Dangerous Minds

by Janet Evanovich

  “Have you eaten?” she asked him.

  “Breakfast buffet. I recommend it. Fast and healthy if you make the right choices.”

  Riley looked over at the buffet. It looked amazing, and she was sure she would make all the wrong choices. Bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausage, Danish pastries.

  She signaled the waitress. “Coffee, fresh fruit, and two eggs scrambled.” She turned to Emerson. “So what’s the plan for today?”

  “You and I are going to park headquarters in Mammoth Hot Springs. I want to talk with the Center for Resources and find out more about the mantle plume underneath the park. Then I want to talk to Visitor Protection and get a sense of where Search and Rescue looked for the missing hikers.”

  Vernon waved from the entrance to the dining room and joined them.

  “Did you see that buffet?” Vernon said. “I’m gonna eat everything there. Maybe not the smoked salmon and fish eggs, but everything else.”

  Beth, the tour guide, walked into the room. Vernon waved at her, and she made her way to the table.

  “We spent some time together last night, if you know what I mean,” Vernon said. “And I invited her to breakfast. I hope that’s okay. It’s her day off, and she said she’d show me and Little Buddy the sights.”

  Beth was out of uniform, but still in tour guide mode. She greeted everyone with a smile and asked if Riley and Emerson were enjoying their breakfast. And were their accommodations satisfactory?

  Riley and Emerson assured her they were indeed satisfactory.

  “And what are your plans for the day?” Beth asked.

  “Riley and I are going to Mammoth,” Emerson said. “I’d like to talk to someone about the newlyweds that disappeared.”

  “That was a terrible tragedy,” Beth said. “They were a really nice couple.”

  Emerson sat a little straighter in his chair. “Did you know them?”

  “Not really. They’d hike the backcountry for a week, then show up at the inn and stay for a couple nights, then go off on another weeklong adventure. They were ski instructors, so they weren’t working. They planned to spend the entire summer at Yellowstone as a kind of honeymoon. I spoke to them from time to time.”

  “Do you know where they went last, just before they were reported missing?” Emerson asked.

  “No, but I think they always told the hotel concierge where they were headed before they’d leave for the backcountry. You know, for safety’s sake or just in case family wanted to reach them. It was the concierge who alerted the Park Police when the man and woman didn’t return to the inn on time.”

  Beth pointed at a man kneeling beside a table on the other side of the dining room, drawing on a map with a red pen. “The concierge is actually right over there, helping that family, probably with driving directions. I’ll tell him to stop by after he’s done.”

  “Isn’t she the best?” Vernon said. “She knows everything about everything. And you want directions you don’t have to ask that concierge, because Beth can give directions.”

  Beth rolled her eyes and gave Vernon a punch in the arm. They went off to the breakfast bar, and Beth stopped on the way to talk to the concierge.

  Riley was halfway through her eggs when the concierge walked across the room to talk with them.

  “I hear you guys need some directions to Mammoth Hot Springs,” the man said.

  “Actually we’re looking for information on the newlywed couple who went missing a month ago,” Emerson said. “We heard that you were the one who reported them missing.”

  The concierge hesitated. “Are you friends of theirs? I was kind of told not to talk to anyone except the Park Police about it since it’s still officially an open investigation.”

  “It’s still an open investigation? I thought Search and Rescue stopped looking for them a week or two ago,” Riley said.

  The concierge nodded his head. “True. I guess it’s not a state secret. They wanted to spend a month hiking some of the most off-the-beaten-path backcountry areas in the park. They were interested in the Pitchstone Plateau, the Lamar Valley, and the Gallatin Range. They disappeared in Lamar Valley, hiking from the Northeast Entrance down to Fishing Bridge at Yellowstone Lake.”

  “Is the Lamar Valley dangerous?” Riley asked.

