“Now, what’s this about rousing the rabble?” Justin sat back and took a sip of his drink, agreeing with Liam’s reaction. Bear Necessities made the best coffee in Fox Hollow.
“Have you read any of Scott’s articles?” Liam asked.
Justin shook his head. “No. Does that make me a bad boyfriend? He’s told me a little about them, but they’re on academic and industry websites, so pretty specialized and not exactly easy to access. Why?”
“Librarians get all kinds of special access.” Liam gave a conspiratorial smile. “I was curious, so I did a little digging. He’s an extremely good writer, and his research is solid. Verybalanced, in my opinion. And I realize that he’s more likely to just be assigned a topic as to have suggested it.”
“But…” Justin prompted.
“Although he writes about a lot of different topics, some of the articles I found focused on the environmental impact of heavy industry and looked at the downside of industries like mining and logging,” Liam said. “He also mentioned corporate conflicts of interest. I thought he was spot on. But I can’t imagine the companies being pleased.”
Justin frowned. “Do you think they’re going to cause trouble for him?”
Liam took a long sip of his coffee before he answered. “The websites are pretty independent, so I think they’ll do as they please. But when a pile of cash is on the table, and large investments stand to be impacted, sometimes companies take matters into their own hands.”
Justin felt a chill go down his spine as Liam’s meaning hit him, and he reframed his question. “Do you think someone would try to stop him from publishing?”
Liam shrugged. “I hope not, but people can make very bad decisions when there’s a lot of money at stake.”
“He knows, and he’s already promised to keep this one positive. Scott cares about his topics, but he’s not an extremist,” Justin defended.
Liam shook his head. “I don’t think he is. But companies aren’t used to being told things they don’t want to hear, and they don’t like negative press getting to the people in local and state government who oversee regulations and permits. Same with investors. He might get pushback, that’s all I’m saying. And this one is through a university and will get more attention than some of the websites he writes for.”
Scott had been writing for a while, long enough to build up a solid freelance business. Justin knew his boyfriend understood the risks and was being cautious, but he couldn’t help worrying.
“I can’t tell him not to write what he’s passionate about writing.” Justin thought of his most recent call with Scott.
“I wouldn’t dream of suggesting it,” Liam said. “But I figured you needed to know the risks so you could support him if things get…fraught. I expect he has developed somewhat of a reputation given the prior articles.”
Justin sighed and took a long swig of his coffee. “Thanks. That’s a whole different world than what I deal with. I’d never guess people could get so worked up about boring articles that aren’t going to be seen by a big audience. It’s not like theNational Enquirer.”
Liam chuckled. “No, it definitely isn’t. And the size of the readership matters less sometimes than its influence. The people who read those articles have a say in funding and the laws that make the projects possible. On one hand, new jobs can come out of it. But if development isn’t done carefully, there can be a lot of damage. Especially from things like mining projects.”
“Does that include the Mafia? You said before that those organizations go underground, but they never go away,” Justin asked.
Liam hesitated before he answered. “I don’t know. They were certainly part of how the industry operated in the past. I’d like to believe things have improved since then, but so much depends on who the investors and developers are and how ethical they are.”
Justin would have preferred reassurance that such things were solidly in the past.
“After the last time I talked to Scott, I did some digging,” Liam admitted. “And I did find allegations about supposed ties to organized crime for the mine’s new owner, and a rathersalacious social media post suggesting they have a dark witch named Samuel Wilmot who does their bidding.”
“Scott talked to Jeffries and shared what he’d found. It pretty well matched what you’re saying,” Justin said. “I got the feeling that there might be something to the rumors, not just about the Mob but magic, too.”
“That’s definitely not good,” Liam agreed. “If so, Jeffries knows who to contact around here to help keep the area safe. I’m afraid anything you and I might try to do could just make things more complicated.”
“Scott was heading up to do a photo shoot that included the Platt Mine today,” Justin said. “Do you think those black cars we saw are connected to the company that bought the property?”
Liam shrugged. “No idea. But they didn’t look like the average campers or tourists, so I’m guessing they were on business of some sort. The developers may completely ignore his articles, or not ever see them. But I wanted to let you know.”
“Thank you,” Justin said. “I hope nothing happens. But I’ll be right beside him if he needs it.”
“I don’t doubt that one bit.” Liam smiled as he finished his drink and set the cup aside. “In the meantime, I’m going to see what I can find out about the companies involved and see if there’s anyone in the supernatural community who might be able to helpnudgethe interest in a different direction.”
“I know that the mine could mean jobs,” Justin said, wrestling with his feelings on the subject. “But it also means more outsiders and traffic. That’s aside from any damage to the forest or the water. If new companies are going to come in, it would be nice if they didn’t make a mess.”
“You’re preaching to the choir,” Liam replied. “I was going to look for good alternatives while I was digging around.”
“Thank you,” Justin said. “I can’t do much to help, but please let me know what you find out.”
