He flicked the bristles on one of the paintbrushes in his dig vest. “She didn’t say. In fact, she asked me not to say anything to Kira. That the deal was between her and Kira and that Kira could get in trouble—even lose her job—for not following protocol. That’s why I lied to Kira.”
“I don’t understand. Why would Professor LeAnna need to smuggle rocks out when she already had special access? There can’t be that much paperwork involved.”
“There really isn’t. It’s one form. We fill them out all the time.”
Sam sounded sincere and looked genuinely pained that I could think he had anything to do with Kira’s death.
“You should really tell the police,” I said.
He frowned. “I don’t know. I don’t want Professor LeAnna to get in any trouble. She’s been really good to me. Without this job I wouldn’t be able to pay for school, and she’s already been working on getting me a paid internship with the state’s Department of Geology this summer.”
“But Sam, this could be connected to Kira’s death.”
“How?”
“I have no idea, but I think you should tell the police. I’m sure they’ll be discrete if you explain the situation.”
He didn’t look convinced, but before I could urge him again three cars pulled up. Congressman Riley, Harley, Dupree, and Professor LeAnna had all arrived—at the same time. Another oddity.
“Please don’t say anything,” Sam whispered.
“I won’t, at least for now.”
As everyone came closer I watched Professor LeAnna. What was she really researching? And why would she force one of her graduate students to swipe samples from the cave? Something didn’t add up. I wasn’t sure if it was connected to Kira’s murder, but I knew for sure that I was going to keep a close eye on her and tell Detective Summer what I had learned.
Chapter 15
I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Professor LeAnna gathered all of us together and began giving us a geology lesson on how Lava Butte had formed. She wore the same khaki vest as Sam, but my eyes narrowed on one of the front pockets, which was empty. I glanced from her vest to Sam’s. They were identical, except Sam’s vest had a trowel in the pocket that was empty on Professor LeAnna’s. I gasped.
“Yes, Meg?” Professor LeAnna paused and gave me an irritated look.
“Nothing. Sorry. It’s just fascinating, that’s all,” I replied, trying to keep my eyes from darting back to the empty pocket on her chest.
“Yes.” She frowned at the interruption and continued. “As I was saying, we’ll have to share the roadway with cars as we make our ascent. There’s no trail, so be careful to avoid the edge, but you’ll also have to watch for traffic coming up and down the butte.”
“See, cars on Forest Service land—my land. My family’s land. Won’t give me a permit to let my cattle graze, but you’ll let those damn tourists drive up your precious butte.” Harley tipped his cowboy hat to Congressman Riley. “Guess them tree huggers are fine taking in taxpayers’ dollars and letting them motor on up the road.”
Riley gave him a sly smile. “Don’t you worry, my friend. Our bill is going to change that. This is a great example to share with my constituents of how motorized vehicles have been granted access to outdoor recreation areas.”
Dupree interrupted. “Hey, this debate is ridiculous. We’re talking about two totally different beasts. This is cars driving up the butte at ten miles per hour. You want to open our forests to gas-guzzling four-wheelers and noise-polluting motorcycles. And, Harley, don’t start talking about money. You’ve gotten more money from the Forest Service than anyone I know.”
Harley sneered. Riley rolled up the sleeves of his white button-down shirt. “That argument isn’t going to get you far, son.”
Dupree threw his hands up and walked off without looking back. I heard him mutter something under his breath, but I couldn’t hear what it was. I also couldn’t figure out why Congressman Riley and Harley were here too. Nothing made sense. Sam had mentioned something about them trying to find common ground, but from the way Dupree was flying up the side of the cinder cone I doubted that would be successful. Again, I wondered why Professor LeAnna was so passive when it came to Harley and his arguments with the Forest Service team.
“Shall we head up?” Professor LeAnna said, pointing to the road. Dupree was already a hundred yards ahead. I longed for the cold cave floor. The morning sun felt blistering on my back. How far up the ancient volcano were we climbing again? I knew that the summit was at nine hundred feet but hadn’t paid attention to our starting elevation.
