“Wy?

She turned and looked at Liam. “Can a cell phone on the ground raise a jet airplane at twenty thousand feet?

The three people at the table exchanged glances.

“Theyre always after making you turn the things off before they take off, Bridget said.

“Depends on what channel theyre both on, Jim said. “If the communications man on the jet was channel-surfing and the guy on the ground was broadcasting steadily, probably. Itd be mostly a matter of chance, I think.

“There was that guy hunting caribou in Mulchatna, Liam said.

Jim snapped his fingers. “Right, I remember that story.

“Yeah, said Liam, “he ground-looped it and an Alaska Airlines jet going to Gambell picked up his Mayday. It was in the paper.

The sick feeling in the pit of Wys stomach increased.

“Whats bothering you, Wy? Liam said. “You see something when you were out there today? Come on, I can use all the help I can get.

“Oh shit, John Kvichak said when he opened the door.

She was so beautiful, in her own way as beautiful as Elaine, so rounded and so feminine. She was frightened at first, of course, but as soon as she realized she had no choice, she calmed right down.

Women were like that. They were a lot smarter than most men gave them credit for, they knew how to survive. They were the weaker sex, certainly, but that didnt mean they were any less intelligent. She knew the instant she looked into his eyes what survival would entail.

He had nothing but contempt for her husband. The cabin was poorly built, there wasnt enough food to last more than a month, the man hadnt done any hunting to take up the slack when the food ran out. A poor provider.

And she didnt weep when she saw her husbands body. Her eyes were fixed on him. Poor little woman, she needed rescuing. Lucky for her he happened along.

Or was it? Was it instead part of Gods holy plan? She was a gift to him as much as he was to her; could one argue with any conviction that such things were the product of simple fate? No, it could not be so. She was a gift, and he would guard her and treasure her accordingly.

He told her that he was hungry. She cooked for him, noodles with green onions sliced into them at the last moment before serving and a few drops of sesame oil added, a dish new to him but which he liked very much. He said he was thirsty. She made him coffee, good coffee, too, the best he had had in many years.

She fussed a little when it came time to take off her clothes, but that was only due to the natural modesty of women.