Page 51 of Cole

Cole considered the risks. Going back out meant exposure and potential encounters with Northern Summit's people. It also meant putting Janice in danger again. But he also understood that she was right. Her expertise could make the difference between a case that stuck and one that got thrown out on technicalities.

"Okay," he said. "We do this. But we do it smart, and we do it fast."

Janice's smile was like sunrise breaking through clouds. "Thank you. For not trying to talk me out of it."

"Would it have worked if I tried?"

"No." Her smile widened. "But I appreciate that you didn't waste both our time."

They prepared quickly, layering on warm clothes again, and gathering Janice's veterinary field kit. Cole watched her pack scalpels, sample containers, preservation solutions, and gloves. She moved with the confidence of someone who'd done this work countless times before.

The snowmobile ride back to the area where they'd seen the dead animals was tense but uneventful. Cole kept his senses on high alert, scanning the tree line for any sign of movement, any indication that they weren't alone in the wilderness. But the forest remained silent except for the whine of the engine and the whisper of wind through snow-laden branches.

They found the fox first, its rust-colored body a stark contrast against the white snow. Because he was close to a tree, the snow had not completely covered him. Janice approached with reverent care, kneeling beside the small corpse with a gentleness that made Cole's chest tighten.

"I'm sorry," she murmured to the dead animal, her gloved hand brushing snow from its fur. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. But I'm going to make sure it means something. I'm going to make sure the people who did this pay for it."

Cole stood guard a few feet away, watching her work while keeping one eye on the surrounding forest. But he found his attention drawn back to Janice again and again, captivated by the way she handled the deceased creature.

She talked to it throughout the necropsy, her voice soft and compassionate even as her hands performed the clinical work of collecting samples. "You were beautiful, weren't you? Probably had a den somewhere nearby, maybe kits waiting for you. I'm sorry you won't be going home to them."

Something shifted in Cole's chest as he listened. He'd seen death before—too much of it. He'd learned to compartmentalize, to distance himself from the emotional weight of it. But watching Janice honor this small life even as she documented its death, treating the fox with dignity and respect, moved him in ways he hadn't expected.

This was who she was. Not just a scientist collecting evidence, but a healer mourning what she couldn't save. A voice for creatures who only wanted to live the way nature intended.

"The liver shows significant discoloration," Janice said, her tone shifting to clinical as she made notes in her field journal and dictated into her phone. She also took numerous photographs to accompany her labs. "Consistent with heavy metal toxicity. Kidneys are enlarged, probably struggling to filter the contaminants from the bloodstream." She looked up at Cole, her expression grim. "This fox didn't die quickly. It suffered for days, maybe weeks, as the poison accumulated in its system."

"Can you prove that? Scientifically, I mean?"

"Once these samples get to a proper lab, yes." She sealed another container and labeled it with precise handwriting. "The tissue analysis will show exact concentrations of lead, arsenic, copper, and whatever else is in that water. The pathology will show the damage those toxins caused. It's a death certificate written in biology."

She wasn’t able to find the water birds they’d seen earlier, but had no trouble finding several others that had died more recently. Janice collected samples from each one, talking to them the same way she'd talked to the fox. Apologizing. Promising. Honoring.

Cole found himself standing closer than strictly necessary, not because he thought she needed protection from dead herons and cormorants, but because he wanted to be near her. He was drawn to witness this side of her that burrowed deep inside of him.

"You really love them," he murmured. "The animals."

Janice looked up from her work, a sad smile crossing her face. "They’re innocent creatures. They can't hire lawyers, write letters to congressmen, or vote for politicians who care about the environment. All they can do is live their lives and hope that humans don't destroy everything around them." She sealed the last sample container. "Someone has to speak for them. Someone has to care enough to fight for them."

"And that someone is you."

"Today it is." She stood, brushing snow from her knees. "Tomorrow it might be someone else. But right now, in this place, I'm the one who's here. So yes. That someone is me."

Cole reached out and cupped her face in his gloved hand, tilting her chin up so their eyes met. "You're remarkable. You know that?"

Color flooded her cheeks. "I'm just doing my job."

"No." He shook his head slowly. "What you're doing goes way beyond a job description. You're risking your career, your safety, maybe your life to protect animals and wilderness that most people never even think about. That's not just professional dedication. That's... that's something else entirely."

Janice's eyes searched his face, and he saw vulnerability there beneath the determination. "I wonder if it's worth it. If anyone will even care about the evidence I'm gathering, or if Penson's money and connections will just make it all disappear."

"It won't disappear." Cole's voice was firm with a conviction he felt in his bones. "Not with Logan and the team working on it. Not with the FBI involved. And not with you fighting for it. This matters, Janice. What you're doing matters."

She leaned into his touch, just slightly, and Cole felt something fundamental shift between them. Not the charged tension that had been building since he'd arrived, but something deeper. Something that felt like trust, like connection, like the beginning of something that could last far beyond this crisis.

She finally said, “I want to see if we can find the deer we saw the other day.”

They were halfway back to the snowmobile when Cole froze, his arm shooting out to stop Janice mid-step.