Wylie Frye seeks solace in a min­er­al hot springs pool, brav­ing the intense con­trast between the freez­ing air and scald­ing water. He finds com­fort in his usu­al spot, “Wylie’s Cor­ner,” where the heat is just right. As the water soothes his body, he reflects on his improved finan­cial sit­u­a­tion, which has eased ten­sions with his ex-wife and allowed him to upgrade his work­shop. Despite his con­tent­ment, a lin­ger­ing odor of burn­ing hair and roast chick­en haunts him, stir­ring guilt he can’t shake—a feel­ing tied to his past and his Catholic upbring­ing.

The hot springs offer Wylie sen­so­ry immer­sion, sharp­en­ing his hear­ing as he lis­tens to the riv­er, ducks, and dis­tant voic­es. He prefers the soli­tude of late-night vis­its, avoid­ing the crowds of tourists and locals. The pool becomes a sanc­tu­ary where he can escape reminders of aging, like his mother’s retire­ment vil­lage. Wylie’s rou­tine includes a pre­cise twen­ty-minute soak, which warms him enough to endure the cold walk to his truck, his body radi­at­ing heat like a “hot water inner tube.”

At times, Wylie ven­tures into the adja­cent North Plat­te Riv­er, seek­ing the thrill of geot­her­mal plumes amid icy cur­rents. These moments of adven­ture con­trast with his usu­al rou­tine, adding vari­ety to his life. How­ev­er, his tran­quil­i­ty is dis­rupt­ed when two men arrive, their gut­tur­al voic­es familiar—one from a trou­bling phone call. Wylie remains hid­den in the steam, eaves­drop­ping as the men dis­cuss the pool’s heat and a mys­te­ri­ous, “mind-blow­ing” project involv­ing sig­nif­i­cant mon­ey. Their con­ver­sa­tion shifts to a wait­ress, but Wylie is left curi­ous about the unnamed ven­ture.

The chap­ter clos­es with Wylie’s unease as he over­hears the men’s plans for the next day, hint­ing at loom­ing con­flict or intrigue. His attempt to relax is over­shad­owed by the guilt and mys­tery that cling to him, sug­gest­ing his peace­ful rou­tine may soon be upend­ed. The hot springs, once a refuge, now feel like a stage for some­thing dark­er, leav­ing Wylie—and the reader—anticipating what comes next.