  “The entire park is dangerous, but Lamar Valley is especially wild. Lots of predators, like grizzlies and wolves. There are some hazardous thermal features as you get closer to Yellowstone Lake. Unless you’re experienced, I wouldn’t recommend hiking there without a guide. And even with a guide you would need to apply for a backcountry permit from one of the ranger stations or visitor centers. Plus, some areas of the park are restricted access. It’s mostly for visitors’ safety so that the rangers know where to look if they get lost.”

  Emerson nodded. “Did the lost hikers have a permit? And what kinds of areas are restricted?”

  “There are lots of different areas,” the concierge said. “Most of them are bear management areas with high densities of dangerous grizzlies. Others have ecologically sensitive hot springs and mud pots. There are also some that are used as dumping grounds for bison and other animal carcasses. And yes, I believe they had a permit.”

  “Where would we obtain backcountry permits?” Emerson asked.

  “If you’re going to Mammoth Hot Springs, you can get them at the Mammoth Visitor Center.” He shook Emerson’s and Riley’s hands. “I need to move on. Hope you folks have a good day.”

  —

  The concierge’s words ran through Riley’s head. Have a good day. She supposed there were all kinds of good days. Some would undoubtedly be better than others. This good day she wasn’t so sure about.

  She was at the wheel of the rental car, chauffeuring Emerson to Mammoth. He had spent the morning reviewing maps and geology articles, but they were finally on the road. The ninety-mile drive around Yellowstone Lake and past the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was breathtaking.

  The hot springs themselves were an otherworldly outcropping of terraced crystallized calcium tinted in unnatural shades of red, orange, and green. Geothermally heated water flowed from the top of the terrace down to Boiling River.

  Fort Yellowstone came into view just past the Hot Springs. Constructed in 1891 by the U.S. Army, it originally contained sixty structures, some made of wood and some of sandstone, that included barracks, a jail, a chapel, and a hospital. Today, thirty-five buildings survived, mostly used as administrative offices and personal residences for park staff.

  Riley parked near a one-story wooden building with a red roof. The sign out front read YELLOWSTONE CENTER FOR RESOURCES.

  “What’s the plan?” she asked Emerson.

  “I want to talk with somebody from the Physical Resources and Climate Science Branch. They’re responsible for monitoring the Yellowstone Caldera.”

  The inside of the small building housing the Physical Resources and Climate Science Branch was set up very simply as a central reception room with three cluttered offices off to the sides. No one was in the reception area.

  “Hello,” Emerson called out. “Is anyone here?”

  A ponytailed college-aged guy dressed in jeans, hiking boots, and a flannel shirt poked his head out of one of the offices. “Can I help you?”

  “I’m Emerson Knight, and this is Riley Moon. We were hoping to talk with one of the scientists about the volcanic activity underneath the park.”

  “Sorry, there’s usually just a skeleton crew manning the offices. Everyone spends most of their time out in the field. I’m Dan. I started working here last month, so I’m sort of low man on the totem pole.”

  “Perhaps you can answer some of our questions,” Emerson said.

  “I can try. I’m a grad student working on my PhD in geology, so I know the basics of the area.”

  Emerson pulled a map of Yellowstone from his knapsack. “There’s a giant blob of magma buried underneath the park. Do you know the boundaries?”

  Dan took the map and spread it
out on the table. “It’s roughly the same as the Yellowstone Caldera.” He got out a red pen and started drawing a rough circle on the map. “The caldera extends pretty much from the western boundary of the park to the eastern side of Lake Yellowstone. Shoshone Lake is on the south side, and on the north, it’s the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The Gallatin wilderness sits to the northeast of the caldera. Old Faithful is more or less in the center of the circle.”

  Emerson frowned at the map. The area delineated in red was a huge circle with a diameter of at least forty miles. “We still need to narrow this down by quite a lot. Is there anything of value in the area?”

  Dan looked surprised. “Of monetary value? No. However, from a scientific perspective, it’s unique. Really one of a kind.”

  “Are there any research programs or studies being conducted on the caldera right now?” Emerson asked.

  “Tons of them. It’s technically an active super-volcano, so the NPS monitors it very closely for any changes.”

