Chapter 18
Janice finally went to retrieve her pack that had been abandoned by the door when they'd rushed inside. She looked around the small cabin, her gaze sweeping over the table where her laptop and research materials still sat from this morning, then landing on the pack in her hands.
"I normally sit at the table to work," she said, hesitating. "I’ll cover it with a tarp to protect the surface if I make a mistake handling the samples."
"Use it," Cole said from where he stood near the kitchen area.
Janice nodded and moved to the table, setting her pack down carefully.
Cole watched over her shoulder as she pulled out the sample containers, each one labeled with meticulous precision, including date, time, and GPS coordinates.
She arranged them in a neat row, then retrieved additional equipment from a storage bin under the table.
A portable pH meter. Test strips. Small vials of reagents. A sophisticated field microscope. She worked with the focused efficiency of someone who'd done this before, her hands steady despite everything they'd been through.
Cole moved closer, seeming fascinated. "What exactly are you testing for?"
"Everything I can with the equipment I have here," Janice said, pulling on a fresh pair of nitrile gloves.
"pH levels first to tell me if we're dealing with acid mine drainage.
Then I'll test for heavy metals, nitrogen compounds, phosphates.
The field tests won't give me precise concentrations, but they'll confirm what's present. "
She opened the first sample container, and Cole caught a whiff of something chemical and wrong. The water inside was darker than it should be, with an oily sheen on the surface that caught the light.
Janice dipped a test strip into the sample, waited for the prescribed time, then compared it to a color chart. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"pH of 4.2," she said quietly. "That's highly acidic. Normal creek water should be close to neutral, maybe slightly acidic due to organic decomposition. This is acid mine drainage, no question."
She continued working through the samples, testing each one methodically.
Cole watched as her expression grew progressively grimmer with each result.
The test strips changed color, with some turning dark and others fading to pale shades that apparently indicated the presence of specific contaminants.
"Heavy metals," she murmured, making notes in a waterproof field notebook.
"Copper, lead, arsenic. And look at this—" She held up a strip that had turned an alarming shade of yellow-green.
"Traces of Uranium. They're extracting rare earth minerals, and uranium occurs naturally in the same ore deposits. It's leaching into the water."
"Is that dangerous?" Cole asked, though he already knew the answer from the way her hands trembled slightly as she set down the test strip.
"Not radioactive at this low level. But long-term to the wildlife that live here… yes." Janice looked up at him, fury and heartbreak warring in her body. "This contamination will persist for decades, even if they stop operations today. The damage to the ecosystem is already catastrophic."
She moved to the field microscope next, preparing a slide with a drop of the contaminated water. When she peered through the eyepiece, her shoulders slumped.
"What is it?" Cole moved to stand beside her, close enough to feel the heat radiating from her body.
"Almost no microorganisms. The water should be full of life, with bacteria, algae, and tiny invertebrates, but there's almost nothing here.
The acidity and heavy metals have killed everything.
" She straightened, pulling off her gloves with sharp, angry movements.
"Those fish we saw, the birds, that fox…
they didn't die from drinking poisoned water once.
They've been drinking it for weeks, maybe months.
Slow accumulation of toxins until their bodies just... gave out."
Her professional detachment was cracking, revealing the passionate advocate underneath. This wasn't just data to her. These weren't just numbers on a test strip. This was personal.
"The samples will need to go to a proper lab for full analysis," Janice continued, carefully sealing the containers and storing them in a cooler she'd retrieved from under the counter.
"But these field tests are enough to confirm contamination consistent with illegal mining operations.
Combined with the photos, the GPS coordinates, and the physical evidence of the staging area. It's an airtight case."
She stripped off her gloves and washed her hands thoroughly at the sink, then turned to face him. "We did it. We got what we needed."
"You did it," Cole corrected. "I just kept you from drowning in a creek."
Her lips flickered upward, brief but genuine. Then it faded as the weight of everything settled over her again. "Now what? How do we actually stop them?"
Before Cole could answer, his satellite phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw Logan's name on the screen. "I need to take this."
He stepped away, moving toward the window as he answered. "Cole here." He listened, then set the call to speaker. “Okay, she’s here.”
"Dr. Lynch, this is Logan Bishop. I wanted you to hear this since it affects you as well.” Logan's voice came through clearly despite the distance.
“Thank you for including me,” she replied.
"We’ve been digging into Charles Penson's connections. It's worse than we thought."
Cole's jaw tightened. "How much worse?"
"He's got a state senator in his pocket.
A guy who sits on the environmental oversight committee.
And at least one EPA official who's been signing off on permits without proper inspections.
" Logan paused. "These aren't just business relationships.
We're talking about serious money changing hands, political favors, the whole corrupt package. "
"So even with evidence, bringing him down won't be easy."
"No. But that’s for the proper authorities." Logan's tone shifted, becoming more serious. "Sadie has been monitoring the satellite feeds. The mining company's workers are staying in town and are registered at the hotel. Probably waiting out the storm. You two should be safe at the cabin for now."
