Silt, Denver Cereal Volume 8

by Claudia Hall Christian

  “What?” Sam asked.

  “Right down the center,” Jacob said.

  “And you know this because of your vision?” Aden asked.

  “The vision?” Jacob nodded. “Sure, but it’s also on some geological maps the oil guys gave Jeraine.”

  “It’s not on the maps the state gave us,” Aden said.

  “Why does it matter?” Sam asked. “There are lots of minor faults. When was the last time we had an earthquake here?”

  “When they pushed nuclear waste into the ground at Rocky Mountain Arsenal?” Jacob nodded.

  “They stopped doing that,” Sam said. “Wait . . . Weren’t they using pressurized towers?”

  Jacob nodded.

  “Oh crap,” Sam said.

  “What does that mean?” Aden asked.

  “Fracking,” Jacob said. “Bumpy owns some family land out at Dearfield. It’s on the Niobrara shale field. They are fracking along the fault lines.”

  “That’s not good,” Aden said.

  “The weird thing is that the map Jeraine had showed a projection of the project north and east of where we’re building,” Jacob said. “You know, near that land I had to have.”

  “Which land?” Sam asked.

  “The one with the three gorgeous hand crafted houses?” Jacob asked.

  Sam groaned.

  “Maybe they couldn’t buy the land,” Aden said.

  “He owns the land,” Sam said.

  “They never asked,” Jacob said.

  “If we say we need to move it, it’s going to look like Jacob is trying to bilk the state,” Sam said. “If we leave the project . . .”

  “People will die,” Jacob said. “Plus, there’s the matter of the employee owners.”

  “What about them?” Aden asked.

  “We’d have to include them in the decision,” Jacob said. “We can’t just walk away from the project like we would have a year ago. Now we have to put it to a vote.”

  “They’ve voted for everything we’ve put forward,” Sam said.

  “Yeah but . . .” Jacob looked at Aden.

  “There’s a faction of people who don’t love the fact that any employee can buy shares,” Aden said.

  “The folks who tried to vote you out as CEO,” Sam said.

  “Yes, them,” Aden said.

  “You think they’ll make a fuss?” Sam asked.

  “I just . . .” Jacob shrugged. “I can’t shake the feeling we’re being set up. I asked Rodney and Bambi to take a look at it but . . .”

  “They think something’s fishy too.” Aden nodded.

  “So do those kids Rodney got to help out,” Sam said. “They think we’re being punked. No, that’s not it. They think we’re being set up like punks. No . . . It was something about punks and it was not a very nice thing to happen.”

  “No, it’s not,” Jacob said.

  “Why do you think the project moved?” Aden asked.

  “No one asked me to buy the land,” Jacob shook his head.

  “There wasn’t an underground fault zone on the maps we approved,” Aden said. “I spent two days with the geologist going over that land.”

  “Digital maps?” Jacob asked.

  Aden nodded.

  “Jeraine has a paper map,” Jacob said.

  “It was changed?” Aden asked.

  Jacob nodded.

  “I bet I know how,” Sam said.

  Jacob and Aden turned to look at Sam.

  “You remember the woman who was your secretary when Blane was out?” Sam asked.

  “Unfortunately, yes,” Jacob said.

  “She’s a clerk in the geology division,” Sam said.

  “But changing a map?” Jacob asked. “They use those fissures now to increase the yields. That means that they put pressure directly into the faults and . . .”

  “She seems to have a persuasive charm,” Sam said.

  Jacob groaned.

  “What?” Aden asked.

  “The Director,” Jacob said. “The one she was seeing?”

  “What about him?” Sam asked.

  “His son works for the state,” Jacob said. “He’s a geologist.”

  Sam looked from Aden to Jacob.

  “Don’t worry,” Sam said. “We’ll work this out.”

  “I can’t shake the feeling that it’s going to be a complete mess,” Jacob said.

  “I like messes; so do you,” Sam said. “Plus, think of it this way. If we lose everything, we’ll have to couch surf for a while.”

  “I’m already doing that,” Aden said.

  “Me too,” Sam said.

