Chapter 7 #3
“I had several tours and picked up groceries in case we get some of the storms they’re calling for,” Justin replied. “How about you?”
Scott filled him in on his discussion with Dr. Foster and Mike. “I was hoping after the conversation I had with Dr. Foster that the university wouldn’t get tangled in politics, but I guess when money and investment are involved, that’s not likely.”
“I can’t say that I’m surprised,” Justin said. “At least the editor didn’t pull the commissions.”
“I know, and I’m glad because they’re a big part of my income for the month,” Scott admitted.
“But I hate having to tiptoe around controversial topics. I like to set out the facts as I find them and give enough information to make an argument. Now I’m going to have to be very careful and hope that I’m not so neutral that the articles don’t say anything. ”
“I’m sure you’ll still do a great job,” Justin said.
“Thanks for understanding that the university set up the plane for the photo shoot at the mine,” Scott added. “I didn’t want you to feel slighted.”
“I don’t,” Justin reassured him. “Not that we can’t figure something out if you need another flight in the future. But I do want to see the photos!”
“Absolutely,” Scott said.
“And if the audience is as smart as you think they are, they’ll be able to read between the lines. I have faith in you,” Justin added.
“I hope so.” Scott sighed. “I just had another Halloween committee meeting, and I think the pieces we’re doing will work well,” he added, and gave Justin a quick recap.
“Fox Hollow is going to corner the market on Halloween this year,” Justin predicted with a laugh.
“I think the plans are bigger and better than we’ve done in the past. It’s a nice chance to see everyone before we all hibernate for the winter,” Justin added.
“Helps to tide us over between camping season and ski time.”
“I can’t wait to see you again, even if I have to take one day to do the article stuff,” Scott replied.
“We’ll still make the most of the rest of your visit,” Justin promised.
“Good weather to curl up together in front of the fireplace.” Scott dropped his voice. “I have faith in you to keep me warm.”
We need to be with our mate, his coyote urged. The sooner, the better.
“Oh, I think I can come through on that,” Justin replied, and Scott chuckled. “I’ve been getting asked when you’ll be back. Our friends now just expect you to be here.”
“Our friends?”
“Yup, you’ve been adopted. You’re one of us now, and they’re your friends too,” Justin assured him.
“Okay… Let’s finalize plans to get me moved up before winter hits. Then we can quit this long-distance stuff.”
“I like that,” Justin said. “Can’t wait to have you here with me every night.”
“Uh-huh.” Scott slouched on the couch and started to stroke himself through his jeans. “Wish you were here now, I’d show you how much I miss you. It’s hard to do without you.”
“Oh, really?” Justin replied with a throaty laugh that went right to Scott’s balls. “How much do you miss me?”
Scott could hear how much Justin enjoyed their flirting, and the smoky look the camera picked up was pure sin.
“Got my hand down my pants stroking myself, wishing it was you,” Scott told him. “Not going to last long. Been thinking all day about giving you the best blow job of your life when I’m back in Fox Hollow.”
“I like how you think,” Justin replied. “I’m jacking off too. It takes the edge away, but it’s not nearly as good as being with you.”
“Glad I can’t be so easily replaced.” Scott’s words came slowly as his downstairs brain interrupted his train of thought. A few moments later, he and Justin came nearly simultaneously, neither of them hiding their shouts and groans of satisfaction.
“I needed that,” Scott admitted with a deep sigh as he reached for a tissue to wipe himself off.
“I’ll be ready again before bedtime,” Justin told him. “We have a lot of time to make up for when you come back. I’m looking forward to having you here with me.”
“So am I,” Scott confessed. “But now I’m ready to crash. I’ll call tomorrow and tell you all about how the photo shoot and flight went.”
“Can’t wait to hear,” Justin said. “Get good photos. Be careful. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Scott felt the usual pang of loneliness when they ended the call.
Soon, we won’t have to call. We can say goodnight and stay together. That can’t happen fast enough for me.
Early the next morning, Scott drove to the airport, keeping an eye on the weather. Despite predictions of storms coming in, the clear sky and bright sun gave him hope that today would be a good day for flying.
A dark sedan trailed him for a few miles, then turned off.
Scott kept an eye out for its return but didn’t see it again.
