the car and Rena went without argument. She dropped the keys a couple of times but she finally got them into the ignition.

Jennifer slipped in the back seat and he was right beside her. She could feel the bulge of the gun pressed against her side.