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Abby's side.
    Winding my way through the crowd, I made my way to where the stranger stood. By the time I reached him, Gus had left and the stranger stood alone.
    "Hi," I said, extending my hand. "I'm Ophelia Jensen."
    "Charles Thornton," he said, taking my hand and giving it a firm shake. "Nice to meet you."
    Up close, his eyes were cobalt blue and mesmerizing. Not wanting to stare, I focused on a spot near the toe of my left shoe.
    I shoved my hands in my pockets and looked again at Charles. "I'd like to thank you for speaking up, but how did you know about the Clean Air Bill? Are you a reporter?"
    Charles gave me a big grin. "No, but the notebook and pen works well to give that impression, don't you think? It fooled Saunders."
    I smiled back. "Yeah. He squirmed when you mentioned the bill. I think big bold headlines reading 'Saunders Stalls Clean Air Bill' flashed through his mind. But if you're not a reporter, why are you here?"
    "I'm a freelance photographer and I'm in the area photographing the covered bridges for an East Coast magazine."
    "Oh." I frowned, perplexed at his answer.
    He grinned once more. "But that doesn't answer your question why I'm here does it? Or how I knew about the Clean Air Bill?"
    I shook my head. "Not really."
    "I've worked for a lot of different environmentalist groups over the years and I have a personal interest in those issues. When I heard about the meeting, I checked with an old friend who's in an environmental watch group. He was the one who told me about the bill. I thought the meeting would be interesting." His face grew serious. "Your grandmother has a tough battle ahead, fighting PP International."
    My eyebrows shot up. "How did you know Abby's my grandmother?"
    "It's a small town, Ophelia. It doesn't take long to learn about the people who live here. Especially someone as well liked as your grandmother. People enjoy talking."
    Boy, they sure do. Tonight would be hashed and rehashed over coffee tomorrow at Joe's Cafe. Would the talk be for Abby or against her? I looked over my shoulder to where she stood by Stumpy, listening to whatever he was saying. She appeared so somber that the worry I'd felt earlier started to snake around me again. A woman her age shouldn't be the one to fight a corporation like PP International.
    A light touch on my arm brought my attention back to Charles. He watched me with a puzzled expression.
    "Excuse me, did you say something?" I asked.
    "I said you look troubled. Are you concerned about your grandmother?"
    "Yeah," I said while I absentmindedly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "A little. We're very close and I don't like the stress this puts on her."
    Charles nodded in sympathy. "I understand. I know what it's like to worry about the people you love." He hesitated while his eyes traveled to Abby. "And to be powerless to protect them."
    A shadow crossed his face. The conversation we were having was becoming too personal for my comfort zone. And I didn't want to know what caused the sudden change in Charles. I had enough problems of my own. The trip to Iowa City, Abby, and PP International, sleeping with rocks under my pillow, and oh yeah, finding Brian's killer. A tiny headache began to pulse and I searched my mind for a polite way to excuse myself.
    Charles unexpectedly extended his hand. "It was nice talking with you, Ophelia. It's late and I'm afraid I'm keeping you."
    "Right," I replied, quickly shaking his hand. "It was nice meeting you, Charles."
    Baffled by his abrupt good-bye, I watched Charles move through the crowd and out the door. A sudden chill announced its arrival and the energy that had pummeled my defenses earlier flowed around me. But this time the energy wasn't centered on me.
    Charles. It followed him like a vapor trail.

Chapter Five

    I watched the flat landscape fly by the car windows. In the fields the rich black dirt glistened in the early morning sun. Farmers, up since sunrise, pulled huge disks behind their tractors,