Inside his head, he never would.
Incredibly, Avery Kittredge arrived at the camp site before Kelly. He was waiting, in his neatly ironed green uniform, a shiny Colt .38 strapped around his waist.
He looked at his watch. "So you finally got here," he told Kelly.
Kelly nodded. "I guess you heard the radio report."
"That's my job," Kittredge said, loud enough for the shocked campers to overhear. "Is the ambulance with you?"
"Coming up the road now."
Harry Dunham sat on a log near the smouldering remains of the fire. One man was trying to get him to take a drink. Harry kept pushing it away.
"Look at that camper, Gordon," Kittredge said. "He tore it open like an egg shell. I thought you claimed your bears were all up in the high country."
"Not now, damn it," Kelly said. He went over to the numbed man on the log. He helped him up. "Come on, it's all right. My driver'Il take you down to the hospital. We'll take care of everything up here. Come along."
Like a child, Harry Dunham allowed himself to be led to the ranger vehicle. As he was helped in, he looked back and, in a small voice said, "Would somebody please turn off my tape player?"
When Kelly's Toyota drove down the hill, it was passed by a battered jeep driven by Arthur Scott.
As the ambulance attendants went about their gory task, Scott, Kelly and Kittredge went off to one side of the clearing.
"We've been trying to reach you, Avery," said Scott. "I—"
"Let me talk first," said Kittredge. "Kelly, what the hell happened? You assured me these lower districts would be safe."
"We thought they would be. But he came down. Maybe because our search parties spooked him."
Kittredge drew himself up to his full five feet nine.
"Kelly, I've had it with you. This is your baby, your responsibility. I wash my hands of it."
Kelly said, disbelievingly, "You wash your hands? How the hell can you do that? This is your park, Mr. Supervisor."
"And this is your district, nobody else's. And that goddamned bear is yours, too."
" Mr . Kittredge," said Arthur Scott. "let me give you a few facts. You would have had them earlier, but you were off talking to the nice ladies about our noble park program."
"This is none of your business, Scott," said Kittredge. "Kelly didn't do the job with those bears. That's the long and the short of it."
"Don't try to be more of an asshole than you are," Scott said gently.
Kittredge began to splutter.
Scott went on, "I don't work for you, like Kelly, so don't think I won't go on television and spill the beans if you keep dodging the reality and the responsibility here. We've been trying to tell you, we've got a killer grizzly on our hands."
The supervisor whirled on him. "You're under my supervision, Scott, and don't you forget it. You're a maniac . . . always were. Running around bundled up in deer skins. There hasn't been a grizzly in these mountains for thirty years."
"There is now," said Kelly. "Come on, Scotty, let's get the hell out of here. There's nothing to do tonight."
"I'm not finished," Kittredge said.
"Oh?" the ranger shot back. "Maybe you want me to take a flashlight and track him out there in the dark?"
"Get me that goddamned bear,'' Kittredge ordered, "and get him fast."
"We're trying," Kelly said. "Maybe if you could get us more men. That's one thing you're good at, talking to Washington."
"And blow this thing further out of proportion? Are you mad? There's nothing unusual about a bear getting out of line every now and then. What's unusual is that your men can't seem to get on the ball and catch this one."
Dr. Samuel Hallit, who had finished examining what was left of Sally Dunham, had joined them. He tried to make peace. "Avery's right, Kelly. It used to happen a lot more often back in the old days, when the campers fed the bears, or left food around in the open to attract them. Not to mention the garbage patrol, luring bears down so the tourists could photograph them."
"Mr. Kittredge," said Scott, "Do you take Stupid
Incredibly, Avery Kittredge arrived at the camp site before Kelly. He was waiting, in his neatly ironed green uniform, a shiny Colt .38 strapped around his waist.
He looked at his watch. "So you finally got here," he told Kelly.
Kelly nodded. "I guess you heard the radio report."
"That's my job," Kittredge said, loud enough for the shocked campers to overhear. "Is the ambulance with you?"
"Coming up the road now."
Harry Dunham sat on a log near the smouldering remains of the fire. One man was trying to get him to take a drink. Harry kept pushing it away.
"Look at that camper, Gordon," Kittredge said. "He tore it open like an egg shell. I thought you claimed your bears were all up in the high country."
"Not now, damn it," Kelly said. He went over to the numbed man on the log. He helped him up. "Come on, it's all right. My driver'Il take you down to the hospital. We'll take care of everything up here. Come along."
Like a child, Harry Dunham allowed himself to be led to the ranger vehicle. As he was helped in, he looked back and, in a small voice said, "Would somebody please turn off my tape player?"
When Kelly's Toyota drove down the hill, it was passed by a battered jeep driven by Arthur Scott.
As the ambulance attendants went about their gory task, Scott, Kelly and Kittredge went off to one side of the clearing.
"We've been trying to reach you, Avery," said Scott. "I—"
"Let me talk first," said Kittredge. "Kelly, what the hell happened? You assured me these lower districts would be safe."
"We thought they would be. But he came down. Maybe because our search parties spooked him."
Kittredge drew himself up to his full five feet nine.
"Kelly, I've had it with you. This is your baby, your responsibility. I wash my hands of it."
Kelly said, disbelievingly, "You wash your hands? How the hell can you do that? This is your park, Mr. Supervisor."
"And this is your district, nobody else's. And that goddamned bear is yours, too."
" Mr . Kittredge," said Arthur Scott. "let me give you a few facts. You would have had them earlier, but you were off talking to the nice ladies about our noble park program."
"This is none of your business, Scott," said Kittredge. "Kelly didn't do the job with those bears. That's the long and the short of it."
"Don't try to be more of an asshole than you are," Scott said gently.
Kittredge began to splutter.
Scott went on, "I don't work for you, like Kelly, so don't think I won't go on television and spill the beans if you keep dodging the reality and the responsibility here. We've been trying to tell you, we've got a killer grizzly on our hands."
The supervisor whirled on him. "You're under my supervision, Scott, and don't you forget it. You're a maniac . . . always were. Running around bundled up in deer skins. There hasn't been a grizzly in these mountains for thirty years."
"There is now," said Kelly. "Come on, Scotty, let's get the hell out of here. There's nothing to do tonight."
"I'm not finished," Kittredge said.
"Oh?" the ranger shot back. "Maybe you want me to take a flashlight and track him out there in the dark?"
"Get me that goddamned bear,'' Kittredge ordered, "and get him fast."
"We're trying," Kelly said. "Maybe if you could get us more men. That's one thing you're good at, talking to Washington."
"And blow this thing further out of proportion? Are you mad? There's nothing unusual about a bear getting out of line every now and then. What's unusual is that your men can't seem to get on the ball and catch this one."
Dr. Samuel Hallit, who had finished examining what was left of Sally Dunham, had joined them. He tried to make peace. "Avery's right, Kelly. It used to happen a lot more often back in the old days, when the campers fed the bears, or left food around in the open to attract them. Not to mention the garbage patrol, luring bears down so the tourists could photograph them."
"Mr. Kittredge," said Scott, "Do you take Stupid
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