by Diana Ryan
“Hi there. I have your 8:30 tour group with Badgerland Tours.” She opened up a dark brown folder and tapped her itinerary with her pencil.
This was new to me. “Ah, let me call the office.” On the phone, Darren’s secretary told me to instruct the tour group how to get down to the Lower Dells Docks since they weren’t in the right spot. The lady looked a little ticked when I told her she was in the wrong place.
Just after the huge tour bus left, my phone buzzed with a new text message. It was from Agent Harper.
Check email inbox. New intel on the Carrier.
Activity on the street and sidewalk in front of me was pretty bare, so I decided to read the email from my tablet instead of my phone. I pulled open my CBB-issued briefcase and shuffled through the items inside. The agency had placed me here with plenty of neat gadgets. I found several electronic devices: tiny microphones, bugs, fancy GPS and tracking systems, and night vision goggles sat among other items I was still learning how to use. After a minute I found my tablet near the bottom of the case.
The email was titled “classified” and I had to enter my classification and identification passwords to open it. It was a good-sized email, and I wasn’t sure I was awake enough to read something so scientifically wordy and heavy this early in the morning. I rubbed my eye sockets and continued anyway.
New research suggests the source of potentially harmful radiation is from a space object that likely fell onto earth almost a century ago...
“Thank you, Agent Hill,” I imitated my boss’s voice, “for making this integral discovery.”
About an hour after I started my shift, I was buried deep into the science mumbo-jumbo of the report, and barely noticed the big green army Duck pull up in front of the Dairy Queen. It parked there, and then the engine shut off. I looked up and recognized that this Duck was different from the Ducks that go out on tour on the Wisconsin River—this one had stairs built into the side like a bus. I guess they couldn’t take those out into the water or they’d end up on the bottom of the river!
A short dude sauntered off the Duck, did a stretch, and gave an obnoxiously loud yawn. The guy caught my eye and came walking over to the booth.
“Hey, buddy! You don’t have a coffee maker back there, do ya?” He walked closer and leaned his arm on the counter. This guy was a card.
“Ah, no. Sorry, man.”
“Hey, just joshin’ ya! I’m Ted. How you doin’?”
“Hey, Ted, I’m Nolan. Nice to meet you.” I looked over at the Duck. “What are you doing out here on the street with that big Duck?”
Ted looked confused for a second. He turned around and looked at the Duck behind him and then said, “Oh. You don’t know about the shuttle Ducks? The drivers have to take a turn working the shuttle one day a week. We have to drive this big boy downtown, pick up passengers, and take them back to the docks down on Highway 12. We go back and forth all day long.”
“Oh. That sucks. Wouldn’t you rather be out on the river making money?”
“Exactly. The traffic, the idiots downtown... I do not look forward to Tuesdays.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Then there was a pause as we both weren’t sure what to say next.
“So...is this your first summer working for the boats? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”
“Yeah. I’ve only been working a few weeks.” I picked up the pen on the counter in front of me and turned it in my hands.
“Oh, hey, you know any tour guides? My good buddy, Ava, works on the Lower Dells.”
“Yes, I know Ava!” Then I realized I’d gotten a little too excited at the sound of her name, so I toned it down a little. “Actually, I’m sort of dating her.”
“Really? With that hottie?” He was smiling ear to ear.
So it was okay to get excited. “Yeah! She is a really great girl...if you know what I mean.”
Ted quickly wiped the smile off his face. “Wait, are you the jerk who threw a punch at my friend Aaron?”
“Oh no, hold on. You’ve got it all wrong. He was way outta line. Ava was yelling for help.”
“Really?” He leaned forward on the counter, looked me straight in the eyes, and lowered his voice. “Ava is a very sweet, perfect girl, and she deserves nothing but the best.”
I thought of a conversation Ava and I had last night. “Oh, listen, Ted, I don’t think Ava is interested in you. She and I went out last night and she actually told me about your friendship with her. I got the picture she doesn’t like you that way.”
