'Chief,' he said, butting in between Morrison and Randolph. 'Big Jim,' Perkins said, nodding.'You didn't waste any time, I see.' This was perhaps a gibe, but Rennie, a sly old fish, did not rise to the bait. 'I'm afraid there's more going on here than meets the eye. I think someone had better get in touch with Homeland Security.' He paused, looking suitably grave. 'I don't want to say there's terrorism involved… but I won't say there isn't.'

3

Duke Perkins looked past Big Jim. Jackie was being helped to her feet by Ernie Calvert and Johnny Carver, who ran Mill Gas & Grocery. She was dazed and her nose was bleeding, but she appeared all right otherwise. Nevertheless, this whole situation was hinky. Of course, any accident where there were fatalities felt that way to some extent, but there was more wrong here.

For one thing, the plane hadn't been trying to land. There were too many pieces, and they were too widely scattered, for him to believe that. And the spectators.They weren't right, either. Randolph hadn't noticed, but Duke Perkins did. They should have formed into one big spreading clump. It was what they always did, as if for comfort in the face of death. Only these had formed two clumps, and the one on the Motton side of the town line marker was awfully close to the still-burning truck. Not in any danger, he judged… but why didn't they move over here?

The first firetrucks swept around the curve to the south. Three of them. Duke was glad to see that the second one in line had CHESTER'S MILL FIRE DEPARTMENT PUMPER NO. 2 printed in gold on the side. The crowd shuffled back farther into the scrubby bushes, giving them room. Duke returned his attention to Rennie. 'What happened here? Do you know?'

Rennie opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Ernie Calvert spoke up. 'There's a barrier across the road. You can't see it, but it's there, Chief. The truck hit it. The plane, too.'

'Damn right!' Dinsmore exclaimed.

'Officer Wettington hit it, too,'Johnny Carver said. 'Lucky for her she was goin slower.' He had placed an arm around Jackie, who looked dazed. Duke observed her blood on the sleeve of Carver's I GOT GASSED AT MILL DISCOUNT jacket.

On the Motton side, another FD truck had arrived. The first two had blocked the road in a V. Firemen were already spilling out and unrolling hoses. Duke could hear the warble of an ambulance from the direction of Castle Rock. Where's ours? he wondered. Had it also gone to that stupid damn training exercise? He didn't like to think so. Who in their right mind would order an ambulance to an empty burning house?

'There seems to be an invisible barrier—' Rennie began.

'Yeah, I got that,' Duke said. 'I don't know what it means, but I got it:.' He left Rennie and went: to his bleeding officer, not seeing the dark red color that suffused the Second Selectman's cheeks at this snub.

'Jackie?' Duke asked, taking her gently by the shoulder. 'All right?'

'Yeah.' She touched her nose, where the blood-flow was slowing. 'Does it look broken? It doesn't feel broken.'

'It's not broken, but it's going to swell. Think you'll look all right by the time the Harvest Ball comes around, though.'

She offered a weak smile.

'Chief,' Rennie said, 'I really think we ought to call someone on this. If not Homeland Security—on more mature reflection that seems a little radical—then perhaps the State Police—'

Duke moved him aside. It was gentle but unequivocal. Almost a push. Rennie balled his hands into fists, then unrolled them again. He had built a life in which he was a pusher rather than a pushee, but that didn't alter the fact that fists were for idiots. Witness his own son. AH the same, slights needed to be noted and addressed. Usually at some later date… but sometimes later was better.

Sweeter.

'Peter!' Duke called to Randolph. 'Give the Health Center a shout and ask where the hell our ambulance is! I want it out here!'

'Morrison can do that,' Randolph said. He had grabbed the camera from his car and was turning to snap pictures of the scene.

'You can do it, and right now.'

'Chief, I don't think Jackie's too banged up, and no one else—'

'When I want your opinion I'll ask for it, Peter.'

Randolph started to give him a look, then saw the expression on Duke's face. He tossed the camera back onto the front seat of his shop and grabbed his cell phone.

'What was it, Jackie?' Duke asked.

'I don't know. First there was a buzzy feeling like you get if you accidentally touch the prongs of a plug when you're sticking it into the wall. It passed, but then I hit… jeez, I don't know what I hit.'

An ahhh sound went up from the spectators. The firemen had trained their hoses on the burning pulp-truck, but beyond it, some of the spray was rebounding. Striking something and splattei ing back, creating rainbows in the air. Duke had never seen anything like it in his life… except maybe when you were in a car wash, watching the high-pressure jets hit your windshield.

Then he saw a rainbow on the Mill side as well: a snail one. One of the spectators—Lissa Jamieson, the town librarian—walked toward it.

'Lissa, get away from there!' Duke shouted.

She ignored him. It was as if she were hypnotized. She stood inches from where a jet of high-pressure water was striking thin air and splashing back, her hands spread. He could see drops of mist sparkling on her hair, which was pulled away from her face and bunned at the back. The little rainbow broke up, then re-formed behind her.

'Nothing but mist!' she called, sounding rapturous.'All tiat water over there and nothing but mist over here! Like from a humidifier.'

Peter Randolph held up his cell phone and shook hi; head. 'I get a signal, but I'm not getting through. My guess is that all these spectators'—he swept his arm in a big arc—'have got everything, jammed up.'

Duke didn't know if that were possible, but it was true that almost everyone he could see was either yakking or taking pictures. Except for Lissa, that was, who was still doing her woodnymph imitation.

'Go get her,' Duke told Randolph. 'Pull her back before she decides to haul out: her crystals or something.'

Randolph's face suggested that such errands were far below his pay grade, but he went. Duke uttered a laugh. It was short but genuine.

'What in the goodness sakes do you see that's worth laughing about?' Rennie asked. More Castle County cops were pulling up on the Motton side. If Perkins didn't look out, The Rock would end up taking control of this thing. And getting the gosh-darn credit.