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"I was born and raised in Pineville"

"That’s what I thought I’ve been looking at the county map, and so far as I can see, there are only two passable routes into Snowfield First, there’s the highhich we’ve already blockaded" He swiveled on his chair and stared at the huge, framed map on the wall

"Then there’s an old fire trail that leads about two-thirds of the way up the other side of the mountain Where the fire trail leaves off, an established wilderness trail seems to pick up It’s just a footpath from that point, but from the way it looks on the est ski-run on this side of the mountain, up here above Snowfield"

"Yeah," Charlie said, "I’ve backpacked through that neck of the woods It’s officially the Old Mount Greentree Wilderness Trail Or as we locals used to call it-the Muscle Linihway"

"We’ll have to station a couple of men at the bottom of the fire trail and turn back anyone who tries to come in that way"

"It would take one hell of a determined reporter to try it"

"We can’t take chances Are you aware of any other route that isn’t on the map?"

"Nope," Charlie said, "Otherwise, you’d have to co your own trail every dammed step of the way That is wilderness out there; it’s not just a playground for weekend campers, by God No experienced backpacker would try to coht So else I need is a phone number from the files Reo… oh… about sixteen o One of the speakers was an army man Copperfield, I think General Copperfield"

"Sure," Charlie said, "The Army Medical Corps’ CBW Division"

"That’s it"

"I think they call Copperfield’s office the Civilian Defense Unit Hold on" Charlie was off the line less than a minute

He came back with the nuway, Utah Jesus, do you think this could be so? that’s scary"

"Real scary," Bryce agreed, "A couple of other things I want you to put a name on the teletype Timothy Flyte" Bryce spelled it, "No description No known address Find out if he’s wanted anywhere Check with the FBI, too Then find out all you can about a Mr and Mrs Harold Ordnay of San Francisco" He gave Charlie the address that had been in the Candle glow Inn’s guest register "Onesoue"

"How many?"

"To start with… two hundred"

"Uh… two… hundred?"

"We h We ht have to borrow from other counties Better check into that A lot of people seem just to’ve disappeared, but their bodieshere We could possibly need that s"

And ht Because we h Charlie had listened attentively when Bryce told hih there was no doubt that he believed Bryce, he obviously hadn’t frilly, emotionally comprehended the awful dimensions of the disaster until he’d heard the request for two hundred body bags An ie of all those corpses, sealed in opaque plastic, stacked atop one another in Snowfield’s streets-that hat had finally pierced him

"Holy Mother of God," Charlie Mercer said

While Bryce Hammond was on the telephone with Charlie Mercer, Frank and Stu started to disainst the back wall of the roo with the set, for there weren’t any visible signs of dahtened screws Frank worked them loose one at a ti around at Dr Paige, as at the other end of the roo with Tal Whitman on another project

"She’s sure a sweet piece ofa covetous look at the doctor and picking his nose at the sa

Stu looked at what he’d pried out of his nose, inspecting it as if it were a pearl found in an oyster He glanced back at the doctor again "Look at the way she fills out them jeans Christ, I’d love to dip my wick in that"

Frank stared at the three screws he’d ree to drive one of the screws straight into Stu’s thick skull "You aren’t stupid enough to make a pass at her, I hope"

"Why not? That’s a hot number if ever I did see one"

"You try it, and the sheriff’ll kick your ass"

"He don’t spookabout sex right now? Hasn’t it occurred to you that we all ht, maybe even in the next minute or two?"

"All the le said "I mean, shit, if we’re livin’ on borrowed tiht? Even the other one’s nice"

"The other what?"

"The girl The kid" Stu said

"She’s only fourteen"

"Sweet stuff"

"She’s a child, Wargle"

"She’s plenty old enough"

"That’s sick"

"Wouldn’t you like to have her firs wrapped around you, Frank?" The screwdriver slipped out of the notch on the head of the screw and skidded across thescreech

In a voice which was nearly inaudible but which nevertheless froze Wargle’s grin, Frank said, "If I ever hear of you laying one filthy finger on that girl or on any other young girl, anywhere, any tiainst you; I’ll cole I wasn’t just a desk jockey in Nam I was in the field And I still kno to handle myself I kno to handle you You hear le was unable to speak He just stared into Frank’s eyes

Conversations drifted over fro room, but none of the words were clear Still, it was obvious that no one realized as happening at the radio