Chapter 18
Eighteen
The message is simple: love and conserve our wildlife.
—Steve Irwin, Australian wildlife conservationist
Tim tossed and turned all night, his mind consumed by troubling thoughts. Sally, the ultimate parkie, seemed to be entangled in a scheme to aid and abet a poacher. He felt sick to his stomach. How could this have happened? Why?
Money, he guessed. She’d always been concerned about her finances. Their line of work had its perks, but striking it rich wasn’t one of them. As the saying went, park rangers were paid in sunsets.
Had Sally come to the conclusion that sunsets weren’t enough?
He recalled a conversation they’d had in April after submitting tax returns. Sally had complained bitterly about the financial strain of being a federal worker. “It’s outrageous,” she said, “to endure government shutdowns without pay, only to have the IRS come knocking for more.”
And then there was a time when Sally returned from a meeting with a financial planner in Jackson, disheartened and discouraged. “I got a cold dose of reality about what my upcoming retirement will look like. I’ll never see the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben or the Great Wall in China.”
He rubbed his face. What to do, what to do? If he went to the park superintendent with his suspicions, it would put Sally’s job at risk. All her benefits would be lost. Worse, she may face charges. He wanted to help her, not hurt her.
But if he did nothing, he couldn’t live with himself.
His eyes popped open.
He had to stop her before she went too far, that’s what.
Coop stood at Pilgrim Creek, the predawn light casting long shadows around him as he surveyed the scene. Frankie tagged along beside him. A group of discouraged photographers huddled together, their frustration palpable in the chilly morning air. “Coop, any signs?”
“I haven’t seen her,” he said truthfully. He heard murmurings among them that the bear must be dead. “Don’t give up hope yet.”
He saw Kate up ahead, so he sent Frankie back to the truck to get his coat. As soon as Frankie was on his way, he hurried up the line of photographers to join her. “Morning.”
“Morning,” she said, smiling.
Man , that smile did him in. “Spare camera?”
“Yes. Not as good as the Sony Alpha, but it’ll do.”
How to word this? “Did, uh, everything turn out for the best last night?”
“With Oliver, you mean? Yes. Let’s just say that chapter has closed.”
Awesome. Just the outcome he had hoped for. He leaned in to whisper, “I’ll go up and get your camera this morning.”
“Really?” Her eyes went wide. “Can I come?”
“To be honest,” he said, his tone apologetic, “I need to get up and down again really fast. I only have a few hours to spare. Another ranger is covering for me.”
She frowned. “And I would slow you down.”
She wasn’t wrong. Reluctantly, Coop nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“But what if I just stay in the truck?” Kate said, her eyes bright with anticipation. “The least I could do is to keep you company on the drive.”
A grin tugged at the corners of Coop’s lips. “I’ll need to leave by six a.m. If you’re at my truck at the Jackson Park Lodge parking lot, then, I ... wouldn’t mind the company.”
“I’ll be there.”
Frankie popped up between them. “Where are we going?”
The sun was barely up when Tim arrived at Sally’s office and knocked on the door. “Got a minute?” he asked, trying to keep his tone casual.
Sally glanced up from her desk, a distracted look on her face. “If it’s quick, darlin’. There’s someplace I have to be.”
He chose his words carefully. “Rangers are getting a lot of visitor complaints about the additional closures you’ve added to the list. Seems like half the park is fenced off.”
“Just temporary,” Sally said, her attention divided as she rummaged through a lower desk drawer. “Standard procedure for springtime. Sensitive habitats. Trying to minimize human-wildlife interactions.” She closed that drawer and opened another.
Tim nodded, sensing her evasiveness. “And what’s with the extra attention to 399?”
Sally’s brow furrowed as she continued her search, seemingly unfazed by Tim’s questions. “Just protective measures. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Tim pressed on. “Unless something out of the ordinary is going on?”
She gave him a sharp look. “Like what?”
Tim took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to say. “Like, what’s this about a Yellowstone ranger on loan to us?”
Sally’s gaze flicked to him briefly before returning to her rummaging. “He’s on temporary assignment, doing some cross-park collaboration.”
“First of all, I’ve never heard of Yellowstone having surplus staff to spare a ranger. Second, just a few weeks ago, it seems like we would’ve talked about that kind of thing.”
“Oh, I get it.” She paused. “Look, I know I haven’t had much time for”—she waved her hand back and forth between them—“us lately. But that’ll change soon.” She gave him a benign smile. “You have nothing to worry about, dear.”
