Alaska Twilight (23 page)

She looked over toward Kipp, who was shouting and waving his arms as he instructed Denny, Cary, and Erika. “He cares about his image.” She squatted beside him. “So why the gun?”

“A friend is meeting me out here today. We’re going to chase down some bears by helicopter and put radio transmitters on them. Brooke loves to go watch, and there’s no danger.”

“You’re leaving us alone here?”

“No, I’m taking you all along. There will be two choppers and enough room for all of us. I thought it might make an interesting addition to your book and video.”

“Have you mentioned it to Kipp? He might have other ideas.”

“Not yet. I thought it would be a nice surprise. You think he won’t want to go?”

“He likes to look like a hero where he’s up close and personal with the bears.”

He grinned at the disgust in her voice. “You can get some shots of him right next to the bears when they’re knocked out. Oh, hey, here’s an idea—we can roll the sleeping bear on top of him so it looks like they’re fighting.”

“That hardly has the drama of a live bear showing its teeth.” She smiled at him.

Something in her smile put a hitch in his breathing. He looked away, then stood and shouldered his bag of darts. He heard the sound of rotors. “Here come the helicopters.”

She brightened. “Hey, we could send my film back with the pilots, couldn’t we?”

“Sure, Max will drop it off at the store for me. We’ll be heading back to town for more supplies next week. The prints should be back by then.” He frowned and looked down at her. “I’ve been thinking about the attack on you. Is there anyone down in the Lower Forty-eight whom you’d consider an enemy?”

A slight smile tipped her lips. “Enemies? I beat out Rachel Lambert for a photography prize in high school, but I hardly think she’d be stalking me here in Alaska.”

“You never know. A woman scorned and all that,” he said playfully.

“I just can’t imagine why anyone would care about my backpack. It has to be related to that.”

He shrugged. “Maybe someone wants a designer backpack. We don’t see fancy city packs like yours often.” He rubbed his chin. “Seriously, does anyone know who your parents are?”

She thought. “Joy. Ned Bundle. And a few people in the café, but the attacks started before we went to town.”

“Still, someone could have recognized you or heard you were coming.”

“Why would anyone care?”

He frowned. “The family that was caring for Joy. I wonder . . .”

“What?”

“Remember what she said about your dad’s estate? She stands to inherit their land. It’s a sizable chunk and worth some money. What if they want to make sure she gets it so they can get their hands on it?” It sounded ludicrous even as he said it. When he saw the pain crash onto Haley’s face, he wished he could take back the words.

“They left everything to her? I guess what Joy said didn’t register. You’d have thought they would have at least left something to Augusta, even if they hated me.”

“They were very private people. A bit odd. Do you remember much about them?”

She nodded. “I thought my dad hung the moon, and that my mother was the most beautiful woman alive. I was always trying to get them to praise me like they did Chloe, though it never happened. That’s probably why I acted up so much.”

He could hardly bear to think about what it did to a child to have such hateful parents. His glance went to Brooke. It was impossible for him to imagine ever letting her go. She lit up his days with happiness. He knew the Walshes had a daughter in Arizona, but he wished he’d known the circumstances. Maybe he could have talked to them, made them realize how wrong they were. Scripture could sometimes get through when nothing else could.

He shaded his eyes and looked across the open plain. The helicopters hovered, and the sound of their rotors began to block out other noises. He waved, and the pilot waved back, then lowered the craft to the ground.

Kipp stalked to Tank. “What are they doing here? They’ll scare off the bears.”

“We’re going for a ride to find the bears. I need to put radio collars on a few today, and I thought you’d all like to come along and watch. You’ll see bears feeding in places we can’t get to on foot.”

Kipp’s brows raised. “Maybe I can get some good video as they’re awakening. They’ll look alert then.”

“That’s pretty dangerous. They might charge you. The drug affects their eyesight, and they don’t see well.”

“I’ll take the chance.” Kipp gestured to his crew. “Head to the helicopters. We’re going for a ride.”

Haley leaned out of the open window. The wind whipped her hair into her eyes, and she pushed it away with an impatient hand. Below her, the tundra undulated in a golden green expanse. The breeze brought the scent of fresh air, moss, and spruce to her nose.

“There’s one!” The pilot, Max McCarthy, pointed a stubby, tobacco-stained finger toward a dark blob running flat out for the safety of a mountain crag.

“I see him.” Tank aimed the tranquilizer gun, then squeezed off a shot.

The bear kept galloping, and Haley thought he must have missed. Tank laid the rifle back down and watched. The helicopter followed the animal, and the bruin looked up, then ran faster. It had almost reached the safety of the rocks when the bear stumbled. It rolled over, then staggered to its feet and galloped forward again. It paused, then tumbled to the ground and lay still in a heap of reddish-brown fur.

“He’s down,” Max said. He took the helicopter lower and landed near the bear’s still form. The other chopper landed moments later, and Cary and Kipp emerged with huge grins.

“Excellent shooting,” Kipp proclaimed. “Haley, get some shots of this. The rest of you get the film rolling.”

Haley clambered out of the helicopter and joined her boss beside the bear. Libby and Brooke stayed inside with Oscar while the crew got the film tripod set up.

“Stand back,” Tank ordered. “Let me make sure he’s out. I’ve been fooled before.” He approached cautiously and prodded the bear, then checked its eyes. “Hand me that bag, would you, Haley?” he asked, his gaze still on the bear.

