“Yeah,” Melinda added. “I stared at that map Jackson gave you forever, and he’s right, it would take a measuring tape down to the millimeter to know for sure.”
“So, we know nothing more than we did yesterday,” Sawyer stated.
Melinda smiled. “We know the spirits have decided to hover around longer than they used to, and they enjoy a good hike.”
“Out of the mountains,” Logan pointed out. That has to mean something.
“Out of the mountains…” Trace repeated, holding his chin between his thumb and pointer. “What’s that all about?”
Corbin leaned over the table, staring at the map. “Do you suppose the spirits want us to get the loggers out of there because they’re damaging the land?”
“It’s possible, but why come get us way up here and lead us down the mountain today?” Sawyer asked.
Everyone remained silent for several moments.
Logan wasn’t buying it. “Nope. It has to be more than that. Every time in the past we’ve experienced these clumps of spirit sightings, lives were at stake. Not just land. And we still don’t know for sure this has anything whatsoever to do with the logging site.”
Melinda nodded. “True. Anything’s possible, but let’s assume the logging company is doing something dangerous instead of just illegal. Perhaps the crew is in danger, and the spirits want us to evacuate them. What could be putting them at risk?”
Sawyer rubbed his head. “Man, any number of things. They could be using equipment not up to standards. They could have a fuel leak. Hell, if they had a fuel leak from whatever source they’re using for diesel, it could be dangerous. They might not even know about it.”
Logan’s eyes lit up. He had an idea. “What would happen if there was an explosion? How widespread would the damage be?” It seemed Sawyer knew a few things about the hazards in the forest, and with reason. After all, he was their front line cleanup man when they fucked up. Fire…
At least four of them came to the same conclusion at once and stated, “Fire.”
Sawyer nodded. “Should have thought of that. We’re in the middle of a severe drought. That’s why I was hired in this area.”
As if on cue, while Logan stared at Sawyer, his phone buzzed, and he dug for it out of his pocket. “Son of a bitch.” Sawyer lifted his head. “Speaking of fire… Gotta run.” He leaned over Amanda, kissed her on the lips, and ran from the room.
“Dude. I do not want that job,” Trace said.
Corbin laughed. “Because yours is so much tidier?” He rolled his eyes. “Because we deputies never get called in the middle of the night to run to an investigation.”
Trace laughed. “Touché.”
»»•««
“Come on. Come on. Pick up the damn phone.” Roger tapped his fingers on his desk as he waited for Mike to answer.
“Hey, Roger. What’s going on now?” Mike sounded exasperated, and Roger wanted to slap his damn aggravation right off his face.
“Don’t be condescending, asshole. I’m paying you to do a job.”
“I’m well aware of what you’re paying me. Now tell me what has your panties in a wad this morning.” He didn’t let up on his snarky tone, which pissed Roger off, but he didn’t have time to address that issue any more this morning.
“Four of them were just here.”
“Four? Masters?”
“How the fuck would I know? They didn’t march onto the site in human form. They were wolves. They were snooping from the edge of the tree line. I have pictures. Get your ass here and tell me yourself who they were.” Roger stood from behind his desk and paced toward the window. “They’re snooping way too much for my comfort level. We need to act.”
“You mean like pull out of the particular site and move on? That kind of act?” Mike asked, his voice snarky.
“No. I was thinking more along the lines of getting the fuckers to keep their damn mouths shut if they think they know something and finishing the job we’re on. Have you heard any more from the deputy in Sojourn?”
“Not yet. He’ll let me know if he gets more intel, but that could be a while. We don’t have that kind of time.”
“How long is a while?” Roger snapped.
“Listen, Roger, you need to know when to stop. This is getting out of hand. You’re paying me to keep tabs on things and let you know when to call a particular project quits. I’m telling you that time has come. Get the fuck out of there now before the inspector shows up and takes you down. I’m surprised Jackson Wolf hasn’t been riding your ass already. He’s sharp. If you piss him off, you will go down.”