Jace turned back to them. “Yeah, there was a crowd last night. I guess more people are getting upset about this expansion.” He cut his eyes to Connor. “I was surprised to see you there.”
“Yeah, well, don’t spread it around here,” Connor said. “It could cost me my job.”
“The way I see it, you’re either on the resort’s side or on our side,” Nate said. “You can’t be both.”
“And like I said, I have to eat,” Connor said. “Besides, the existing part of the resort is here to stay. It’s only the expansion we’re trying to stop.”
Nate shook his head, then looked away.
“What do you think about this plan for MLK weekend?” Stacy asked. “A little wild, huh?”
“A little too wild, if you ask me.” Jace shifted his stance. “People are bound to get hurt, and what’s that going to accomplish? I have to work that weekend anyway, so it’s a good excuse to stay clear.”
“Shane seems to think it will do a lot of good,” Stacy said.
“Shane’s a great guy,” Connor said. “He wants to do a lot for the community, but I don’t know if little guys like us can really fight a big corporation that owns half a dozen ski resorts.”
“You’re wrong,” Nate said. “We’re a lot more powerful than you think.”
“What do you mean?” Stacy asked. “Powerful how?”
“We’ve got some money and resources behind this movement,” Nate said. “I think a lot of people are going to be surprised by how effective we can be.”
“This does sound interesting.” Stacy moved a little closer to him, her expression avid. “What kind of resources?”
Nate gave her a hard look, then turned away. “I’ll meet you at the top, Jace,” he said. “Don’t be long.”
“Yeah, I’ll be right up.” Jace watching as Nate made his way to the lift line and melted into the crowd.
“What’s his problem?” Stacy asked.
“He’s just really upset about the expansion project,” Jace said. “He thinks we should be doing more to stop it.”
“More—like vandalism and stuff?”
“Nothing like that,” Jace said. “Just…more.”
“If enough people speak out, maybe the Forest Service will pay attention and deny the resort’s permit,” Stacy said.
“Maybe.” Jace shrugged. “All we can do is try. The rally in the village square is a good idea, too. That will let visitors know what the locals think. It might make a difference to some of them. I volunteered to help man a booth to collect signatures on a petition we’ll give to the Forest Service.”
“That’s a good idea,” Connor said. “I’ll look for you there.” He nodded to Jace, then turned to Stacy. “I have to get back to work.”
Moments later, Stacy joined him in his office, where he sat behind his desk, the work surface obscured by piles of papers, mismatched gloves, a roll of pink surveyor’s tape, another of duct tape and an avalanche beacon.
“Jace says he met Nate when they worked for the same pizza place in town last summer,” she said. “Nate left, but they reconnected on opening day this year when they ended up on a chair lift together. Nate introduced him to Shane and some of the other protestors.”
“Anybody who might be one of the terrorists you’re trying to find?” Connor asked.
“No. He said these were all other locals Shane Greer had recruited. But Shane really impressed Jace. He says Shane knows a lot about the history of the area and seems really serious about land conservation.”
“Serious enough to want to blow things up to preserve the status quo?” Connor asked.
“I don’t know.” She sank down into a folding chair. Farley came over and rested his head in her lap. “I’m going back to the Trail’s End tonight to see if I can talk to anyone else who was at the rally. I need to find out if Shane is really the one running the show or if there are other people behind the scenes.”
“Will you take your dad with you?”
A teasing expression lit her eyes. “I’d rather take you.”
