by Karis Walsh
Iris clearly hadn’t liked that. She thought her poem was too personal to share, but she was wrong. It had felt personal to Casey, too, and other readers would likely recognize themselves in the words also. Iris had a way with them, whether writing her poem or her cards. She played with words, and they obeyed, creating humor and pathos and empathy in turn. Casey stood by her conviction that Iris should share her gift beyond the greeting cards, but Iris obviously disagreed. Casey would stash her opinion in the same place where she kept her fear of finding Chert’s owners. Iris’s choices were her own to make.
Casey stopped by the toolshed and got a pair of thick gloves and a handsaw. She’d start by clearing the limbs out of the exercise yard. The play area for the dogs had been hardest hit by the quake because of the trees surrounding it, but it was also a low priority for repairs. The large number of incoming animals and the kennels that housed them were higher priorities for Iris, Agatha, and Leo. They were making do for now with the smaller yard behind Iris’s house, but the access to it wasn’t as easy as the exercise area right next to the kennels. Casey knew she could save them time by fixing this area. And then she’d be out of projects.
Casey couldn’t find the wire cutters and she turned toward the eastern end of the kennels where she thought she had heard Leo talking to the dogs. Instead, he was standing directly behind her holding the cutters. She leaped back a foot in surprise and cracked her head on the low doorway of the shed.
“Looking for these?” he asked. Casey was sort of adjusting to his uncanny ability to appear out of nowhere with something she needed, but he still caught her by surprise now and then. It would be creepy if he wasn’t one of the nicest people she had ever met.
She rubbed the back of her head. “Actually, yeah, I was. Thanks, Leo.”
“You’re welcome. I didn’t realize you’d be getting to work this early. You and Iris work too hard.”
Casey didn’t mind the labor, especially since she was trading it for excellent food and a comfortable place to sleep. “Has she had even an hour to herself since the earthquake?” she asked. “Every time I see her, she’s doing something for the shelter or writing.” Not to mention cooking the food Casey kept finding in her freezer.
Leo shook his head. “She drives herself hard. Always has, but it’s been tough this week.” He paused, then added, “Agatha and I will be here all day. If someone were to find a way to get Iris off the property and, oh, out into the woods for a hike or something, Agatha and I would be very appreciative.”
Casey raised her eyebrows. He was obviously talking about her, but she considered playing dumb and ignoring his meaning. She had a lot of respect for Iris and she sought out her company whenever she could, but they had a disturbing habit of rubbing each other the wrong way. Would an entire day with Iris be too abrasive? Or would they get past the initial roughness and discover a new level to their relationship? Casey liked the latter idea, but she had a feeling the first might be more likely. The options weren’t worth debate, though, since Iris had been annoyed with Casey’s purpose for being on the island from the start. She wouldn’t want to spend the day watching Casey work.
“I doubt I could convince her to leave the shelter and go fault hunting,” she said. “I think she’s more interested in the animals than the terrain around here.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Leo said. “Too bad the two of you can’t find a way to compromise. You both need a break. Ah, well, I’ll let you get back to the repairs. Iris brought cinnamon rolls this morning, so help yourself if you need breakfast before you get to work.”
“Did she make them?” Casey had no idea how Iris was able to cook all those meals, take care of about a hundred animals, and still find time to wish everyone a Happy New Year with her cards, but she wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that Iris had added bake cinnamon rolls to her to-do list.
Leo started walking toward the office, and Casey trailed after him, lured forward by the sweet and pungent smell of caramel and spice that grew stronger as she got closer to the source. She felt as if she’d grown a nose here on the island because she hadn’t noticed scents before the way she did now.
“No,” he said, holding the door open for her. “They’re a specialty of one of our local bakeries. The owners just reopened, and Iris wanted to show her support.”
Of course she did. Casey wasn’t surprised at all. “I guess it’s my civic duty to eat one, as a temporary resident of the island.” She took a huge bite, closing her eyes to better savor the pastry. The dough was soft as a marshmallow, and the bottom was glazed with a deep golden syrup of caramelized sugar. Casey licked icing off her fingers and looked up to see Iris watching her from the doorway. Leo was nowhere in sight, having used his ninja skills to vanish from the room.
Iris looked flushed, but she gave Casey her usual bright smile. “Good morning. They’re good rolls, aren’t they?”
“Amazing,” Casey agreed. Faced with Iris in the flesh, she suddenly wanted to take Leo’s advice and spirit her away for the day. Her internal arguments about their incompatibility disappeared from her mind, leaving her with an aching desire just to be closer to her. Nothing about the two of them together made sense to Casey, but she was tired of listening to the logical voice inside her head. Her body was quickly overruling it.
“I’m going to Orcas Island for a few hours today,” Casey said around a mouthful of cinnamon roll. “I’ve finished most of my work on San Juan and I wanted to see a couple of the other islands while I’m in the area since I don’t know when I’ll get back out here. Leo said he’d dog-sit Chert for me.”