  “How about in the Lamar Valley?” Riley asked.

  “Most of the more exciting research is in the Lamar Valley. The lava reservoir is shallow there. Ten to fifteen miles beneath the surface of the earth. So it’s easier to study. The shallowest spot is at Sour Creek Dome. The reservoir is probably less than a mile deep at that point.”

  Emerson and Riley looked more closely at the map at the area around Sour Creek Dome. It was in a remote area of the park midway between the canyon and Fishing Bridge, with no nearby roads.

  Riley looked at Emerson. “That’s smack in the middle of the path joining the North Entrance to Yellowstone Lake, where the newlyweds had told the concierge they wanted to hike.”

  Emerson nodded. “It looks like it would be at least a day or two hike through the wilderness to reach Sour Creek Dome.”

  “Yeah. It’s pretty rough terrain,” Dan said. “But you can’t go there. It’s a restricted bear management area. In fact, it’s one of the most active spots for grizzlies in the park.”

  “Are they dangerous?” Riley asked.

  Dan laughed. “Only if you consider a highly territorial, ten-foot-tall, eight-hundred-pound monster with four-inch claws and a bad attitude to be dangerous.”

  Riley and Emerson thanked Dan for his help, left the Center for Resources, and walked to the Albright Visitor Center. In 1909, the large two-story gray stone building had served as bachelors’ quarters for the U.S. Army cavalry officers. It had been renovated over the years and now contained a bookstore, wildlife and historical park exhibits, and various offices.

  Riley followed Emerson to the Mammoth Backcountry Office on the first floor.

  “We’re interested in doing some hiking in the Lamar Valley,” Emerson told the ranger at the desk. “We were told we could obtain a backcountry permit here.”

  The ranger slid an application form across the desk and handed Emerson a pen. “Absolutely. I just need to get some information first. How many people are in your party and where do you want to hike?”

  “There are four of us, and we would like to hike from the North Entrance to Fishing Bridge.”

  “Whoopsie,” the ranger said. “I can’t issue you a permit for that. You would have to cross through bear country and some dangerous thermal areas. There are a lot of great, safer hikes in the park.”

  “We’re investigating the disappearance of Emma and Joshua Bulfinch, the newlyweds who went missing last month,” Emerson said. “We think they may have disappeared in that area.”

  The ranger shook his head. “Like most of the rangers, I was involved in the search. They didn’t go missing in Lamar Valley. They were in the Gallatin wilderness on the other side of the park.”

  “Interesting,” Emerson said. “We believe they intended to hike through Sour Creek Dome to Yellowstone Lake.”

  The ranger went to his computer. “All the permits are scanned and entered into our database.” He typed “Joshua Bulfinch” into the search engine and turned the computer screen to Emerson and Riley. “You see. They applied to hike in Gallatin. There’s even a notation in the file that they checked in with the ranger station in that area before they began their hike.”

  “So no one searched for them near Sour Creek Dome?” Riley asked.

  “No. The search focused on where they were last reported seen.”

  “Who reported that they saw them in Gallatin?”

  “The ranger’s name isn’t noted on the permit. You’d probably have to ask the deputy chief ranger in charge of field operations. He’s responsible for all the law enforcement and search missions in the park.”

  “Is he available now?” Emerson said.

  “I’ll go see. Can I tell him who’s asking?”

  “Emerson Knight.”

  The ranger disappeared through a door that read AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

  “Do you think it’s a little weird that they didn’t bother to search Lamar Valley when the hotel concierge reported that was where they wanted to hike?” Riley asked once they were alone.

  “Not at all,” Emerson said. “It’s perfectly logical that they would search fifty miles away, clear on the other side of the park. They didn’t want the newlyweds found, probably because the people responsible for searching for them are the same people responsible for their disappearance.”

  TWELVE

  Two stocky men dressed in green pants, gray shirts, and campaign hats walked through the AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY door and approached Emerson and Riley.

