Rachel looked at Helen, eyes wide. “He was working on a geothermal paper,” she said. “He knew it was controversial. He warned authorities about something under Marlin Ridge—that the ground wasn’t stable. They called it paranoia.” Helen wrote every word down.
“Vents… sealed. Heat… rising,” he murmured. “Town… on top.” This time, there was no mistaking the words. Rachel swallowed hard. “He told them that before,” she said quietly. “He said the ridge was moving from beneath, that building there was like putting a roof on a boiling pot.”