The rotors whirred above her head, and she kept her chin down as she dragged the black nylon bag from the helicopter seat. The wind whipped her hair into her face with such force it stung her cheeks. Bending over at the waist, she ran back to join Tank beside the bear. The pilot cut the engine, and the resulting quiet was a relief.

“Thanks.” He took out a yellow transmitter attached to a collar.

“Hey, I want some pictures before you put that thing on,” Kipp yelped. He scrambled to reach the bear and motioned for Denny to join him. “Can I put the collar on? That would play well with the viewers.”

Tank glanced at Haley, and she could see the irritation in his eyes. “Sure,” was all he said.

Kipp straddled the bear like a conqueror, then flashed a smile at the camera. Haley sighed and fingered her camera. Too bad she couldn’t just walk away.
Snap,
whir
. She walked around Kipp and the bear to get some different angles as she shot a whole roll of film. Denny filmed the action from about six feet away.

Kipp flashed his famous smile. Without moving his mouth, he managed to throw his voice so it seemed to be coming from the bear. “I wouldn’t hurt you, Mr. Nowak. You’re my friend.”

What a ham. Haley rolled her eyes, and she grinned when she saw Tank shake his head.

“The bear is starting to come around,” Tank said, peering into the bear’s face. “Better wrap it up, Kipp.”

“Did you get enough video?” Kipp asked Denny.

“I think so. Looks good, boss.” Denny put the lens cover back on his video camera and took it off the tripod.

Haley became vaguely aware of Oscar barking frantically, though the noise barely carried above the wind. Tank made a sound beside her, and she looked up. A bear as big as a glacier stood on its hind feet and looked at them. Though it was twenty feet away, it looked massive and dangerous. It was gaunt with mangy, matted fur. One ear looked clipped. Those eyes seemed to look right through her and see her as a tasty meal.

“Back slowly away,” Tank instructed. “Try to get to the helicopter. This guy is nothing to mess with.” Tank waved his hands in the air. “You bear! Get away. Go!” As big as Tank was, surely the bear would think twice about approaching. Instead, it dropped to all fours and began to advance slowly. Tank grabbed Haley’s arm as she began to back away.

“Slowly,” he hissed. The others were moving away already. Kipp’s eyes were wide, and even he seemed to understand this bear wasn’t acting normally. “It’s a predatory bear,” Tank muttered. He placed himself between Haley and the bear.

A crack echoed above the sound of the wind. The bear flinched and bit at its flank, but it continued to approach. Another shot came, and this time Haley saw the dart plow into the bear’s chest. She didn’t think the drug would take effect in time and expected the bruin to charge them at any moment.

Her hand touched the helicopter, and she felt for the floor, then scrambled inside the chopper. The bear roared, then galloped toward them. Tank threw himself into the helicopter and slammed the door. The bear’s snarling face rammed the window. “Get us out of here!” Tank yelled.

The chopper rotors roared to life, and the bear turned tail and ran. Haley never did see it fall down from the effects of the drug. Her heart was still slamming against her ribs as the chopper rose in the air.

Brooke scrambled onto her lap. “I didn’t like that bear.” She leaned over and patted her father’s face. “He wasn’t good like Miki and Aslan.”

“No, he wasn’t.” Tank mopped the sweat from his forehead.

His gaze met Haley’s, and her mood plunged at the expression of alarm in his eyes. They had been in more danger than she’d thought. “Explain to me what a predatory bear is. I thought all bears were predators.”

“They are to some degree. A predatory bear is one actively on the hunt for humans. Most bears are just scavengers and would rather run than hunt a human for food. But when animals are sick or too old to get food in the normal way, they can lose their normal fear of humans. Once they discover humans are easy prey, they can be deadly. This bear is old and sick. And dangerous.”

“That bear was like the wicked White Witch in Narnia,” Brooke said. “Maybe Miki could show him how to be good.”

“I don’t think he’d listen, Brooke. He’s sick and old. Not really bad.”

“God should take him home. He’d be happy in heaven. Mommy would take care of him.”

Brooke’s perfect faith brought tears to Haley’s eyes. What must it feel like to believe God had everything under control? She couldn’t fathom it, but a new yearning made her wish she could be that young and trusting. It felt like a tiny tendril of green reaching for the sun. “I haven’t read your book yet. I’ll get started on it tonight.”

“Read it to me!” Brooke said.

“Okay, we’ll start it tonight after supper,” Haley promised. Maybe it could melt the glacier around her heart. For the first time, she was beginning to wonder what it would be like to be free of her burden.

The phone rang in Marley’s Anchorage apartment, and she snatched it up. It had to be her lawyer. She’d promised to call today.

“The home study is back, and the news isn’t good.”

Marley exhaled and gripped the phone so hard her hand shook. “What do you mean?”

“The report recommends that Brooke stay with her father.”

The finality in Janine’s voice stole the protest from Marley’s voice. “That’s not possible,” she whispered finally. “I have to get custody of Brooke.”

“I’m sorry, Marley. Without a home-study report in your favor, I don’t believe we stand a chance in court. I’d recommend you drop the suit now and work on mending your relationship with Mr. Lassiter so you can spend time with Brooke. Pursuing it now will only harden his stance against you.”

“I’ll never give her up. Never.” The tears trembling on Marley’s lashes dried as rage began to flare in her chest. “Leigh will be livid. You have to fix this.”

Janine’s voice softened. “I think you need to talk to someone, Marley. I know it’s been difficult for you to come to grips with your sister’s death, but you have to accept it.”

“Brooke belongs with me,” Marley insisted. “I want to take my plea to the judge.”