Cole glanced back at Janice, who was carefully storing her sample containers. "The snow's too deep for me to get the SUV out anyway. We'd need to take the snowmobile to reach the main road, and even then we'd need someone to pick us up."
"That's what I figured." Logan was quiet for a moment. "Can you hold position for another day or two? Give the storm time to clear completely and let the roads get properly plowed?"
"We have supplies. We'll be fine." Cole kept his voice low. "But Logan, if Penson finds out Janice is the one behind reporting his operation—"
"We know. That's why we're working fast." Logan's voice held steel underneath the calm. "Landon's coordinating with the FBI's environmental crimes unit. They're more likely to act quickly and have jurisdiction to override local politics. But it's going to take time to get all the pieces in place."
"How much time?"
"A few days, maybe a week. I need you to keep her safe until we can ensure she's protected."
Janice’s gaze shot to Cole’s. Protected? She knew Cole was armed when they went to the mining facility, but somehow that had seemed like overkill.
"That won't be a problem.” Cole’s eyes didn’t leave hers as he replied, his voice filled with what sounded like more than a promise.
Janice mentally shook her head. One day, and I’m imagining something between us. But she couldn’t deny that her interest in Cole far outweighed anything she’d felt for her previous boyfriend.
"And Cole? A private word." Logan's voice held a note that Cole seemed to recognize, but Janice could only nod and step back as he took the call off speakerphone.
"I have it under control." Cole interrupted, no longer meeting Janice’s eyes.
After the call ended, Cole stood by the window for a long moment, watching snow fall through the darkening afternoon. Janice gave him a minute, then walked over next to him. He turned and looked down at her.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"Yeah. Just processing everything.”
“If the owner of the mines has powerful political connections, he might walk away even with all our evidence."
“We can’t worry about what happens down the road to the mine or the owner.”
She blinked, jerking her head back. “What do you mean?”
“You discovered a potential problem, we gathered evidence to warrant an investigation, and you’ll send everything you have to your colleagues at the university lab.
The FBI and EPA will get involved, and it’s up to them to do the real investigating, according to the law, and then to decide whether they have enough to charge him with breaking laws. ”
What Cole was saying made sense, but she stupidly realized that, just because she felt as though she were in an action or spy movie, their role wouldn’t be to ensure Charles Preston paid for the crimes against the environment.
"You heard that Logan wants to know if we can stay here another day or two.
Give the storm time to clear, let the team coordinate with federal investigators.
" Cole turned, facing her fully, and she had to lean her head back to see the shadows in his eyes.
"The snow's too deep for the SUV anyway, and the miners are apparently staying in town, probably waiting out the weather. "
"If we wait another day or two, we can get out," Janice stated as fact, not a question.
"Yes. The main roads will be plowed. We could take the snowmobile to meet someone who could pick us up."
She nodded slowly, processing. "I have two more months on my research contract. I can't just abandon my work."
Cole sighed heavily. "Janice—"
"No." She held up a hand, stopping him. "I know what you're going to say.
That my safety is more important than research.
That I should leave, go back to Seattle, hide until this is resolved.
" Her blue eyes flashed with determination.
"But if I let them intimidate me into abandoning this place, then they win.
The contamination continues, the ecosystem dies, and no one speaks for the wildlife that can't speak for themselves. "
"You can speak for them from Seattle just as easily as you can from here," Cole argued.
"The evidence you found will go a long way to ensure this environment can recover.
And I know you came here to see the effects of global warming on animals.
Surely, the ten months of data will suffice.
You've done your job. There's no reason to stay in an isolated cabin where Penson's people could find you. "
"Except that this is where I'm supposed to be." Janice leaned forward, her voice intense. "I have obligations to the university and the grant that's funding this research. I can't just walk away because things got complicated."
Cole’s hands landed on his hips, and his chin hit his chest. “We’re not talking about a complication, Janice. We’re talking about your safety.”
Neither spoke for a moment, then he said, "We need to stay here for a few days. Let Logan and the team work on the federal investigation. Let them figure out how to protect you before you make any decisions about staying or going."
She crinkled her nose but didn't disagree. "Okay," she said finally. "A few days. Then we figure out next steps."
“Why don’t we rest? I know I’m tired and you must be, too.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Yeah… I’m pooped.”
Janice grabbed his hand and dragged him to the other side of the cabin, then pushed him down to sit on the bed.
“You trying to sleep sitting up on the sofa or on the floor is ridiculous. We’re two grown-ass adults, and if I trust you with my life, I can certainly trust you to be able to control base impulses. We’re both lying on the bed.”
Before he had a chance to respond, she pushed him again.
He fell back, and she crawled over him to lie on the other side.
She closed her eyes, and her mind filled with the image of Cole lying next to her.
The unbidden thought of what it would be like to have him in bed with her every night slid through her mind.
Keeping her eyes closed, she gave way to exhaustion, her last thought being how wonderful he smelled… pine, outdoors, and completely Cole.