What is a young man to do when he accidentally stumbles upon the secret hideaway of three refugees from the law, who will do anything to keep their whereabouts unknown?<br><br>Young, rich, spoiled, and naive George Lattimer sets out to hitchhike Route 66 across the country in the summer of 1964. After a bad experience getting a ride, he finds himself lost in the Ozark wilderness and stumbles upon the lair of three large, hairy outdoorsmen, hiding from the U.S. Marshals. They are determined to keep their hideaway a secret at all costs.

The Three Bears

“I need to run some errands in Joplin tomorrow. Do you want to go with me?” Cullen asked, brightening the mood. “Johnny and Daddy are going hunting and I could use your help.”


Cullen and George crawled out of the pickup and walked into a small grocery store, the last stop on their errand. George knew the importance of keeping a low profile so he followed Cullen as he hurried through the store picking only the items they needed, not bothering to look around.


When they reached the cash register, Cullen asked George to get a newspaper from a stack nearby. George grabbed the top one and glanced at the front page. His heart skipped a beat as his own face, clean-shaven and pale, stared back.


“What’s the matter?” Cullen whispered.


Stunned into silence, George held the paper up so he could see it.


Chapter 14