It was quiet in the truck after that. Even Jill was still, starting ahead, and looking as though she was thinking. I met Brian's eyes at

one point, and he gave me a look right back, and gave a very slight shake of his head, showing his irritation with the situation. On the road going to

the house, we were met by Daniel in his shiny red truck, Guthrie in the seat beside him.

Crane came to a quick stop, as did Daniel, nearly jerking to a stop. Daniel was out of his truck fast, and asking Jill,

"You alright?" He looked frantic.

"I'm alright, Daniel," Jill was saying, as Crane got out, so Jill could slide out to reach Daniel.

Daniel hugged Jill, rubbing her shoulders, and running his eyes over her face. He smoothed back her hair, as if searching for

injuries.

"What the hell is happening?" he asked her.

"I'll explain it to you, Daniel," Jill said, and Daniel looked from her to Crane and Brian.

"Where are they? The two guys?" he asked.

"In town," Brian said, not waiting for Jill to answer.

"Did the sheriff come?" Crane was asking Daniel.

"No. They said for Jill to come in-" Daniel began, and then broke off, lookinga at Jill, agitated. "Did you go of your free will?" he demanded.

Jill hesitated, and said, "Yes. And No."

"Some answer," Brian said, under his breath, sounding irritated I think I might have been the only one who heard him.

"What's that mean?" Daniel demanded. He dropped his hands from where they'd been hugging Jill. "What the hell, Jill?"

"It was Leo," Jill said. "And Chess."

Daniel's face became even more of a thundercloud. He obviously knew the two names. "And you went with them?" he said, his voice raising.

"Don't yell at me," Jill told him, and Brian snorted, and from inside the truck cab he said to them, "He's got a right to be pissed."

"Yeah," Crane said. "You definitely have some things to work out," he told Daniel.

"You know those guys, too, huh, Dan'l?" Brian asked, leaning over a bit so as to see Daniel better. While he was doing that, I scooted off his

lap, and took the middle spot that Jill had vacated.

Instead of answering, Daniel gave a brief, terse nod, and Brian leaned back again, against the truck seat. I could feel the tension reeling off of him.

"Alright, Dan'l," Brian said. "You decide what you want to do here on out. We're going on to the house."

"You alright?" Crane asked Daniel.

"I'll be alright," Daniel answered.

"It can all be explained," Jill said, to no one in particular.

"It better be," Brian said, loud enough for Jill to hear.

"I never asked you to come after me-" Jill began again.

Daniel appeared to have had enough. He nodded to Guthrie, who was standing off to the side a bit.

"Guth, you go on home with them, alright?" he said, abruptly.

"What're you gonna do?" Guthrie asked.

"We're goin' to town," Daniel said, sounding grim.

That got Brian's attention. He opened the passenger door, and stood on the running board, looking over the top of the truck.

"Now, Dan'l, don't be doin' that-"

"I'll be alright," Daniel said, guiding Jill towards his truck.

"We don't need to go find them, Daniel," Jill was protesting.

"That's right," Crane said. "You don't."

"The situation's been taken care of," I heard Brian add.

I scooted over to hang my feet out the driver's side.

"Don't go in there, Daniel," I said, adding in my two cents.

"This is ridiculous," Jill said, laying her hands on Daniel's chest. "We can go to the house, and I'll explain everything to you. We don't need to go look those

two up." In what I assumed was an attempt to lighten the situation, Jill flashed a smile and said, "Crane and Brian have sorted them out already."

Instead of lightening it, Daniel appeared to become angrier at her comment.

"Well, that's just great," Daniel said, sarcastically. "I mean-I really appreciate that-but I want to settle things for myself, if you don't mind-"

"Now, Dan'l," Brian began-

"Brian, no," Daniel said, sounding ferocious. He held up a hand towards Brian. "I'm alright. I'm gonna be alright. I need to go-"

I heard a fist hit the top of the truck cab. Brian's. "Alright, then. I'll go along."

"No need," Daniel said. "Get in the truck, Jill."

Jill sighed heavily, and went to slide into Daniel's truck.

Brian stepped down and around to the other side of the truck. "I'm against this," he said, sounding resigned. "Crane, you coming, too?"

"You know that I am," Crane said, with his own sigh.

"I don't need you to come," Daniel protested. "Either of you-"

"Well, too bad," Brian said, looking and sounding impatient. "So we can get back home. I'm hungry."

"Then go eat, dammit," Daniel swore, his eyes snapping with temper.

I began to get a really bad feeling of dread right then. They were going to argue, and take out their frustrations on each other, instead

of the person who was to blame for all of this.

I got out of the truck, and joined their circle. Twisting my hands together, I looked from one face to another.

"We'll go," Brian was saying. "And, then, after, we'll all head home together-"

"I don't need a damn babysitter, Brian!" Daniel snapped.

"Nobody's saying anything like that," Crane intervened. "We'll have your back, Daniel, that's all."

"If we're going, then let's go!" Jill hollared from Daniel's truck cab.

I saw Guthrie shoot Jill a look, and then he shook his head, looking disgusted. Before Daniel or anybody could say anything, though,

I popped off at Jill with, "Why don't you shut up? This whole thing is your fault!"

"Rein yourself in, Harlie," Jill called back to me.

I was livid. I squeezed my hands into fists. I started to walk over towards Daniel's truck, but a hand gripped the back of my shirt,

and brought me to a halt.

"Get back in the truck," Brian ordered me, tersely. To Guthrie, he said, "You too, Guth. You two take it and go on home. Tell everybody

we'll be right along."

"Not if something happens, you won't be!" I protested.

"Nothin's gonna happen," Brian said. "Now, go on."

"That Leo guy has a knife in his boot!" I said, feeling fearful and righteous. I hollared over at Jill again. "Did you tell them that, Jill?!"

Without a calmness that didn't match the grimness around his mouth, Crane said, "Alright. Enough."

Brian said, "Yeah," and nodded to Guthrie.

Guthrie came and got behind the wheel of the truck, and Brian looked at me. "Go on," he said, for the third time. I could tell the way he

said it, he wasn't going to say it again. Or, at least he wasn't going to say it again in any way that was remotely nice. Since I didnt want to add

being in Dutch with Brian to the rest of this horrible day, I started towards the passenger side of the pickup.

"What are we supposed to tell everybody?" I asked, looking over the hood before I got in. My tone was more than a trifle accusatory.

"You tell them just what I said for you to tell them," Brian said. "We'll be right along."

I got in, slamming the door harder than necessary, and Guthrie started the motor, and we pulled away. When I looked thru the back windshield, I could

see the three of them, Crane, Daniel and Brian, still standing there, having a conversation.

Seven