  “We’ll all have to live with Delphie?” Jacob smiled at his father.

  “That would be awful,” Sam laughed at his joke.

  When their laughter died down, Sam became very serious.

  “People will die?” Sam asked Jacob.

  “A lot of people,” Jacob said.

  “Then we’re pulling out,” Sam said. “I don’t care if we use every penny we have to do it. I will not continue knowing our folks will be injured or killed. That’s just not the way I do business.”

  Startled by Sam’s sudden intensity, Aden and Jacob turned to face him.

  “I hate the selfish. Always have, always will.” Sam raised his hand to the sky. “Sorry Celia. I said the word ‘hate’ and I mean it. I hate people who think only of themselves. They’re so competitive they don’t care what they do to other people as long as they win at whatever dumb game only they know they’re playing.”

  Jacob nodded.

  “Are you with me?” Sam asked.

  “I am,” Jacob said.

  “Whatever I can do,” Aden said.

  “Then we start tomorrow,” Sam said. “One employee at a time.”

  “I’ll get the map from Jeraine,” Jacob said.

  “I’ll call a site manager’s meeting for tomorrow,” Aden said. “After the sites are up?”

  “Before,” Sam said. “We’ll start late.”

  Aden touched Sam’s arm and left to go make the calls.

  “Are you all right, Dad?” Jacob asked.

  “No, I’m not,” Sam said. “Those bastards said they would ruin us and now . . . We’ve invited all these good, hardworking people to have a little financial freedom. How hard is that? But these jerks . . .”

  “Don’t think about it, Dad,” Jacob said.

  Sam looked at Jacob for a long moment before nodding.

  “Mr. Sam?” Ivy asked. “I didn’t mean to interrupt but I wonder if . . . Well, Delphie told me you knew her when she was little and I wondered . . .”

  Seeing the child’s face, Sam immediately brightened.

  “I sure did,” Sam said. “In fact, I bet I have some photos.”

  “They’re in your room,” Jacob said. “Second shelf from the top.”

  “Wow,” Ivy beamed. “Do you ever get used to the psychics?”

  “He put them there,” Sam laughed.

  “We moved Dad out for a while to do some repairs on his room,” Jacob said. “We just moved him back.”

  “And no, I’ve never gotten used to it,” Sam said.

  “Why don’t I get the photos and you guys can talk?” Jacob asked.

  He went into the house. Aden was talking on the phone in the kitchen. Jacob took in Aden’s worried face. He nodded to Aden before going into his father’s room.

  This birch room had been the first room he’d discovered in this castle of a house, and it was the room his mother had died in. It had a wonderful, loving energy. For a moment, he closed his eyes and tried to let the room work on his anxiety.

  “It’s going to be fine,” he heard his mother’s voice in his head. “Trust people.”

  He picked up the photos and left the room.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Wednesday afternoon—2:47 p.m.

  Yesterday, Charlie had felt like a hero. He’d gone to the police station, dealt with probation, even hung out with his cool lawyer.

  T
oday, he felt like a scared kid.

  Wondering if he could really pull this off, he sat on the steps near the side door to the Castle. Mike came around the corner with Jacob’s Labrador and Jill’s childhood dog. In the last month or so, Mike had been training heavy. His sheer bulk took up much of the small room. Charlie had asked him why he was working out so much. He’d just said that Charlie would figure it out when his wife was nine months pregnant. Charlie had no idea what that meant, but he liked that Mike talked to him like a grown up. Charlie looked up at him.

  “I can go with you,” Mike said.

  “I’m supposed to go by myself,” Charlie said.

  “You really doing a great thing, an important thing . . .” Mike stopped talking when Charlie sneered. “Yeah, I hate that crap too. You’re doing what you have to do.”

  Charlie nodded.

  “I have to walk the dogs.” Mike gestured to the yellow Labrador and the muttish Scooter. “Jill can’t walk Scooter anymore and Sarah loves being with her old friend.”

  “What about Buster?”

  “I figured you wouldn’t be caught dead with that ugly dog,” Mike grinned.