We started forward. A chipmunk with huge cheeks and a striped head jumped in front of me. I tripped trying to avoid it and nearly landed on my face.
Harley reached down with a leathered hand and scooped me up. “Don’t you change your stride for that thing. It’s like with deer. Don’t swerve and crash trying to avoid a deer. Hit the damn deer.”
“Thanks, I’ll remember that.” I brushed off my hands and wondered what Gam would think of Harley’s sentiment. She would definitely risk crashing to avoid hitting a deer or chipmunk. We continued on up around the first bend in the gorgeous red road. It seemed as if we were traversing at least a hundred feet with each shift of the switchback.
My breath came in shallow pants. Sweat dripped from my neck, and my cheeks raged with heat. I fell to the back of the pack to try to maintain my composure and not collapse. The only pro about bringing up the rear was that it gave me a chance to watch everyone interact.
Professor LeAnna and Harley were hiking in long, parallel strides. They were too far ahead for me to make out what they were saying, but they appeared to be deep in conversation. They looked an odd pair—Harley in worn jeans, a cowboy hat, and boots and Professor LeAnna in her hiking shorts, dig vest, and sun hat. What could they be talking about? I was becoming more convinced that Professor LeAnna was lying about something. Could her research be a front for something else? Why was her trowel missing? I wondered if Detective Summer knew about that. When I got back to the hotel I would have to call and tell him.
Congressman Riley was trying to keep pace with Dupree to no avail. They looked equally out of place. Dupree was practically running up the trail in his ranger uniform, and Riley was making a valiant effort at keeping stride. It helped that he was so tall, but every time the congressman got within an arm’s reach of Dupree, Dupree would pick up his pace. I wondered why Congressman Riley could possibly want to hike with Dupree and why Dupree was obviously avoiding him.
My short legs couldn’t move fast enough. For every three steps that I took everyone else only took one. It was impossible not to feel discouraged as the pack and I moved farther and farther apart.
Sam hung back to wait for me. “How are you doing?”
“Okay,” I managed to choke out between gasps for breath.
“Why don’t we slow down and take a little break?” Sam suggested.
“But we’re already way behind.”
“Who cares?” He stopped and unzipped his backpack. After offering me a bottle of water, he took another one from his pack and cracked it open. “You should drink something. You’re looking kind of red.”
“That always happens,” I assured him as I took the water and gulped it down. The arid high desert had made my throat dry. Drinking almost made it worse. I dumped half the bottle on my neck and finished the rest. Why hadn’t I thought to bring my camelback so I had a constant water supply? Red dust coated my legs and covered my cute pink kicks. We weren’t even to the halfway point. I considered telling Sam to go on without me, but my pride forced me onward. I could tell that he was intentionally slowing his pace, which I appreciated. However, talking while hiking wasn’t an option; I struggled to catch my breath.
I decided to ask him about their research in hopes of turning his attention away from my gasping and wheezing. “How long has Professor LeAnna run the High Desert Research Center?” I managed to gasp out.
“For ove
r ten years. She lives and breathes it. It’s her whole life.”
“That’s dedication.”
“Or serious work addiction. It’s no big deal for me because I don’t really have a life either, but some of the other graduate teaching fellows have families and kids. Professor LeAnna expects them to work around the clock no matter what.”
“She must really care about her research,” I huffed.
“Yeah. I think she’s pretty worried about funding now too.”
“Why, I thought the program was federally funded?”
“Not if Congressman Riley has anything to do with it.”
“What?” This was major news.
“He’s trying to free up taxpayer dollars—at least that’s the line he’s given Professor LeAnna. She’s been traveling overseas for the last few months trying to drum up new funding.”
“Really?” Could there be any correlation between Professor LeAnna’s search for funding and Kira’s death?
Sam continued, and he didn’t sound the least bit winded as we kept trudging up the steep incline. “She’s worried that we might have to halt our research just when we’re about to go public with our findings.”
