“This is an unusual situation, for me.”
He thought for a second. “For me, too. But we’re here now, so…” He walked past her and knelt by the sturdiest bridge support, the rope in his hands. He hesitated. He’d done plenty of climbing in films, but the stunt riggers handled the technical stuff. Actors weren’t allowed near anything that could go fatally or litigiously wrong.
“A bowline would be best,” Lana said, from beside him.
He flinched. “A … what?”
“Guess you didn’t really go in for Boy Scouts?” She held out her hands for the rope, and he handed it over. She wrapped it around the support, carefully made a loop in it, and threaded the waxed end through the hole, around the rope and through the hole again.
“There,” she said, tightening it.
“That looks about right.”
“We should add a backup knot. A double overhand or a Yosemite tie-off. For security. And we could tie a series of knots at intervals along the rope for hand and footholds. A regular overhand or a figure-eight, or we could go so far as alpine butterflies.”
“Okay! What do you do for a living, Lana?” he asked, watching the deft movements of her small, pale hands. Her fingernails were short and free from polish—though cast weren’t allowed it. “Or are you a professional background actor?”
“I’m a librarian.”
“Oh. I thought maybe something more…”
“Practical?”
“Outdoorsy.”
“The Shipping News. It’s a book. Lots of descriptions of knots. I tried them all. And then I got outThe Ashley Book of KnotsandThe Mariner’s Dictionary. The social history of knots is fascinating.” She whispered a series of numbers to herself. “AndQuipus and Witches’ Knots, but that one I had to buy.” He raised his eyebrows. “It was hard to find,” she explained, misunderstanding his expression.
“Yeah, I’ve seen the movie. I can’t remember there being that level of detail.”
“There’s a movie? OfQuipus and Witches’ Knots?”
“Not that I know of.The Shipping News?”
“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. She returned her attention to the rope. “Knots are a big symbol inThe Shipping News—thebook, anyway. The characters’ lives are interwoven and tangled. Knotty. Knots are very metaphorical, when you think about it. Control, anchoring, security. Knowledge passed down through generations. Adaptation—you can tie and untie a rope infinite times for different needs. Commitment—the ties that bind.” She gave her backup knot a tug. “I’m eighty-eight percent sure that’ll hold. Ninety-four,” she corrected, standing. She turned to him, screwing up her nose. “Was that too much? The symbolism of the knots? I’m not crazy, if you’re wondering. I just spend too much time in my head for my own good. Or so I’ve been told my whole life.”
“Me too,” he said, surprised. “I liked the stuff about knots. So, what haveyouused these knots for?”
“Not for stalking, if that’s what you’re thinking!”
“That … wasn’t what I was thinking.” Though he was now.
“I haven’t used them for anything, really. I just practiced tying them with the cord from my pajama pants. I’m stronger on theory than practice, in general. Anyway, the principle’s the same, no matter what size the rope.” She stepped back, planting her hands on her hips. “So, you’re coming down with me?” she said, as if checking she’d heard correctly.
Turned out he was. “Yep.”
“What if you fall and they sue me for breaking you?”
“Do you have money?”
“None at all.”
“Then why would they sue you? Seriously, they have insurance—as do I. I might well be better insured than Hearst Castle. Though for purely selfish reasons, I’d prefer you didn’t break me, if it comes to a choice.”
She studied him with something that could be wonder or bafflement. “I’ll remember that.” She looked into the gully, pressing her lips together. It was maybe seventy feet down. The climbing wouldn’t be difficult—the V-shaped descent was mostlygradual, and it looked dry, though they’d have to navigate a few boulders and sheer drops.
“Have you climbed before?” he asked. “Rappelled?”
“No. But I’ve read books about it.” Again, she muttered a series of numbers, then quietly apologized. He wasn’t sure what for. “I’m full of useless knowledge. I start most of my sentences with, ‘I read somewhere that…’”