Still, he couldn’t help feeling watched.
I’m just writing web articles. I don’t have any power over decisions or investments, and if the powers that be don’t like what I write, they won’t run it.
There’s no reason for anyone to think I’m worth following.
He parked at the small airport and stayed alert, looking for anyone who didn’t seem to belong. Part of him wanted to chalk it up to paranoia, but Scott had long ago learned to trust his instincts.
Scott noticed a man in a mechanic’s jumpsuit who seemed to be puttering around but not actually working on a plane. He stared at Scott for a long moment before turning away. It worried Scott, but he didn’t have enough grounds to point the man out to anyone in charge.
He’s probably just on break, Scott told himself and hoped it was true. He found his way to the hangar to meet his assigned pilot. When he got there, he found Mike talking with a man who looked to be in his early forties with dark hair in a military cut.
“I’m Bill Trask,” the pilot introduced himself with a smile and a no-nonsense handshake. “You must be Scott. Mike’s been telling me about your articles. Sounds like an interesting focus.”
Bill was down-to-earth without being brusque, and Scott liked him right away. “The school speaks well of your flying,” he told Bill.
Bill glanced over his shoulder at his plane with a fond look that told Scott how much the man loved being a pilot.
“That’s kind of them. Been doing charters for fifteen years, ever since I left the Air Force.
Grew up in these parts. Started flying when I was sixteen.
You meet all kinds of people in this business. Everyone’s got a story.”
Scott noticed that Bill’s plane had regular wheels instead of floats like Justin’s. “I’ve got a friend who flies a seaplane,” Scott said. “I know we’re not planning on landing, but I’m guessing wheels work better where we’re going?”
Bill chuckled. “Wheels work everywhere except water. There used to be a small airstrip near the mine to fly in supplies and visiting execs, but it hasn’t been maintained in the decades since the mine closed, so I wouldn’t want to count on landing there.
We’ll go up and circle as much as you want until we need more fuel.
If you want more time there, we can set another date. ”
Bill’s quiet confidence reassured Scott. While he would still have preferred doing the flyover with Justin, now that he had met the school’s choice of pilot, he felt better.
Bill glanced up at the sky. “We’re burning daylight. Let’s get going.”
Scott hoped they could get most of what they needed today, since the forecast didn’t bode well for making a return trip until the following week.
Mike rode up front with Bill to get better photos. Scott sat behind them, with a view out the front windshield as well as the side. Once they were airborne, he turned his attention back to Bill. “Do you do a lot of photography flights?”
“More than you might imagine, although not of the old mine,” Bill replied. “The whole area is very photogenic, and there are a lot of companies and advertisers who want nice forest and wilderness shots. The rest of the time, I fly in hunters and fishing groups.”
That didn’t surprise Scott, since outdoor enthusiasts made up a lot of Justin’s clients as well.
“You know, my great-grandfather worked at the mine,” Bill continued. “I’ve heard stories about it all my life. It was quite the enterprise back in the day. I guess I like the sky too much to ever go down in a deep hole like that.”
Scott and Mike murmured in agreement. “What did your grandfather say about the mine, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“We’ve got time to kill, and I don’t mind at all,” Bill replied.
“It was my grandpa on my mom’s side, and he came from a family of miners, so I guess it was in his blood.
The dark didn’t seem to bother him. Used to talk about how deep that mine was, and what it was like going down in the elevator.
He made a good living until everything closed down. ”
“Did anyone ever try to reopen the mine before now? I’d think that there might be new technology that could make a difference.” Mike asked.
“Stories go around every so often, but nothing’s come of them yet,” Bill said. “All depends on whether they can make a profit.”
Scott weighed his next question and decided to take the risk. “Did your grandfather ever mention the Mob?”
Bill’s smile dimmed. “Not in front of me. People didn’t talk about things like that in the open. Certainly not in front of kids. But there were times when he was talking with people and didn’t realize I was nearby. I got an earful.”
“They believed the Mob was really involved in the mines?” Scott asked.
Bill barked a humorless laugh. “Oh, it was real. And they were scared of it. Like you hear people talk about the Mafia in cities like New York and Newark. The kind of thing everyone knows about, but somehow no one can prove.”