Tim frowned. “But I do. I’m worried about you.”
Sally’s smile faltered, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. “I appreciate your concern, Tim, but this conversation will have to wait. There’s someplace I need to be.” She pulled open another drawer and riffled through it.
Tim knew to go slowly here. “You know what I’ve always admired about you, Sally? You’ve had a guiding principle to take care of the park, its wildlife and its visitors, above anything else. ‘Make the trails a little bit better for park visitors and you’ll be making the world a better place.’ I’ve heard you tell rangers that very thing hundreds of times. In the parks, it’s not about profits or investors. It’s simply making someone’s experience a good one.”
“Mm-hmm.” Riffling through her desk, she hardly paid any attention to him.
“It’s a good life, this ranger work. We might be paid in sunsets, but a nest egg would be nice too.”
Growing increasingly annoyed by her dismissiveness, Tim couldn’t hold back any longer. He pushed himself off the wall. “Sally, I wish you’d have come to me first about your money troubles. Before...”
Sally froze. She looked at Tim, eyes narrowed.
“Before you got yourself involved with a poacher.” Tim reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. “Is this what you’re looking for?”
The air between them practically vibrated before she reached out to snatch the envelope from his hand. “You’ve made me late,” she said, her tone sharp with resentment. She marched out of the office, leaving Tim more troubled than ever.
Hands on his hips, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that her rifle was not in the case. Out the window, he saw her jeep make a fast turn out of the parking lot.
He had a feeling he knew just where she was headed. He bolted out the door and down the hall to follow her.
The morning sun cast a warm glow over the parking lot as Kate stood beside Coop’s truck, her fingers tapping impatiently against her thigh. She glanced at her watch for what felt like the hundredth time, anxiously waiting for Coop to arrive. Finally, she saw him heading toward her, Frankie following behind.
Frankie’s face lit up when he spotted Kate. “Aww, yeah!”
“I couldn’t get rid of him,” Coop said.
“Kate! Coop! Frankie! Wait! Wait for me!”
They turned to see Maisie, easy to spot in her big yellow coat, running from the park shuttle bus. “Pops left a note that I should spend the day with Kate.”
Kate and Coop exchanged a look. He sighed and opened the passenger door to the truck to let Frankie and Maisie get in the back.
Immediately, Maisie started to ask about Oliver, but Kate shut her down fast. “You do not mention his name today, got it?” She gave her a don’t-mess-with-me look.
Chastened, Maisie nodded. She recovered quickly, and soon her steady chatter filled the truck. Frankie cross-examined every one of her fun facts. Now and then Coop would glance over at Kate, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled at her, as if to say, Can you believe those two?
So much for having some time alone with Coop. On the upside, Kate was glad Maisie was preoccupied with Frankie and didn’t press her to explain what happened with Oliver. Because she was still sorting it out herself.
Whatever it was between them, it wasn’t the real deal. Ending things had absolutely been the right decision, long overdue. But the look on his face! Devastated. Shattered. She wobbled, nearly caving in.
She didn’t, though. Not this time.
Too soon, they reached the Pilgrim Creek Road turnoff. After parking the truck, Coop went through his backpack in the truck’s bed, ensuring he had all the essentials for the hike. “I’ll try to be back within two hours. Three at the most. You all stay put.”
“Two to three hours?” Frankie sounded horrified. “I’m coming with you.”
Coop zipped up the top of his backpack, shaking his head. “No. You stay here with the girls.”
“Coop,” Kate said, “maybe you should reconsider. Buddy system, you know?”
“I can’t afford to be slowed down,” Coop said. “Or distracted.”
“Me?” Frankie scoffed, obviously itching to join the trek. “You think I would slow you down, old man?”
Coop looked him up and down. “No backpack, no water bottle, no bear spray, no whistle, no mosquito repellant.”
Frankie held up a foot. “Got my boots on. That’s all a real man needs in the wilderness.”
Kate could see Coop’s patience waning. As annoying as Frankie could be, she wanted him to go along with Coop for safety’s sake. “Frankie, take this.” She tossed her bottle of water to him.
He caught it with a look of gratitude as if she had handed him a treasure. “Kate, if that slick Oliver dude is out of your life for good, will you marry me?”
Frankie’s cheekiness earned him a playful smack on the back of his head from Coop. “Let’s go, Romeo.” He pointed to Kate. “You two stay in the truck.”
Kate settled back into the truck, watching the two disappear up the trail until they were out of sight.
