He had been shadowing a young bomb squad officer who had watched one too many Mel Gibson movies where the crazy cop tries to decide if it’s the red wire or the green wire to cut. Tony was right in the middle of telling the rookie not to try to outguess a bomber, who could be colorblind anyway, and try to figure out where the wires were going. Too late. Luckily it was only a small charge pipe bomb.
“That was my right side,” Tony said. “My left side is better.”
He cocked his head to the side for her to see.
She laughed.
Cliff Humphrey came out of his office, startled when he saw Tony, and then came over and shook his hand.
“Let’s talk in my office,” he said, and then escorted Tony away from the reception area.
Humphrey’s office was decorated in a southwest motif. Navaho rugs. A carved wood sculpture of an eagle. Tall cacti in two corners by the windows.
Cliff Humphrey took a seat in his plush brown leather chair that squeaked with the slightest move he made.
Tony’s chair was leather also. In fact, it could have been cut from the same steer as the one in Larry Gibson’s office across the river.
“What have you dug up, Tony?” Humphrey said. He had his hands on the shiny oak desk in front of him, his fingers rolling nervously.
“Do you know a man named Frank Peroni?” Tony asked.
His fingers stopped. “No. Should I?”
Tony laughed at that. “How am I supposed to know what you should know?”
Humphrey gazed off at the river and then rose from his chair.
88
TREVOR SCOTT
“It’s a nice day. Let’s go for a walk by the river.”
Tony wasn’t sure where that came from, but he didn’t argue. He was always game for outdoors over indoors.
They walked down to the river. Geese waddled away from them as they approached the water. The walk from the building had given Tony time to think. Somehow Cliff Humphrey knew Frank Peroni. He was sure of it.
“You see this complex,” Humphrey said, spreading his arms out like Moses parting the Red Sea. “I conceptualized the whole thing. Came up with the idea of condos and shops side by side, along with the new industry. There are bike trails that follow the river to downtown. Buses come right through here picking up residents for Mount Bachelor. You could walk to work here, walk downtown for dinner, and even shop for almost anything you need right here.”
Sounds nice, but why was he telling Tony this? He wasn’t sure.
“People think that developers are Lucifer in the flesh,” he said.
“They think we’ll do anything to make a buck.”
Okay. Now Tony had to speak. “Seems to be some truth to that.”
Humphrey tried to laugh. “Maybe so. In fact, I know some people in Portland who might think of me that way. But it’s just not true. We opened our Bend office almost fifteen years ago. There was huge potential here. Californians had discovered the place.
Moved here in droves, selling their houses in L.A. and San Francisco for big bucks and then building veritable mansions on golf courses or up on Awbrey Butte for a fraction of what it would have cost them back home. We have people at Cascade Peaks who moved here from Singapore and Hong Kong. The influx has slowed somewhat in the past few years, but that won’t last long.”
“Is that why you want to build the new destination resort up the mountain toward The Three Sisters?”
Humphrey looked surprised. “You’ve heard about that?”
Tony nodded. Anyone in Bend for more than a day would have had to be brain dead to not hear about that.
BOOM TOWN 89
They started walking upstream toward the park used in the summer for open-air concerts. There was nobody there today.
“It may never happen,” he said. “Still has to clear the county land use board. They’re not sure Bend needs another resort.”
“I also heard the property is land-locked. It would cost a lot if everyone had to fly in to their houses.”
Humphrey thought about that for a moment, as if he were actually
“That was my right side,” Tony said. “My left side is better.”
He cocked his head to the side for her to see.
She laughed.
Cliff Humphrey came out of his office, startled when he saw Tony, and then came over and shook his hand.
“Let’s talk in my office,” he said, and then escorted Tony away from the reception area.
Humphrey’s office was decorated in a southwest motif. Navaho rugs. A carved wood sculpture of an eagle. Tall cacti in two corners by the windows.
Cliff Humphrey took a seat in his plush brown leather chair that squeaked with the slightest move he made.
Tony’s chair was leather also. In fact, it could have been cut from the same steer as the one in Larry Gibson’s office across the river.
“What have you dug up, Tony?” Humphrey said. He had his hands on the shiny oak desk in front of him, his fingers rolling nervously.
“Do you know a man named Frank Peroni?” Tony asked.
His fingers stopped. “No. Should I?”
Tony laughed at that. “How am I supposed to know what you should know?”
Humphrey gazed off at the river and then rose from his chair.
88
TREVOR SCOTT
“It’s a nice day. Let’s go for a walk by the river.”
Tony wasn’t sure where that came from, but he didn’t argue. He was always game for outdoors over indoors.
They walked down to the river. Geese waddled away from them as they approached the water. The walk from the building had given Tony time to think. Somehow Cliff Humphrey knew Frank Peroni. He was sure of it.
“You see this complex,” Humphrey said, spreading his arms out like Moses parting the Red Sea. “I conceptualized the whole thing. Came up with the idea of condos and shops side by side, along with the new industry. There are bike trails that follow the river to downtown. Buses come right through here picking up residents for Mount Bachelor. You could walk to work here, walk downtown for dinner, and even shop for almost anything you need right here.”
Sounds nice, but why was he telling Tony this? He wasn’t sure.
“People think that developers are Lucifer in the flesh,” he said.
“They think we’ll do anything to make a buck.”
Okay. Now Tony had to speak. “Seems to be some truth to that.”
Humphrey tried to laugh. “Maybe so. In fact, I know some people in Portland who might think of me that way. But it’s just not true. We opened our Bend office almost fifteen years ago. There was huge potential here. Californians had discovered the place.
Moved here in droves, selling their houses in L.A. and San Francisco for big bucks and then building veritable mansions on golf courses or up on Awbrey Butte for a fraction of what it would have cost them back home. We have people at Cascade Peaks who moved here from Singapore and Hong Kong. The influx has slowed somewhat in the past few years, but that won’t last long.”
“Is that why you want to build the new destination resort up the mountain toward The Three Sisters?”
Humphrey looked surprised. “You’ve heard about that?”
Tony nodded. Anyone in Bend for more than a day would have had to be brain dead to not hear about that.
BOOM TOWN 89
They started walking upstream toward the park used in the summer for open-air concerts. There was nobody there today.
“It may never happen,” he said. “Still has to clear the county land use board. They’re not sure Bend needs another resort.”
“I also heard the property is land-locked. It would cost a lot if everyone had to fly in to their houses.”
Humphrey thought about that for a moment, as if he were actually
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