She hesitated, wondering why she felt a twinge of something—sadness?—at the thought. She’d probably get back here eventually, if only to work in the lab’s substation, but she didn’t know when or how long she’d stay. She liked the environment more than she’d expected and she’d felt in touch with something inside herself while she’d been here. Memories of her mother, painful and wrenching as they were, seemed more present here. But coming back and staying in a hotel wouldn’t be the same. She wouldn’t have Chert or her work at the shelter. Or Iris.
“Do you want to go with me?” she asked. She could see Iris mentally preparing an excuse, and she countered it before she had a chance to reject the offer. “Leo already said he and Agatha could handle the work here for the day.”
“I don’t know,” Iris said, drawing the words out slowly. “What are you going to do on Orcas?”
“Sightsee. No earthquake studies, so you don’t have to witness me rubbing my hands together and cackling with glee over the damage they cause.”
Iris burst into laughter, as if she couldn’t stop herself. Casey had come to love the times she could make Iris lose control like that.
“I don’t think you’re the wicked witch of seismology. Anymore. But I should…I shouldn’t…Yes, I’ll go with you.”
Casey felt as surprised as Iris looked. “Well, good. I haven’t checked the ferry schedule, but I think they’re running more regularly than they were when I first came here. Should we leave around ten? That’ll give me time to work in the exercise yard.”
She was rambling. She stopped for a breath and shoved the last of her pastry in her mouth to keep herself from talking.
Iris nodded. “Okay. I’ll be ready. I’ll bring lunch and we can have a picnic.”
“Don’t go to any trouble,” Casey said. “I can buy you lunch in one of the villages.”
“Bread and cheese, nothing to it,” Iris said. “Besides, we don’t know what will be open yet. I’ll meet you at the truck at ten.”
Casey licked her fingers clean as she watched Iris hurry out the office door. Was she looking forward to the day, or concerned about it? They’d never spent more than a couple hours together, and they tended to argue toward the end of every conversation.
Casey picked up her tools and went out to the yard. Yes, she was looking forward to the day. Definitely.
Chapter Twelve
Iris checked with Agatha before she went back to her house, to make sure she and Leo would be fine without her. After being told she was completely dispensable for the day and to get off the property before Agatha had Leo drive her off with a pitchfork, Iris turned her attention to packing a picnic lunch.
What the hell was she thinking? True, she hadn’t had time to relax since the earthquake. She’d had some downtime on the ferries as she shuttled animals from other shelters to her own and once to reunite a huge Labrador with his Shaw Island owners, but she couldn’t read a book or take in the scenery when she was holding leashes or crates. She could use a little time to herself to recharge.
Time to herself was the key phrase. Would time with Casey be rejuvenating or stressful?
Iris wanted to cancel, to take a few hours instead to drive around the island alone, but she knew herself too well. If she wasn’t accountable to someone else, she’d just be back here before an hour was up, cleaning water dishes or exercising dogs. Maybe Agatha and Leo were right. She’d be stuck on Orcas with Casey, unable to get back until Casey drove her to the ferry. Forced time off.
Iris got a grocery bag with handles and put whatever she could find in her fridge inside. She’d just keep the conversation off her poetry and on Casey. Or the weather. Or politics. Anything less controversial to her than her poetry.
Still, despite her resolve to keep her writing separate from the day’s outing, she added a blank notebook and pen to the bag. In case she found inspiration for one of her cards. Mother’s Day was coming soon—according to her schedule, not the calendar—and beachy cards always were top sellers.
She realized she was humming to herself as she packed an extra sweater in the bag, and she wondered at her light mood. She supposed it was due to the lessening influx of animals that had gotten loose after the earthquake. She was beginning to see more trickle back to their owners than she was bringing in. Or maybe her mood was improved because the signs of damage were harder to spot now. The island was coming back to life as businesses reopened and families returned. Her own property reflected the awakening of the San Juans, mostly because Casey worked far too many hours cleaning and making repairs. Evidence of the disaster showed in the patchwork chain-link fences and in the huge piles of brush and branches that needed to be burned away, but those scars weren’t interfering with daily life anymore. The island was healing, and Iris was as well.
Because of Casey. No matter how Iris felt about her personally—too attracted, too annoyed, too, too much—she appreciated what Casey had done for her and the shelter. It had been worth a few frozen meals and the use of the bungalow to have her there.
On her way to meet Casey, Iris stopped by the interns’ house to put another dinner in the freezer and check on the gray cat. She was curled in a ball on Casey’s bed, showing no signs of imminent motherhood. Iris had already asked Agatha to check on her during the day, one item in a long list of reminders, and Agatha had just rolled her eyes. Of course she and Leo would check on the cat, and give the dogs fresh water, and make sure the Twins had plenty of treats. Iris didn’t need to leave them with instructions, but she wouldn’t be able to enjoy her day if she hadn’t given them. Best to be prepared.
“Ready to go?” Casey asked when Iris got to the lot. She was sitting in the bed of her truck, dangling her legs like a child.
Iris smiled and held up the bag. “Food and warm clothes. I’m all set.”
Iris opened the passenger door, and a pile of clothes and metal cylinders threatened to fall out. Casey rushed over to help her grab the items.