“Findings?”
“Yeah, did you get the report that Professor LeAnna had me write up?”
“No.” I paused and tried to slow my breathing.
“You should be getting a copy. I assumed you got one at the lab the other night. Remind me when we get back and I’ll grab you one.”
“Cool.” I inhaled through my nose and willed my heartbeat to calm down. “What’s the gist?”
“It’s pretty awesome stuff, at least in the world of rocks. We geek out over geology, but most people don’t give the ground they’re walking on a second thought.”
I thought of Gam again. She always stopped to admire and collect rocks when we went for walks. She was a master at living in the moment. Something I still needed to work on. I wished I had brought the eye agate that Gam had given me. I could use a protective stone about now.
Gam had taught me to feel the stone’s “connection” when I was young. At first I thought it was just another one of Gam’s quirky practices when she had me pick a gemstone from a bowl on her coffee table. She kept a collection of the colorful stones in that hand-thrown earthenware bowl. They reminded me of dyed Easter eggs. The bowl was always filled to the brim with sea salt. “The salt cleanses the crystals, Margaret,” she said when I asked her about it. “You can also recharge them by placing them in the sun or even letting the rain wash over them. Go ahead, pick one.”
I opted for a smooth, white opaque stone. It felt cool in my hand.
“Excellent choice, that’s white opal,” Gam said with a knowing smile. “Now, shall we see if we can have a little adventure with the stone?”
I nodded enthusiastically. Gam’s adventures, as she called them, were always eventful.
“Now, close your eyes and wrap both your hands around the stone. I’ll go up and call energy into the room, and you can simply relax and observe if anything happens.”
Gam proceeded to close her eyes. I watched as her head began to sway slightly and a serene look transformed her face. Then I remembered my task and clutched the stone and closed my eyes. At first nothing happened. The room felt thick with calm, but I always felt that way around Gam. I waited, feeling the cold opal in my hands, wondering what sort of “adventure” I could have with a stone.
My mind wandered a bit while I waited for something to happen. I was about to give up when all of a sudden I felt a slight pulse in my hand. I closed my eyes tighter and squeezed the stone harder. Sure enough I could feel it beat in my hand. Or was that my heartbeat?
“I think I feel it!” I shouted to Gam, opening my eyes and waiting for her reaction.
She held up one finger and kept her eyes closed. Nodding to no one I could see, she brought her hands together in a prayer position and then slowly opened her eyes. “Good on you! Tell me, what did you feel?”
“It pulsed in my hand. I felt it beating.”
“Yes!” Gam clapped her fingers. “That’s it. The stone is showing you your heart connection. Whenever you feel the need to ground or calm yourself, all you need to do is hold a stone and ask it to show you its heart connection.”
I clutched the stone even harder. Gam laughed. “You don’t need to squeeze the stone.” She pried my fingers loose. “Cradle it, like this.”
Following her lead I tried again and the pulsing beat continued. I couldn’t believe it. She had me try with a variety of stones and crystals, and each time I could feel the vibration in my hands. Not long after Gam and my adventure with the gemstones, Mother came to pick me up. “Put those silly rocks back, Mary Margaret. You’re not taking those home.”
I didn’t take them home, but I did continue to practice connecting with stones whenever I had a chance.
Back on the trail, I shook myself free from the memory and vowed to bring the eye agate everywhere with me for the duration of my time in Bend.
“This time I think the general public is going to geek out with us,” Sam said. “We’ve been studying microbes frozen in the ice. The conditions in the lava cave are similar to Mars. We’ve discovered a variety of minerals that have bacteria from hundreds of thousands of years ago. Professor LeAnna’s report is going to be published next month in the Journal of Science with our research. She’s proven that, based on the cave conditions, life—in bacteria form—could have and most likely did exist on Mars. Being published in scientific journals is paramount to her career. I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying, ‘publish or perish’?”
I nodded.