  Riley glanced at their hands and saw that both men had the crossed sabers tattoo. She was sure Emerson saw it as well.

  “I’m Bob Smith,” one of the men said. “My partner is Jim Jones. If you’ll come with us we’ll take you to the deputy chief.”

  Bob had a large ragged scar that ran from the corner of his mouth to his left ear. Riley thought he was the better looking of the two.

  Bob led the way down a narrow corridor and motioned Riley and Emerson into an office at the very end. A tall man with a gaunt face and a sinewy body was standing in front of a desk. He was wearing a park ranger uniform and he had the requisite tattoo. The nameplate on the desk identified him as Francis Scully, deputy chief ranger. Tin Man was standing next to him.

  “What a pleasant surprise,” Emerson said to Tin Man. “Did you bring your hatchet?”

  The tall man stepped forward and smiled at Emerson and Riley. Friendly. “I need to ask you some questions. Would that be okay?”

  Emerson smiled back. “Oscar Wilde said it’s never the question that’s indiscreet, only the answers.”

  Scully dropped the smile. “Just so. Let’s just say that we’re all going to be able to part as friends so long as there aren’t any indiscreet answers.”

  “And if there are?” Emerson asked.

  Scully gestured to Tin Man. “Then I leave the room, and he asks the questions.”

  Riley raised her hand. “Um. Yeah. I’m kind of against this plan. Discretion’s not really his thing.”

  Emerson nodded in agreement. “That’s true. This is a lot of pressure. Could I possibly be allowed just one indiscreet answer?”

  Scully shook his head. “I’m afraid not. It’s a matter of national security. I’m sure you understand. Why are you so interested in finding Joshua and Emma Bulfinch?”

  “I’m not,” Emerson said. “At this point, I’m presuming they’re dead.”

  Scully smiled. “A very good response.”

  Emerson gave Riley the thumbs-up and mouthed “Nailed it” before turning back to Scully. “I’m much more interested in why you purposefully misdirected the search to the Gallatin wilderness, all the way on the other side of the park from where they disappeared.”

  Riley smacked her forehead.

  “The only plausible answer is that you did not want a search party poking around Sour Creek Dome,” Emerson said.

  “It’s a bear management area,” Scully said. “It’s filled with grizzlies.”

  “It’s also the are
a where the volcano bubbling underneath the park is most active.”

  “Another reason why it’s a restricted area.”

  “How convenient,” Emerson said.

  Tin Man leaned forward. “Still peddling your crazy conspiracy theory that people are being murdered at national parks?”

  “Not all national parks,” Emerson said. “Just the ones built over mantle plume volcanoes, like Yellowstone.”

  “One final question,” Scully said. “If you’re no longer interested in the missing hikers, what do you want?”

  “I want to know who or what you’re hiding at Sour Creek Dome.”

  “That is a horribly indiscreet answer,” Scully said. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to turn the whole matter over to my associate. Final requests?”

  “I’d like an explanation,” Emerson said.

  Scully went silent for a beat before nodding agreement. “It’s a secret that the U.S. government has gone to great lengths to protect. The National Park Service was created over a century ago. The public mission was conservation of America’s most beautiful, unique lands, but that was a smoke screen.”

  “For what?” Riley asked.

  “To hide a secret within millions of acres of wilderness, protected in perpetuity from development or private ownership. Originally, back in the nineteenth century, the U.S. Army was put in charge of Yellowstone, but it was only a temporary solution. A military installation the size of a small country would have aroused too much attention. So, the idea of hiding it in plain sight under the guise of a national park was formed.”

  Riley looked at Emerson. “A needle hidden in a million-acre haystack.”

  “An apt analogy,” Scully said. “In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt secretly authorized the creation of an elite network of rangers responsible for protecting the ‘needle,’ at any cost.”

  “Rough Riders,” Emerson said.

  Scully again nodded in agreement. “The army has its Green Berets. The navy has its SEALs. I suppose you could say the National Park Service has its Rough Riders.”