He pulled the bread out of the oven and withdrew a serrated knife from the knife block sitting on the counter.
“So anyway, this is pretty much my full-time job, and I was in between jobs when I got the call.” I gave him a cheeky grin. “My parents have a tiny one-room cottage—okay, more like a shed—on their property where I live when I’m in town. But it’s fully functional. Has a bathroom and everything.”
Chase held up a hand. “First, what town?”
“Outside Mt. Hood National Forest. On about twenty acres.”
He whistled. “Nice.”
“And very remote,” I added.
He cleared his throat. “Are your parents…you know, like you? Do they have such passion and conviction for animals and the environment?”
Once again I felt a tug at my heart. And while I loved the fact that he didn’t make fun of me or think I was being silly for wanting to take a stand and fight…I still expected the other shoe to drop. Surely he couldn’treallybe this interested and understanding?
“Yeah, I guess you could say that about them. They were probably born a decade and a half too late, but both of them are just as passionate as me. If fact, they met on a Green Peace trip they both attended their senior year of high school in nineteen eighty-four. They waited to have me later in life, when they were around thirty.”
“So you’re an only child?” he asked.
“Yep. And I grew up going to marches, feeding the homeless, boycotting, and doing all that great stuff. The first time I was taken away by the police, I was twelve. I’d strapped myself to a tree to gain recognition for the red tree vole. They were on the extinction list and once again no one was doing anything about it.”
“And a red tree vole is a type of tree?”
“Nope. It’s a rodent.”
Chase motioned for me to grab the bread. Carrying the still-warm bread, I followed him out to the dining room while he carried the food. Setting the bread down on the table, I followed him back into the kitchen for our drinks and silverware.
“So your first major brush with the law was because of a rodent, huh?” he teased.
“Yep. I received a lot of recognition all right. Mainly because I was one of the youngest people to be detained by the police that day. Usually before, I was let off with a warning because I was so young.”
He motioned for me to sit across from him. I unfolded a napkin, laid it across my lap, and began eating.
“But I guess twelve was the magical number,” I said between bites. “The local cops said they were done trying to turn a blind eye to me and my shenanigans. They threatened and bullied, but in the end nothing really happened. I was twelve and trying to save a rodent.” I looked up at Chase sitting across from me and met his eyes. “But I honestly believe I’m doing what’s right for them and for the environment.”
I reached over and grabbed a piece of garlic bread off the cutting board. Folding it in half, I took a bite out of the middle. Chase gave me a smile before going back to eating his own garden quiche.
“We’ve gotten sidetracked,” he said. “You never explained about how you got arrested and spent three days in the county jail and now have one-week house arrest.”
I hadn’t forgotten, I was just still so ashamed of what I’d done. “I know the shrimp have a funny name, but what they provide for the environment is serious and necessary. The vernal pools dry up seasonally, so fish can’t live in the water. As a result, the shrimp thrive and keep the water clean for other amphibians and insects. Plus, the shrimp are food for birds that migrate. The birds need respite and they know they can find food in the vernal pools.”
“Okay,” Chase said, “these shrimp are obviously important.”
I smiled. “Yes. So when I came to Trinity Falls last week and confronted Bernie Schuler about bulldozing over the water so he could build a road and more outdoor stores, he basically told me to mind my own business. Nothing new there. But when I persisted and wouldn’t leave—I was sleeping on the ground in a tent—he cornered me one day and—” I swallowed hard past the sudden knot in my throat and shivered when I recalled the evil look in his eye.
“And?”
I set my fork down. “And he told me that I should be careful because a little girl like me could suddenly find herself face down buried in a gully where no one would ever find me.”
Chase’s nostrils flared. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t lie.”
He smiled. “So what did you do?”
“I got mad. He’s obviously five times my size, so I had to come up with another way to show him I wasn’t scared, even though I was. I went into town, bought a bunch of shrimp, glued them to my shirt like I did at the capitol building, and I just waited for him the next day. I did call my parents and let them know what was going on just in case. I then called Lance to let him know I might need his assistance if I got arrested, called the local paper, and prepared to fight. The next morning, Schuler drove his fancy convertible Beemer to the site, got out, and proceeded to drive the bulldozer up to about an inch from where I was sitting.”
Chase swore.