“She’s been publishing her research for years, but this time because it directly ties in to the viability of life on another planet. She’s going to see her work on every major news site in the next few weeks. Hopefully the timing of getting press coverage will help rally public support to keep funding our research.”
“That is really cool. Do you think that could be why she wanted you to take the samples?”
Sam shook his head. “Honestly, I’m as baffled as you. There’s no reason to take extra samples from a research perspective.”
There had to be a connection. Could Professor LeAnna be trying to sell her research to someone else? If she was worried about her funding being cut, maybe she’d decided to go underground. I wasn’t sure, but I knew that something was amiss.
I dropped the subject of the stolen rock samples and asked Sam a thousand questions about his thoughts on the probability of life on other planets. Space science had always fascinated me, and I wanted to keep him talking so that all I had to do was put one foot in front of the other. The red lava rock was crawling with the biggest caterpillars I’d ever seen. They snaked their way across the road by the thousands. There were remnants of the smashed bugs everywhere.
“What are these?” I asked Sam between gasps for breath.
“Pandora moth caterpillars,” he said, stopping to pick up one of the furry insects. It inched up his arm. “The road gets so slick with dead ones in the spring that it’s like driving on ice.”
“Gross.” I stuck out my tongue.
“Nature,” Sam bantered back.
This launched him into an explanation about the moth’s life cycle, followed by how what was happening aboveground connected to the work they were doing underground. Sam was extremely animated as he explained the nuances of microbes and his theory on why he was certain that the Universe was bursting with life.
When we finally made it to the summit I wanted to collapse on the hot rocks. My cheeks were on fire, my throat felt like sandpaper, and my chest burned. The only glimmer of positivity was the view. From this vantage point, I could actually see how the lava had flowed eons ago. Obsidian stretched for miles in shiny, solid rivers. Where the flow stopped a wall of trees rose from the ground. An army of pine trees continued out as far as my eyes could see. To my left sat the majestic Mt. Bachelor, and the mountains known a
s the Three Sisters flanked the forest in the distance.
I took out my camera and started clicking as many pictures as I could. My phone let me stitch a panorama shot together. That was going to be our new banner image for our social media profiles.
A fire lookout station was open for tours. I wandered inside to take a few more shots and read up on some of the region’s most deadly forest fires. Central Oregon was constantly plagued by widespread forest fires in the summer. The ranger inside pointed out two of the most recent burns. Massive sections of the forest had become blackened ghost lands.
I was about to ask him if the lookout station was still relevant or if (like all other news) forest fires broke on Twitter and other social media outlets before they were spotted by rangers, but Dupree wandered in.
“How’s it going, man?” Dupree embraced the ranger in a bro hug, as Matt would say.
The ranger started to reply, but Harley stomped inside and both Dupree and his ranger buddy flinched.
“You’re not supposed to be up here.” The ranger pointed to the door. “Get moving.”
Harley tipped his cowboy hat. “Boys, this is public land. I can be anywhere I want to be.”
“Not according to my paperwork.” The ranger walked over to the counter and yanked out a piece of paper. The memo, written in a curvy read:
DO NOT ALLOW HARLEY COLTRANE ON THE PREMISES UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.—KIRA
Kira had banned Harley? The note didn’t look official, and I had to agree with Harley. It wasn’t as if Kira had the authority to bar him from coming onto public property. Or did she? I wondered who I could ask to find out.
Harley repositioned his hat and stepped back. “No need to get yourselves worked up there, boys. I was leaving anyway. Wanted to take a peek at my new grazing grounds. Have a nice day.” He gave them a nasty smile and left.
“Grazing grounds?” I asked.
Dupree’s laid-back, adventurous vibe shifted as he replied. “He’s insane. For some reason he seems to think that if Riley can pull off this ridiculous stunt to open up this land that he’ll be able to use this lookout as a base camp for his herd. There’s no way we’re going to let that happen, right?” He turned to his fellow ranger, and they fist pumped.
In Cave Danger Page 11