Josh was working on a jacked-up track when the call came from Andy. He put down his tools, hollered he'd be right back in, in case anyone cared, and headed to the side of the parking lot to answer.

"It's all set for Thursday," Andy told him. "Day after tomorrow."

"That soon?" Josh felt every one of his muscles tighten.

"Putting it off won't change things." Andy's voice was kind but firm. "If you're going to do this, putting it off won't help. And if it turns out ...