  “Hey!” Charlie jumped up from the stair. “That’s my dog you’re talking about.”

  “I thought he was Noelle’s dog,” Mike said.

  “Noelle can’t do this.” Charlie whistled and Buster scrambled around the corner to him. Charlie leaned over to pet him.

  “How ‘bout we walk to the dog park together?” Mike asked. “It’s a block from the school. I’ll stay there with the dogs and you can meet me after practice.”

  “Yeah, that would be okay,” Charlie said.

  “Thanks for doing me this favor, man,” Mike said. “I really appreciate it.”

  Charlie smirked at Mike’s sarcastic comment. He took a leash from the rack near the door. Mike pointed to the stack of bags and Charlie grabbed a few bags. Mike opened the door and the dogs jettisoned out to the patch of lawn. Charlie followed the dogs and Mike locked the door. Charlie picked up after Buster and then put the leash on the dog.

  They crossed the street to avoid the paparazzi and turned right on Sixteenth Avenue. One of the things Charlie liked about Mike was that he didn’t believe in unnecessary chatter. They walked along in easy silence. They dodged traffic across York Street and stopped at the light on Josephine. As they set out across Josephine, Charlie remembered why he was so anxious.

  Each step brought him closer to the guys who had raped and almost killed Tink. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other guy who was in online high school whiz by on his bike.

  Mike stopped at the dog park and turned to Charlie. He held out his hand for Buster’s lead. With a nod, Charlie handed over the leash and set out to walk the long block to school. He jogged across the Esplanade and plunged into the dark school. Stepping into the gym, he saw his probation officer waiting for him.

  “You’re late,” she sneered. The probation officer held up a plastic jar for him to pee in.

  The only thing Charlie could think of to say was “It begins,” so he kept his mouth shut.

  Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Three

  Problem

  Wednesday evening—5:45 p.m.

  “And don’t be late,” the coach pointed to Charlie. “I don’t give a crap if you’re peeing in a jar or standing on your head. You’re here on time or you don’t play.”

  “Yes Coach,” Charlie said.

  “Now get out of here,” the coach said.

  Charlie hung his head and slunk out of the gym. The rest of the team had already left practice. He’d had to do extra exercises and drills because he was late. Or that’s what the coach had said. Charlie glanced back at the man and caught a worried look on the coach’s face. He wondered if the guy knew what he was doing. He was about to turn around to ask when the coach grabbed the net full of the balls and left for the locker room.

  Charlie didn’t want to go to the locker room.

  He continued down the hallway to the outside door. Caught up in his own world, he pushed the door open and walked down the steps. He’d already crossed the Esplanade when the other online school guy cut Charlie off with his bike.

  “I don’ want no trouble.” Charlie didn’t bother to look up. He stepped around the bike and kept walking.

  “Hey,” the other guy said.

  Charlie looked up at him.

  “I want to talk to you.” The kid was following Charlie.

  “Grab a number.”

  Charlie’s voice reminded him of Eeyore. When he was first getting sober, Pete used to repeat everything he said in Eeyore’s voice. Charlie smirked and stopped walking.

  “What?” Charlie turned around abruptly and startled the guy.

  “I . . . um . . .” The kid looked a little scared and flustered.

  Charlie scowled and turned around again.

  “My sister killed herself,” the kid said.

  Charlie turned around to look at him.

  “I saw you . . .” the kid said.

  Charlie took two steps toward the boy. All of his frustration, shame, and rage came forward. He was ready to kill the kid.

  “ . . . at the police station.” The boy swallowed hard. “My parents and I. The police . . . um . . . they came to our house and said we had to come see a guy and it was you.”

  Charlie sneered at the kid.

  “I told them . . . I did . . . that you were okay,” the kid said. “A little high strung, but okay.”

  “Why were you there?” Charlie asked.

  “My sister killed herself,” the kid said.

  “What’s that got to do with anything?”

  “She was . . . you know . . . and she . . .” The boy swallowed hard. If Charlie weren’t so mad, he would have felt sorry for him. “Well, you know. She never got over it.”

  “Oh,” Charlie said. “Sorry.”

