I got it. Brendan, you‘ve got a leak in your office.

His voice changed. What?

The FBI knows you were running Allen. They‘ve been following the money, too. Why?

She told him.

Holy shit.

That‘s what I said. George caught her eye and tapped his watch. Gotta go, babe. Thanks for the help.

She climbed in next to George and he had them in the air five minutes later. He was silent most of the way home, which suited her fine because she wanted to sort out everything she‘d learned in Anchorage, to try to bring some sense of order to it. Allen had been a ringer for both John King and True North, running a wholesale market in proprietary information out of the Suulutaq Mine, from whom he was drawing a third paycheck. You had to admire the efficiency of his opportunism. Even for a man of Allen‘s past, though, playing three sides against each other had to be wearing.

Lyda had noticed something, hence the file on her computer.

But Allen had predeceased her, so he hadn‘t killed her. Who had?

Who had shot Dewayne Gammons? It was Lyda‘s pistol, it fit the holster in her drawer. Who took it? Or had she given it to someone?

Allen‘s body was in the clearing with the gun.

Gammons was wandering around the woods with a bullet hole in him. A circumstantial case could be made that Allen shot Gammons. Why? Why would one friend shoot another? They could have been brothers, they—

Oh, she said out loud. Oh!

What oh, George said over the headset. What‘s with the ohs? His eyes roved the sky. We got traffic? Where?

She looked around as if she‘d just realized where they were. Beneath them the Kanuyaq spiraled out like a broad silver ribbon. Ahead of them the Quilaks loomed large and menacing. Sorry, George, she said, contrite. Bad idea to make loud noises sitting next to a pilot in midair. I think I just figured something out. Maybe. Possibly. There‘s a chance I might actually know at least part of what happened here.

A part of what happened where? George said.

Just fly the plane, she said. Can‘t we go any faster?

A miffed George put them down on the Niniltna airstrip in good time. Kate abandoned her purchases and ran down the hill to the trooper post.

He‘s not here, Maggie said, there was a shooting over in Tebay Lakes, possible fatality. He said he wouldn‘t be back until tonight at the earliest.

Kate had been so preoccupied she hadn‘t even noticed that Jim‘s plane was gone. Damn it, she said, frustrated. She almost stamped her foot.

Maggie sniffed. Kate still wasn‘t forgiven for standing up for the mine, even if she hadn‘t. She hadn‘t, had she? After the conversation with Kostas McKenzie the evening before she wasn‘t so sure.

Mutt came to the door of Jim‘s office and looked out at Kate with a long, meaningful stare.

Hey, girl, Kate said.