as he dared, forcing the Volvo over the drifts and the chained tires into the roadway.
''We've got to head for civilization,'' she said, her fist gently tapping the side window. "Why can't we just try for Johnson City like Claudie?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he looked for a turnaround. They came to a drive marked mollander. It was the only nearby dwelling—a summer cabin about a half mile from Claudie's, usually unoccupied this time of year.
"You're not talking."
"I'm thinking."
When he reached the end of the narrow roadway to the cabin, he turned the Volvo around and got out.
"Now what are you doing?"
"I'm still thinking."
"You're lying in the snow."
"I'm removing the chains."
"What if I want the chains to go to Johnson City?"
"They'll have men at the pass. They'll kill you. If you try to walk around them, you'll die in the snow."
He removed the tire chains quickly and dumped them on the floor in back.
"That's my choice," she said.
"Uh-huh," he said. He would hog-tie her if he had to, but he certainly wasn't going to say so.
" 'Uh-huh.' What's that mean?"
"It means I'm listening."
"You're driving back toward my sister's and away from Johnson City."
"If we go back without the chains, it'll throw them off, at least temporarily."
"We need to get to a town, to telephones. I've got to insist."
"This side of Elk Horn Pass you're off the grid. No power except home generators and no phone but cellular. With luck, they're confused. They'll suppose that people fleeing would more likely head toward Johnson City than away from it. Our only choice is to lose them in the wilderness and come out in our own time and our own way."
"What about the cell phones?"
"There's one in my truck. Claudie's got one. We don't have either of them, and they won't work unless you're higher on the mountain. We can't drive that high in this snow, even if we had one, which we don't."
''Listen, that plane was full of some medical research, including every disease in the Merck Manual. They could be experimenting on those Tilok girls, for God's sake. We've got to tell the world—"
"You can't tell anyone anything if you're dead. They might let Claudie past, but they're never gonna let us through. And this car won't make it over the pass anyway. No chance."
"So we should run off into the mountains in a blizzard, maybe with some deadly disease? These people could be back out on the county road by now just waiting for us around the next bend. I say we make a plan that moves us toward town, even if we walk."
"That's what they expect. They'll likely have snowmobiles. It won't work."
"Why?"
"Resources. I saw their truck tracks. They weren't driving around with empty trucks. Either they have a lot of men, or men and snowmobiles. Whatever they have will be directed at Elk Horn Pass if they lose our tracks."
''If we aren't going to make definite progress toward a phone, maybe I should go by myself."
Kier slowed down and looked at her.
"You do that and the odds are very high that you will die. Be patient. I will get you to civilization. I promise."
Her jaw hardened, and he knew she was trying to control her anger.
"So I've got to live with you because I can't live without you. That's what you're saying. So what are the odds of an epidemic of some sort?"
"I have no idea." He paused. "Those guys were killing each other before the jet crashed, right?"
She nodded.
"There was a firefight in that plane."
"Okay," she said with a reluctant tone. "And you're going to say the grenade guy feared Tillman enough to die killing us—or just to keep a secret, or for some other damn reason. So we ought to be a lot more afraid of those guys who'll kill us instantly than a disease that will take time, and that we may not even have. That's your point?"
"Something like that."
For a time Jessie didn't say anything more. Finally, "What makes no sense is the private army. How did they know this jet would crash in these mountains?"
Kier shrugged.
"I think
''We've got to head for civilization,'' she said, her fist gently tapping the side window. "Why can't we just try for Johnson City like Claudie?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he looked for a turnaround. They came to a drive marked mollander. It was the only nearby dwelling—a summer cabin about a half mile from Claudie's, usually unoccupied this time of year.
"You're not talking."
"I'm thinking."
When he reached the end of the narrow roadway to the cabin, he turned the Volvo around and got out.
"Now what are you doing?"
"I'm still thinking."
"You're lying in the snow."
"I'm removing the chains."
"What if I want the chains to go to Johnson City?"
"They'll have men at the pass. They'll kill you. If you try to walk around them, you'll die in the snow."
He removed the tire chains quickly and dumped them on the floor in back.
"That's my choice," she said.
"Uh-huh," he said. He would hog-tie her if he had to, but he certainly wasn't going to say so.
" 'Uh-huh.' What's that mean?"
"It means I'm listening."
"You're driving back toward my sister's and away from Johnson City."
"If we go back without the chains, it'll throw them off, at least temporarily."
"We need to get to a town, to telephones. I've got to insist."
"This side of Elk Horn Pass you're off the grid. No power except home generators and no phone but cellular. With luck, they're confused. They'll suppose that people fleeing would more likely head toward Johnson City than away from it. Our only choice is to lose them in the wilderness and come out in our own time and our own way."
"What about the cell phones?"
"There's one in my truck. Claudie's got one. We don't have either of them, and they won't work unless you're higher on the mountain. We can't drive that high in this snow, even if we had one, which we don't."
''Listen, that plane was full of some medical research, including every disease in the Merck Manual. They could be experimenting on those Tilok girls, for God's sake. We've got to tell the world—"
"You can't tell anyone anything if you're dead. They might let Claudie past, but they're never gonna let us through. And this car won't make it over the pass anyway. No chance."
"So we should run off into the mountains in a blizzard, maybe with some deadly disease? These people could be back out on the county road by now just waiting for us around the next bend. I say we make a plan that moves us toward town, even if we walk."
"That's what they expect. They'll likely have snowmobiles. It won't work."
"Why?"
"Resources. I saw their truck tracks. They weren't driving around with empty trucks. Either they have a lot of men, or men and snowmobiles. Whatever they have will be directed at Elk Horn Pass if they lose our tracks."
''If we aren't going to make definite progress toward a phone, maybe I should go by myself."
Kier slowed down and looked at her.
"You do that and the odds are very high that you will die. Be patient. I will get you to civilization. I promise."
Her jaw hardened, and he knew she was trying to control her anger.
"So I've got to live with you because I can't live without you. That's what you're saying. So what are the odds of an epidemic of some sort?"
"I have no idea." He paused. "Those guys were killing each other before the jet crashed, right?"
She nodded.
"There was a firefight in that plane."
"Okay," she said with a reluctant tone. "And you're going to say the grenade guy feared Tillman enough to die killing us—or just to keep a secret, or for some other damn reason. So we ought to be a lot more afraid of those guys who'll kill us instantly than a disease that will take time, and that we may not even have. That's your point?"
"Something like that."
For a time Jessie didn't say anything more. Finally, "What makes no sense is the private army. How did they know this jet would crash in these mountains?"
Kier shrugged.
"I think
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