Alaska Twilight (11 page)

Maybe he could frighten her. That often wasn’t the wisest thing to do, especially with a sow with cubs, but he didn’t want to hit her. He took aim and shot over her head. The boom of the gun stopped her forward charge. Her claws dug into the soft ground as she tried to stop. She loped to the side and ran back to her cubs. She nudged them away from the river, and with a last departing glare at Tank, the three disappeared into the woods.

Tank’s skin was damp with perspiration. He swiped his sleeve over his forehead. That was the closest he’d ever come to actually having to shoot a bear. Rage began to build in his belly. He stalked back to the rest of the group. “Don’t you ever do that again,” he said tightly. “Those cubs need their mother, but they came a hair’s breadth from losing her today. And all because you had to play hotshot. They are wild animals, Nowak, not cuddly toys or pets. One more infraction like that, and I’m done. You can find someone else to guide you.”

Kipp met his gaze, but he was pale. “She was the maddest bear I’ve ever seen.”

“Can you blame her? She was protecting her babies. This was not a circus bear. This was a sow protecting her cubs. What did you think she would do—just let you waltz up and handle her cubs? Think again. If you’d reached out to touch one of them, you would have pulled back a bloody stump.”

Haley made a small sound of protest. He glanced over to see her rubbing her leg. He swept his gaze around the rest of the group. “Is that clear to all of you? No approaching the bears.” Aware he was overly severe, he softened his tone. “I’m thinking not only of your safety, but of the bears’ as well. When they get accustomed to the presence of humans, they tend to wander into camps where they can become nuisances. In the worst cases, someone is attacked and injured or killed and the bear is shot. We’re not contributing to that scenario. Clear?”

No one spoke for several long moments. “You’ll have to let me use my own judgment on when to approach a bear,” Kipp said. “I admit I miscalculated the sow with her cubs. That won’t happen again.”

“It had better not happen with any bear.”

“How am I to get useful footage if I’m not with the bears?” Kipp had recovered his aplomb. “I’ll be able to tell when it’s safe. I’ve gotten close to bears many times in the past. It’s part of what I’m famous for. I won’t be hobbled by your anxiety.”

Tank caught Haley’s gaze and shrugged. He’d done all he could. If Kipp ended up in bear scat, there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Rivulets of spring runoff flowed through the streets of Stalwart, turning the unpaved dirt roads into muddy quagmires. Heavy clay clung to Tank’s boots in clumps. He paused outside Chet’s office long enough to knock most of the mud off on the walk, then stepped inside, where he found Chet and Ed Bixby hunched over a sheaf of papers at Chet’s desk.

The men looked up. “Have a seat,” Bixby said. “We just got back the autopsy report.”

His voice was filled with a satisfaction that sent Tank’s gaze skittering to meet Chet’s. But his father-in-law kept his head down like a wounded animal. Tank sat and folded his arms across his chest. “What’s the autopsy say?”

“There was Seconal in her bloodstream. Enough to knock her out.”

“Seconal? What’s that?” His gaze went again to Chet.

Chet’s head finally came up. “A barbiturate sometimes used as a sleeping aid or as a sedative for nervousness.”

“Was that what was in the packet Libby found?”

Ed nodded. “Who did you get it from?” He slipped the question in softly.

Tank leaned over the desk. “Can I see the report?”

“Suit yourself.” Ed shoved it at him.

“Makes you wonder what could have been so bad at home, doesn’t it?” Ed asked. “Did you ever hurt her, Tank?”

Tank’s boots hit the floor, and he stood so fast, the chair he was sitting on toppled to the floor with a clatter that made Chet jump. “I loved Leigh,” he said. “I would never have hurt her.” The doubt on Chet’s face pierced him as he turned and rushed away.

Eight

T
he bright May sun in a brilliant blue sky caused new life to grow almost visibly minute by minute. Haley watched, mesmerized, throughout the long days. The rest of the crew arrived from their break in Anchorage, and taping began in earnest. There were no more close calls with the bears, who seemed to grow used to the cameras and the man who talked to them.

The day had warmed up, and she snapped pictures, then headed back to camp. She couldn’t remember ever having been so tired and knew it was from both mental and physical strain. Tonight she was particularly exhausted as she settled on a log and watched her companions. They were nearly as entertaining as
Survivor
.

Haley glanced at the sky, bright though it was nine o’clock. She didn’t know if she’d ever get used to the nearly constant daylight. Lucky for her, she didn’t have to get used to it, she reminded herself. This exile was only temporary. Before she knew it, she would be back in the bright lights and excitement of the Valley of the Sun. Just thinking about Camelback Mountain looming over the Phoenix metro horizon made her loneliness increase.

Augusta stood. “I’m restless. I think I’ll go for a walk.”

Haley looked up. “Want to play euchre?”

“No, I need to think about the book and stretch my legs.”

“Not a good idea,” Tank said. “At least take the dog. His barking will keep any bears away.”

Haley dragged herself to her feet. “I’ll go with you.”

Augusta laughed. “You said that with all the enthusiasm of a person going to the gallows. I’m fine, darling. I won’t go far.”

“No, no, I’ll go with you.” Haley grabbed her walking stick. “Which way?”

Augusta frowned. “I’m not a child. You know I value time alone. I need creative time. I won’t be coddled. You all are smothering me.”

“I’ll be quiet, and you can think. Which way shall we go?”

