Zach sat in the garbage can a long time. He stretched his fingers. Though the can was wide enough that he could sit cross-legged at the bottom of it, his fingers were still the only body parts he could stretch fully. He had planned to stay in here until it was dark outside and he could sneak out of the market without the Asian men seeing him. But now he was having second thoughts. His muscles throbbed, sore from sitting in nearly the same position in the bottom of this can for…how long? Ten minutes? Thirty?
I have to move, he thought, find a better hiding place, one that doesn't hurt. He reached to move the lid away and stand up.
Voices approached his closet. He hesitated. The doorknob jiggled; a key was being inserted into the lock. The door opened. Zach ducked back to the bottom of the can and froze.
"I told you, officer—there ain't gonna be no one in here," a woman's voice complained. "Didn't I say we keep these doors locked at all times?"
"My orders are to search every room on this floor, including the closets," a man's voice answered, with only a hint of exasperation. "Officer"—it was a police officer. Grandfather had warned him that police officers would take him back to Hugh. He held perfectly still inside the can, trying not to even breathe. If the police were helping the kidnappers search for him, he would have to be extra careful.
"Well, I don't know why you have to search the closets," the woman's voice grumbled. "Ain't nobody in there. They're long gone by now. And I'll tell you another thing—"
The door shut, and the two voices faded away down the corridor.
Zach sighed. He had only narrowly escaped detection. He decided he could stay cramped inside this garbage can a while longer.