but they were n't clouds ... or a swarm of bats . victor did n't speak , likely could n't speak , he just nodded . there was a white work van parked in the driveway . could you go look for her and make sure shes okay ? they 'd given us a room with a clock , of course , a ticking clock and with every tick it seemed to be speeding up , eating away our precious time and all the oxygen in the room . a play of emotions moved across the businessman 's face . 