Augusta sighed, then shrugged. “Toward the hills. Maybe we can climb a bit and get some good landscape pictures.” Her grandmother skirted Cary and Erika Waters, the couple in charge of sound and film editing, and took off away from the lake. “I don’t mean to be unkind, but those two don’t look like they go together,” Augusta whispered when they were past. “Erika is a head taller and orders him around like he’s her younger brother.”

“I think he is.”

Augusta stopped, then burst into laughter. “I thought they were married.”

Haley giggled. “You’re such a romantic. They even look alike if you consider their noses.”

“I never noticed.”

They hiked for fifteen minutes before they reached the base of the rocky hillside. “You sure you want to go up there?” Haley asked. Climbing would be difficult for her.

“You wait here. I’ll just go up a little ways.” Augusta stepped to the top of a large black-and-white rock.

Haley sighed. She couldn’t let Augusta go alone. Oscar barked and ran past her. He disappeared behind a bush. His barking changed to a frightened yip. She frowned and walked to where he’d disappeared. She prodded the large bush with her walking stick, then flattened it slightly. The opening of a cave yawned in front of her. She stumbled back and dropped her stick.

“What is it?” Augusta came back down the few steps she’d taken. She stooped and peered into the cave. “Oscar, come back here.” The dog was practically crying. “I think he’s trapped.”

“No, he’s not,” Haley said. “Oscar, come here, boy.” She tried to sound excited and coaxing. The dog responded with more pitiful howling.

“He’s trapped. We have to get him out.” Augusta got on all fours and started to crawl into the cave.

“No!” Haley sprang forward to prevent her grandmother from entering the cave. “Don’t go in there.” Her knees wobbled along with her voice.

Augusta looked up at her. “We can’t leave him, Haley. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll go.” She got on her knees and pushed the bush farther out of the way. She poked her head into the cave, but it was too dark to see anything. The rush of musty cave scent, hatefully familiar, closed her throat.

She jerked her head out. “I can’t.” She covered her face with her hands and sat down with her boots splayed in front of her. She was such a failure, such a coward. Hugging herself, she rocked back and forth.

“Oh, Haley, darling, don’t.” Her grandmother embraced her.

“Don’t go in there, Nana, please don’t.” She buried her wet face in Augusta’s neck.

Her grandmother ran her hand over Haley’s hair. “You haven’t called me Nana in years.”

“You told Aunt Caroline it made you feel old.”

“It did. Is that why you stopped?”

She nodded, her face still against her grandmother’s neck. “I know it wasn’t easy to have your life disrupted by an eight-year-old. I thought if I was your friend and not just your granddaughter, you wouldn’t send me away.”

Augusta didn’t answer right away, but her arms tightened around her. “I won’t lie to you, Haley. I was furious with your parents for doing that to me and expecting me to give up my freedom. It was hard to write at times with a child around, not to mention the doctor visits your leg demanded. I know I haven’t always been the easiest person to live with. Both of us have an artistic temperament, and that’s made life interesting, but I wouldn’t give up the years we’ve spent together. I would never have sent you away. Right from the start, there was a special bond between us.”

“I knew that, deep down.” Haley pulled away at another whimper from the dog.

Her grandmother stood. “You stay here and keep Oscar calm. I’ll go get Tank. We need a flashlight anyway.”

With the comfort of her grandmother’s embrace removed, Haley felt cold. She watched Augusta hurry away in the direction of the camp. Her facade of competency and self-sufficiency lay in crumbled pieces around her. Oscar’s wails sounded tired. “It’s okay, Oscar,” she called. He knew better, just like she did.

Oscar’s trembling finally stopped, and he lay on Haley’s lap. Tank had quickly extracted Oscar from the hole after inserting only the front half of his body into the cave. Haley should have been able to save her own dog. Denny stared pensively into the fire. He brushed at the hair the wind blew over his eyes. Augusta’s Alphasmart keyboard made a comfortable clacking sound that filled the eerie quiet.

“Do you ever get used to the silence out here?” Haley asked Tank, who sat on a rock tending the fire.

“I love it,” he said without looking up. “No blaring horns, no engines, no people. Just me and the beauty God created. Out here you can get away from the noise and learn what’s important.”

Haley stroked Oscar’s ears as he nestled comfortably against her. “That’s a pretty sweeping statement. What’s important is different for every person.”

He looked up then and closed his notebook. He folded his big hands in his lap. “Not really, not at the heart level. We can easily get sidetracked into thinking ambition or money is important, but you can’t take them with you. Love for God and family, finding your purpose in the eternal scheme of things—that’s what’s really important. The other stuff is just icing. Thinking they’re key is like stuffing ourselves on candy so we’re not hungry for the food that actually nourishes us.”

“Very profound, Tank,” Augusta said, setting aside her keyboard.

Haley struggled to hide her irritation. “I don’t think anyone can know where they fit in the eternal scheme of things.” She’d attended church with Augusta every week for years, but she got tired of hearing Christians spout off about purpose and destiny. One kindhearted friend of Augusta’s had even gone so far as to say Chloe’s death had a purpose. If Chloe had died for some nefarious purpose of God’s, Haley didn’t want anything to do with him.

She stood. “I think I’ll turn in.” Tank’s passion for the subject warned her that he was just getting wound up, and she didn’t want to be preached at any more tonight.

“I’ll be right behind you,” Augusta said.

Haley saw the understanding flash between Augusta and Tank, and her irritation rose. Let them think she was a heathen. She didn’t care. Others had accused her of the same thing, but they hadn’t walked in her shoes. Let one of them watch his or her sister die and see how quick they were to talk about God’s love.