Maisie leaned over the front seat, her chin resting on her folded hands. “Three men are in love with you, and I can’t attract even one.”
Kate shifted in her seat, meeting Maisie’s gaze. Her little friend looked dejected. She felt a pang of sympathy. “When I was thirteen, I wore big thick glasses and my hair was in pigtails.”
Maisie squinted, trying to picture it. “Oh, that’s bad.”
Kate chuckled. “Don’t be in a rush to grow up. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
“Are you going to tell me what happened with Oliver?” Maisie asked.
“I’m not,” Kate said firmly. “And I’m not sure what your role was in his arrival to the park last night, but I’ve decided I don’t want to know anything more.”
Maisie sighed.
Kate reached for her spare camera, intending to use the time to review the morning’s pictures and delete any that weren’t worth keeping.
Five minutes later, Maisie popped her head over the seat again. “Kate?”
“What?” Kate looked up, meeting Maisie’s slightly panicked eyes.
“I have to go to the bathroom. Really, really bad. Pops was gone this morning so I had a giant Coke for breakfast.”
Kate rummaged in her backpack, pulling out some tissues. “Here you go.”
Maisie’s eyes widened. “You mean ... out there? Where someone might see me?”
Kate nearly laughed out loud. “Well, I’m the only one around here ... and we’re miles from any kind of convenience. You don’t have much of a choice. Go behind the truck. I won’t look.”
“No way! I need privacy.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Haven’t you gone outside before?”
“Never.” She peered out the window. “I’ll just go over to those trees.” She squeezed her face. “Please, Kate. I really need to go bad.”
“Fine. But I’m coming with you.” Kate shut off her camera and slung her backpack over her shoulder, ready to accompany Maisie. She didn’t think there was much harm in the two of them getting out of the truck and walking around a little, stretching their legs while they waited. After all, with Maisie’s constant chatter, there was no chance of surprising any bear.
Maisie had never, ever, in all her life, gone to the bathroom outside. It was mortifying. She needed to find the perfect spot—totally private—and it took a while. Following the sign for the Middle Pilgrim Creek Trail, they went up a hill and quickly reached a flat, widened area of the rushing creek.
“Maisie, this is as far as we should go,” Kate said. “I promise to keep my back turned.”
“You might hear me ... you know ... tinkling.”
“Not over the sound of this creek!” Kate looked like she was trying to swallow a smile. “Stay close to the trail. I’ll wait for you here.” She lifted her hand in a wave and turned around to face the rocky creek bed.
Maisie wandered in the opposite direction and looked for a narrow spot to jump across the creek to an area that was full of bushes. She finally found a suitable, private spot, completely hidden. Imagine if Frankie came along right now. I would curl up and die.
But he didn’t. And she survived the moment of mortification. As she zipped up her jeans and tucked in her shirt, she went back to the narrow part of the creek to cross it. She noticed something moving on top of a fallen tree and realized it was a bear cub, trying to climb over it. She stopped to watch. Soooo cute!
Long before dawn, Wade had Feldmann drop him off at the trailhead that led to Middle Pilgrim Creek. Feldmann planned to meet the turncoat at the parking area right at seven o’clock, and Wade wanted time to scope out the area and stake out a position to wait, watching for them, so he could trail them, unseen. He smiled to himself. Another form of glassing.
He had time to spare, and he was too amped up to sit still, so he left his hiding spot to follow the creek for a distance, looking, listening, vigilant for the slightest hint of life. His heart thrummed a rapid beat against his ribs. Adrenaline flooded his veins, sharpening his senses to a razor’s edge. Every whisper of leaves, every crackle of a branch underfoot sent a jolt of alertness coursing through him.
Periodically, he’d halt to scan the surroundings through his binoculars, then check his watch impatiently. Feldmann and the turncoat should be heading up the trail soon, so he turned around to head back to his hiding spot.
Suddenly, a subtle movement snagged his attention. He stilled, every muscle tensed in electric anticipation. Among the shadows, a dark silhouette stirred. Could it be the bear? Could it really be this easy? Scarcely an hour into the hunt and he’d found this elusive creature. He could’ve laughed out loud, almost giddy.
His heart hammered with a fierce intensity as he crouched lower, every sense homed on the large rumbling figure as it moved along the creek bed. Cautiously, he followed it. The air vibrated with tension, the hunt was nearing its crescendo, the final act about to unfold.
With the target in sight, Wade silently withdrew an arrow from his quiver.