“Thanks, genius. I figured that out years ago. I was simply trying to give you the gentleman’s warning that Ava is a great catch, and I don’t want to see her hurt.” He gave me the stink eye.
“Gotcha. Good to know.” Hurting Ava was not in my plans. Actually, I had no plans at this point. I was a little sick of the lecture from Ted, so I took an interest in the newspaper on the counter.
Ted sensed my dislike in his words. “Listen. I don’t know a thing about you...”
“That’s right. You don’t,” I interrupted, probably with more cheek than needed. I don’t know why I was feeling so defensive around Ted.
He tried to ignore my rudeness. “But I do know that Ava is a good judge of character. So I’m gonna let you know that Ava is one of my very best friends, and I trust you will be a great friend and...maybe more to her. But, if you lay a hand on her in the wrong way, I will know and I will personally make sure you pay.” Then he paused and looked me dead in the eyes and said, “Got it?”
Sure, I punched out his friend, but what made Ted think I would ever hurt Ava? Instead of taking offense from Ted’s little lecture, I decided to play the whole thing off as no big deal.
I smiled a little and said, “Got it, Ted. I assure you, I will be nothing but a perfect gentleman to Ava. I know she is something special.” Then we shared a moment of understanding. I think Ted saw something in me he didn’t before because his face relaxed a bit.
“Alright, buddy. I’m glad we’re clear. Now, let’s talk business. Did you catch the Brewer’s game last night?”
I hadn’t caught the baseball game, but I did watch Sports Center that morning and was able to hold my own in the baseball conversation. We talked for a few more minutes, and then Ted had some passengers get on his shuttle and he had to take a trip back to the Duck docks.
After he left, I thought a little bit more about Ted, and I hoped Ava knew what a good friend she had. He really was looking out for her own good. I didn’t see Ted anymore on the shuttle Duck that day, though. The next time the shuttle showed up, some other guy was driving, and he told me it had got busy, so they had to put Ted on the river. He must have been happy about that.
The morning was moderately busy downtown, and tourists were at my counter all day. I wasn’t able to get much reading done, which was slightly annoying, but at the same time, those documents were making me fall asleep. I felt like there was something I was oblivious to, and so the reports didn’t make much sense to me. I learn much better audibly than visually, so I figured I would get filled in with Agent Harper’s update later.
Chapter Eight
Brian’s shift began a few hours after I met Ted. It was an odd shift where the agent came in late to help during the busy time at the Dairy Queen booth, and then mid-afternoon they had to head over to the old, cream-colored, antique Dells Boat Tours building down the street to sell to the dinner cruise crowd.
Brian walked in the door and wasted no time getting to the point. “So, my man. How was the big date last night?”
“Pretty great, buddy, pretty great.” The kiss replayed in my mind a few times, and I began feeling a little weak in the knees. I knew my face was giving away my daydream because when I looked over at Brian, he had a huge smile on his face as if he could see the same movie I had playing in my head.
“Ah, I’ve seen that look before. You really like this girl, don’t you?” Brian punched me playfully in the shoulder.
I wished I could wipe that
stupid smile off my face, as I was sure I looked like a gleaming idiot, but the corners of my mouth wouldn’t turn down. “You know, Brian, I haven’t felt like this in a really, really long time. She just...does something to me, you know?”
You’re in trouble, my brain warned.
“I know, I know, my friend. I’ve been there before.” He waited a few seconds, and I could tell he was recalling some old memories. Then his face turned hard. “She broke my heart...but hey, I’m sure that won’t happen to you.”
Brian too? Jeez, did every eligible guy who walked through Ava’s path try to win her heart?
I thought for a second about how this new relationship might end, but I couldn’t imagine. Or was it that I didn’t want to imagine it?
