“You did it, Jake!” he bellowed over the noise of the crowd. “It’s marvelous!”

“Tim did it,” Jake yelled back. He saw that even Tomlinson’s father looked pleased.

Amy came up and kissed him on the cheek. “Wonderful, Jake,” she said into his ear. “Just wonderful.”

As they trudged slowly through the crowd, Tomlinson shaking hands with every step, Jake spotted Tim Younger heading their way.

“What’re you doing here?” Jake yelped.

Younger laughed. “The rig’s running fine. I came for the barbeque. Going to take some back to the guys. They’ve earned it.”

“Isn’t Glynis with you?”

“No,” Younger said. “Haven’t seen her since yesterday. I thought she’d be with you.”

Glynis

GLYNIS

Standing there in the middle of the swirling, boisterous throng, Jake’s blood turned cold. “When’s the last time you saw her?” he demanded of Younger.

The engineer thought a moment. “Day before yesterday. She came up to the rig, spent an hour or so.”

And she’s not here, Jake realized. My god, she’s gone up to Vernon. That damned Harraway’s probably tossed her in his jail. Or worse.

Catching the frightened expression on Jake’s face, Younger asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Glynis,” Jake said, hollering to be heard over the crowd’s din. “She might be in trouble.”

“Glyn?”

Jake pawed through the pockets of his jeans to find his cell phone, shouldering his way toward the edge of the crowd as he did so. Younger came along beside him.

“What trouble?” Younger asked.

“She thinks Sinclair was murdered and she’s trying to find out who did it.” Jake pulled up Glynis’s number and called it as he kept striding toward the edge of the town square, away from the noise of the crowd.

One ring. Two. Younger was watching intently.

“Hello.” Glynis’s voice!

“Glyn!” Jake’s heart leaped. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay.” She sounded puzzled by Jake’s near-frantic question.

Feeling as if he’d just stepped off a high cliff, Jake stammered, “I … that is … you didn’t come out to Lignite.…”

“I watched the ceremony on television,” Glynis replied, her voice calm, curious.

“Why didn’t you come here?” he asked into the phone.

“You didn’t ask me.”

“I thought Tim…” Jake glanced at Younger, who seemed curious, also.

“Actually, I’m packing a few things. I’m driving up to Vernon tomorrow.”

“No!” Jake snapped.

“Yes,” she said coolly.

“Stay right where you are,” Jake said, his heart thumping. “I’m driving down to your place.”

Sounding almost amused at his consternation, Glynis said, “I’ll be here.”

Clicking the cell phone shut, Jake told Younger, “She’s okay. She’s all right.”

“What the hell’s going on?” Younger was starting to look irritated.