 Lebeck was not killed in the explosion because he rigged it.He revealed himself to Chee by what he failed to note on the reports 30 years earlier – uranium is being mined now, above the level where oil was expected in the core samples Lebeck analyzed, but was not noted.Vines did not want an active oil field in someone else's ownership when he could make a fortune by buying the lease for the land and selling the rights for the uranium.