“She is a pretty special woman, Nolan. Just know that.” Brian looked pretty serious. This was the second warning of the day about treating Ava the right way. I wasn’t sure how to take it. Did I come off as a complete jerk to everyone who barely knew me?
“Don’t think I don’t know that, Brian. I agree completely with you!”
An elderly couple stepped up to the ticket window, cutting off our conversation. The subject of dating Ava didn’t come up anymore in the day’s conversations, and for me, the shift flew by mostly because of Brian.
Before I knew it, it was time for Brian to head over to the other booth, leaving me to people-watch and read the newspaper. Late in the day I caught myself checking my till and counting my tickets. I hadn’t sold too many today and my instant reaction was disappointment.
“Nolan. This job is only a cover,” I said to myself.
Maybe I was getting in too deep.
My phone buzzed with a new message from the CBB. The text was requiring me to become familiar with several new apps that had been uploaded to my phone and tablet. There was a new search engine for FBI databases, a series of maps with several different overlays, a bio scanner with a night feature, and a Geiger counter suitable for searching out cosmic radiation.
Ah-ha. Tools that could be useful.
I spent the next hour studying the maps and learning how to use the Geiger counter.
I packed up after Ava and Ted surprised me with a visit to my booth, and I left them eating ice cream together at the neighboring Dairy Queen. I turned my Audi left out of the parking lot and headed north of town on a mission.
I followed Highway 13 to a Wayside Park on the edge of the city of Wisconsin Dells. The small park was empty as I pulled into one of the five parking stalls available. A sign reading restrooms in yellow lettering was nailed to a dark-brown, small log cabin just off the parking lot. It looked like the kind of place where the toilet was simply a board with a hole in it over a pit in the ground. No thanks. I’d rather crap in the woods.
I shifted the car into park and took out my tablet, opening the Geiger counter app. I wasn’t sure how well it would work, but I began to scan the area. In seconds a report spit out the amount of radiation in the immediate three-hundred-foot radius. The numbers were low. Incredibly low.
I smiled. It worked.
I frowned. This would take forever. I had to scan the entire city in three-hundred-foot sections. But then again, I sort of wanted it to take forever.
* * * *
I scanned seven more times on my way back down Highway 13 and back into the city. Most of the readings were the same as the first, with the exception of the last, which showed slightly higher numbers. I felt hopeful that I might be able to find the source of the radiation after all.
There was a party flaring up at Animal Island as I returned to my tiny summer cabin, and I decided to indulge for a while. I was happy to meet a few more employees, and I spent a lot of time talking to a pair of guys who lived in the Ukraine. They came over for the summer to make some money for their families back home. They were very funny and very willing to share their life stories with me. I found it all very interesting.
I tried to prevent it, but I kept looking over at Ava’s house, checking for Ava’s Olds. It hadn’t showed up yet. What could she be doing with Ted that long? They had ice cream hours ago.
I suddenly experienced a pang of panic and wanted to call her and check if she was okay. No, that’s stupid. Of course she was okay. She was a grown woman and could take care of herself. Except for the time she almost tumbled down the hill, and when she almost got molested by her ex.
Nerves rumbled in my stomach. Calling her would definitely come off as overprotective and annoying. I tried to ignore the nerves, but they persisted. I craved Ava by my side and felt uneasy not knowing what she was doing. As if someone slapped me in the side of my face, I stood abruptly from the fire and shook my whole body. How had I developed such strong feelings for Ava so quickly?
It was almost midnight, and although the party was still rollin’, I decided to call it a night. Just as I opened the screen door to my cabin, I saw headlights one street over. It was Ava. She got out of the car alone, walked inside, and turned the front porch light off. She never even looked over at Animal Island.
The sinking feeling returned to my body. Maybe I was in this relationship deeper than Ava was.
Chapter Nine
The next day I knew I had to step up my game a little. I stopped at the florist on my way to work and bought a dozen red roses and a blank card. On my way in I noticed that Brian was alone at Lower One. It was too early for Suzanne’s shift to start—perfect.
