Kyle looked hugely delighted to be called “dude” by Gabe McGuire. Logan scowled at his shoes.

Gabe looked at Liam. “So then I thought maybe if I got some grease or something, that might work him loose, so I brought down a bottle of olive oil.”

No wonder Kyle’s hair looked so weird.

Kyle grinned and Gabe laughed. “I poured the whole thing over as much of his head as the neck of the bottle would reach and I told him to rub it in. It worked.”

“Cool, huh?” Kyle said proudly. Logan rolled his eyes.

“About which time,” Gabe said, “Logan showed back up with Cynthia and Greg in tow. And then we called you.”

“Okay,” Liam said, “am I to understand that these bones came from the other side of the crack?”

“Yep.” Kyle nodded vigorously. “And that’s not all. When Gabe went back for the oil I felt around for the flashlight I’d dropped when I got stuck and shined it around. And—” building for a big finish “—that’s when I saw it!”

“Saw—”

Kyle pointed at the bones. “The rest of the body! The whole skeleton! It’s kind of crumpled up but you can tell right away what it is! There’s a spine, and legs and a skull and everything!” He paused, and then, clearly unhappy at the response to this earthshaking announcement, added, “The whole thing is still there!”

“You want to go take a look?” Gabe said.

Liam glanced up at the windows, behind which the sun had without question set. He was not attempting that death-defying trail in the dark. “Tomorrow, maybe. Have you talked to Erik?”

“I called him but he didn’t pick up. Let me try again.” Gabe picked up his phone, called up a number, and held the phone to his ear. After a minute or so he shook his head. “Still not picking up. Probably keeping company somewhere. Guy gets more action than any other ten men on the Bay, including me.”

Cynthia cleared her throat meaningfully, and Gabe didn’t quite blush.

Wy, speaking and possibly moving for the first time since coming into the house, smiled impartially at Cynthia and Greg. “Isn’t there school tomorrow?”

Greg said, “Yeah, Logan, time to head for the barn.”

“Yes, Kyle, way past your bedtime,” Cynthia said.

“C’mon, Mom—”

“And we’re going to have a conversation about your choice of friends first thing tomorrow.”

“What?” Greg said.

“It wasn’t my fault!” Logan said. “It wasn’t even my idea!”

“Let’s go, Kyle.” Cynthia bustled toward the door, outrage in the line of her spine.

Kyle looked at Greg. “She gets like this, Mr. Kinnison. Don’t worry about it, Dad’ll calm her down.” He looked at Liam. “Can I keep the bones?”

“Nope,” Liam said.

“Didn’t think so,” Kyle said regretfully, “but it was worth the ask.” He grinned at Logan and extended a fist. Logan bumped it with his own. “Later, dude.”

“Later.”

The Kinnisons père et fils followed Kyle out the door.