The convoy carrying Phineas and the nuns was luckier than Maxwell. They were received by green lights at each of the traffic control points and raced along the under-construction portion of the highway. As they approached the point where, according to the computer, Maxwell turned off the highway, they slowed to a snail’s pace as they looked for a road.
“There it is,” said Ivan, braking hard. The two SUVs behind him also slammed on their brakes and only just avoided an accident.
“Excellent,” said Phineas. “But I still wonder why on Earth Maxwell went down this road.”
The big four-wheel-drive SUVs were made for dirt roads such as this, and bounced along the winding dirt path, up and down a series of hills and into a patch of reeds.
“Oh, my God!” exclaimed Ivan, followed by, “sorry, Father Forge,” as their vehicle slid into the back of the Bentley with a bang. Fortunately, neither vehicle suffered more than minor damage, though the Bentley was knocked forward a metre and a half.
Ivan turned around.
“Are you okay, Father?” he asked, but Phineas was already climbing out of the car. “I’ll take that to mean ‘yes’,” said Ivan to himself as he followed the preacher.
The two men and a couple of nuns checked out the Bentley.
“There’s no one here. The demon Maxwell must have gone forward on foot,” said Phineas.
“Indeed. He appears to have walked from here,” said a nun, pointing at foot prints leading from the Bentley.
“What do you think we should do, Sister Ingrid?” asked Phineas.
She thought for a few seconds.
“I suggest we follow slowly in the cars. He has a head start. If footprints go off the path or the path becomes impassible, we can leave the cars and go forward on foot.”
“Very good, Sister. You all go first, now. You are better at following tracks.”
“Yes, Father.”
They returned to their SUVs. Sister Ingrid carefully drove hers around Phineas’s and the Bentley. The others followed behind her.