“Hey, Brian! How’s it goin’, buddy”? I walked up to the booth and went in the door. “I was wondering if you’d do me a favor? You know I’ve got my eye on Ava, and I think I need to do something romantic to sort of reel her in. Would you help me pull something off?”
“Oh, God. I don’t have to sing or dance or something embarrassing like that, right?” Brian said.
“No, no, buddy, nothing like that. I bought some flowers and a note, and I stuck it on her windshield.” I pointed out the ticket window. “I’m sure she’s going to come up here to Lower One to hang out after one of her first trips, and I need you to tell her to go look at her car.” I gave him a manly pat on the back.
“Right, right. I can do that. No prob.” A couple came up to the window to buy some tickets, so I snuck out the door and headed back to Lower Two.
Once the booth was open, I took a seat, sat back, and watched the Bailey come into the bay to dock. Less than twenty passengers shuffled off the boat, and then Jack and Ava walked up the stairs together. She looked so good in her uniform, and I loved seeing her laugh and smile—it simply lit up her eyes.
At the top of the stairs, they split up. Jack headed straight for the Last Chance snack shop, and Ava bolted it over to the bathroom. A few customers approached my window, and I kept busy for almost twenty minutes. Ava never stopped by, and a small feeling of frustration filled my heart when I realized she had decided to go to Lower One instead of my booth. I thought for sure she’d come see me before she went to say hi to Brian.
Well good, then Brian would tell her to look at her car, and she’d see the roses and come running back to my booth.
More customers came, more minutes passed, but still no Ava. Nerves brewed in my stomach and my heart sank. Maybe I had made a big mistake. It was entirely possible that she didn’t think about me every second they way I thought about her.
For a moment I considered running out to Ava’s car and whisking the roses off the windshield before Brian told her about it, but I abandoned the idea. I tried to replay our date in my mind to see if I could recall any sign that she wasn’t enjoying herself, that I had done something wrong. But my mind was only filled with her smiling face and our sweet kisses.
I took a deep breath and told myself to trust my first instinct.
I glanced towards the front ticket booth and there she was, walking casually back through the waiting area with Jack. I looked carefully—no flowers or card in her hand!
My momentary excitement crashed down to the ground. Had she thrown them away?
This was not good.<
br />
Ava and Jack loaded up their boat and then headed back downriver for another tour.
Crap! This was not working out as I thought it would.
I picked up the phone and called the front booth, but no one answered so I couldn’t get the scoop from Brian. I let out a sigh. Ava would be back in only one hour. I’d have to wait to see whether she got my note and the flowers.
I pulled out my tablet and tried to read the reports Agent Harper had emailed me. My eyes kept darting toward the window facing the river, subconsciously wondering where Ava was. Customers came and went. One hour started to feel like five. But then I saw it: the blue and white tour boat coming around the bend. It pulled into the dock and several people got off. Ava and Jack walked up the stairs and split up again. This time Jack went towards Lower One and Ava was walking towards my booth. My heart turned flips inside my rib cage. My stomach was suddenly infested with fluttery butterflies! I quickly turned away and looked out the front window as she approached the booth.
Play it cool, kid.
The door opened and I turned to see pretty Ava as she graced me with her presence.
I couldn’t hide my smile. I carefully read her face, especially those beautiful brown eyes, for any hint that she was happy to see me. I dared to tell her I was glad to see her, although if my heart had a microphone it would certainly be saying a lot more.
“It’s great to see you, too.” She smiled sweetly at me and then took a seat.
It was a good sign. The butterflies kept fluttering, but backed down a bit.
“Did you and Ted have a nice time last night?” Wait, stop...don’t go there! Keep it about you and her!
I watched her lips move as she talked about her evening. Her whole face was sparkling. Her mouth was moving, but I was having trouble focusing on her words until I heard her say, “I told him a lot about you.”