“Sorry. I’ve been using the truck as an office.” She pushed her stuff into the center of the cab, making room for Iris and her bag.
“What are these things?” Iris asked, picking up one of the gray-encased cylinders and turning it over carefully in her hands. It was heavier than it looked, solid and plain without any sign of an opening.
“Seismometers,” Casey said. She brushed Iris’s hands with her own as she reached over and clicked the case open using an unseen latch. The inside was as intricate as the outside was simple. “They measure shock waves, and the information shows up on a seismograph. These are simplified and portable, and I have them set up along the coast. The UW lab has more sophisticated ones throughout the Northwest.”
Casey started the truck and steered them toward Friday Harbor. Iris kept her attention on the cylinder and wondered if the little machine had measured the tremor that ran through her at Casey’s touch. “But the earthquake happened before you got here. What good have they done since then?”
Casey glanced over at her with a frown. “Maybe I shouldn’t tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“Seismic activity happens all the time. Thousands of times a year. Most of it is too slight for people to notice. I might have missed the mainshock, but I’ve had a chance to witness several significant aftershocks.”
Iris put the seismometer on the bench seat between her and Casey and looked out the window as they drove down the hill to the ferry dock. The town was slowly coming to life again, and she saw fewer closed signs on businesses. Tourists were still noticeably absent, but they would come back again.
Friday Harbor would return to normal, but would Iris? She felt betrayed somehow. Her world was supposed to be stable, but now she realized it was constantly moving and shifting below the surface. What could she count on if she couldn’t even rely on the ground beneath her?
“So, you’ve had a successful trip to the islands? I remember how excited you were when we met on the ferry.”
“And I remember how much you wanted to toss me overboard because of that excitement,” Casey said as she pulled into line at the landing. Their timing was perfect, and a ferry sat at the dock waiting to be loaded with cars and pedestrians. Iris didn’t remember the last time she had been able to drive directly onto a ferry without waiting for at least an hour in line. Traffic both from and to the mainland and surrounding islands was still minimal.
Iris patted the seismometer gently. “Maybe I’ll settle for throwing this into the Sound. Let’s see how the day goes.”
Casey laughed and put the truck in park. They were only five cars from the bow, and Iris saw gray water churning as the ferry’s motor kept it pressed against the dock. They got out and walked up the stairwell and onto the observation deck.
“Have you learned anything new while you’ve been here?” Iris asked once they were leaning on the wooden railing and facing away from Friday Harbor. She had to raise her voice to be heard over the motor as the ferry began its slow push away from the shore. “I promise not to dump you in the sea if you talk about your work.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you about it,” Casey said, wrapping her forearms around the railing in an exaggerated grip. “I’m new at the lab, and I’m pretty sure I was sent here to be tested. The UW has measuring instruments all around Puget Sound. Serious shit that makes the seismometer you saw in the truck look medieval in comparison. The data is relayed to the lab and analyzed by computers and a whole building full of scientists.”
“So, what good…um…?”
“What good am I doing here?”
Iris grinned at Casey’s self-deprecating tone. “I was trying to find a nicer way to ask the question.”
“Yeah, I could tell. Thanks.”
Iris bumped Casey with her shoulder, just hard enough to make her loosen her grip on the railing a little. “So, why did they send you here?”
“Sometimes a pair of human eyes can see more than the most sophisticated instruments in the world,” Casey said, looking toward the approaching Orcas Island. “I guess my boss wants to find out what I’ll observe while I’m here.”
Iris had no doubt Casey’s eyes saw more than most people’s. Sometimes, around the shelter, Iris would turn around and catch Casey watching her with an intensity that seemed to reach to Iris’s core. She was torn between wanting Casey to know and see her even more clearly and wanting to run and hide.
&n
bsp; “And what have your human eyes seen when you’ve gone traipsing through the woods?”
“Well, I’ve found evidence of displacement in quite a few areas, and that can help us map the minor faults on the island. We know where some of them are and we can guess at others using LIDAR mapping and geologic profiles, but I’ve been able to observe changes that likely occurred in response to the initial rupture.”
Casey had seemed reluctant to talk much about her work, probably because she was worried they might have a repeat of the argument from their first ferry ride, but once she got started, her passion took over and she spoke rapidly, gesturing with her hands as she explained low angle thrust faults and wave propagation.
Iris no longer resented Casey for her ability to discuss the earthquake with such obvious fascination. She had seen her around Chert and the other animals enough to recognize Casey’s kind heart and caring nature. The coldness she had presumed when they first met seemed to be more due to self-protection—from what, Iris didn’t know—than uncaring detachment.
Now she followed Casey’s words with a mixture of interest and anxiety. She recognized what comfort someone could have if they understood why the ground shook, and she appreciated Casey’s enthusiasm for her work, but she couldn’t separate her experience during the earthquake from any discussion about the mechanics of it.
“Will any of your observations help you learn how to predict earthquakes?” Iris asked during a pause in Casey’s geology class.
“That’s always the goal,” Casey said. “What I’ve learned here will help us understand rupture propagation a little better.” She turned her back to the railing and leaned her elbows on it, tilting her face toward the sky.