  “She would have died,” the boy said. “You know, that night. But you found her. That’s what she said, ‘A kid named Pan and his friends found me, gave me a blanket, and . . . He stayed with me, held my hand, until somebody took me to the hospital.’”

  Charlie looked away from the boy. He never would have thought of it, but now that the boy said something, Charlie remembered the boy’s sister.

  “Was that you?” the boy asked.

  Charlie gave him a curt nod.

  “Will you . . . I mean . . . Can you tell me what you know?” the kid asked.

  Charlie’s eyes scanned the boy’s face and body. The boy was caught in the kind of desperate grief that Charlie knew all too well.

  “We don’t know anything.” The boy’s voice came out in an insistent whisper. “Nothing.”

  Charlie watched him struggle with his own memory.

  “You’re all she remembered,” he said. “I mean, except for some of what happened. She would have died wherever that was, but . . . That’s what the doctor said. She had brain damage and was scarred on her face.”

  The boy put his hand to his face.

  “And . . . you know, other places.” The boy put his hand on his belly and legs.

  “My mom was sure she’d get better, but my dad . . . and I . . .”

  The boy looked up at Charlie.

  “I just miss her,” the boy said.

  Not sure what to say, Charlie looked over the kid’s head at the school.

  “I found her,” the boy whispered.

  Charlie’s eyes jerked to the boy’s face.

  “Hanging.” The boy nodded. “I knew she was going to do it. I did. But . . .”

  The boy shrugged.

  “I just miss her,” the boy repeated.

  “Charlie?” Mike’s voice came from behind him.

  The boy jerked with surprise. He grabbed his bike to ride off and then saw Buster. The shock of seeing such an ugly dog made the boy stop.

  “That’s one ugly dog!” the boy laughed.

  Buster nudged the boy’s leg and then nudged him so hard he fell over, bike a
nd all. The boy giggled while Buster wiggled and wagged and licked the boy’s face. Sarah, Jake’s yellow Labrador, wagged over the boy. As if to say, “What can you do with these kids?” Scooter sat down next to Charlie.

  “Okay, okay,” Mike said.

  Mike pulled Buster back from the boy. Charlie got his bike. As soon as the boy sat up, Buster went back to licking his face. Charlie whistled and Buster sat down. The dog had a huge grin on his face. Sarah looked over the boy to make sure he was all right. Just in case the boy might pet her, Sarah sat right under his hand.

  “Are these your dogs?” the boy grinned.

  “This one,” Charlie nodded to Buster.

  “I know you,” the boy said to Mike. “You’re Valerie Lipson’s husband. The artist. My sister loves her. Says she’s so pretty and . . .”

  The boy swallowed hard. He grabbed his bike to ride off.

  “Who’s your friend, Charlie?” Mike slapped the back of Charlie’s head.

  “I don’t know,” Charlie said. “What’s your name?”

  “Tim,” the boy blushed. “Tim Logan.”

  “Nice to meet you, Tim,” Mike said. “I’m Mike Roper. This is Buster. That’s Sarah and this really good dog is Scooter.”

  Scooter looked up at the boy.

  “We were just heading back for dinner,” Mike said. “Would you like to join us?”

  “Sure!” The boy beamed.

  “Do you want to bring your sister?” Mike asked. “It’s not anything fancy, but I know Val would like to meet any friend of Charlie’s.”

  “My sister’s . . . um,” Tim’s face fell. “She . . .”

  “She’s one of the girls,” Charlie said. “She’s not here anymore.”

  “Oh,” Mike said. “I’m really sorry, Tim.”

  “I wanted Charlie to show me where it happened, you know?” Tim looked at Mike. “But he . . .”

  “Charlie?” Mike scowled at Charlie.

  Charlie shrugged.

  “She had this necklace,” Tim said. “She wore it every day and . . . I keep dreaming about it. Like it’s there waiting for me to find it.”

  Charlie looked at Mike.

  “I play here because she thought the guys came from East because she was at a dance at East before . . . And . . . they were tall so I thought they might play basketball and . . . I’m going to find them.” Tim nodded.