let those bastards rape my land. Chased them off the
front lawn with my hatchet when they came sniffing around. That contaminated
water’s coming from upstream.”
The pie cutter clattered to the
counter. The old man’s face was red and his arms shook.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean
to upset you.”
Sasha walked over to him and
touched his arm. “Why don’t you sit down and I’ll dish us up some pie?”
He let her lead him to the
table and sat muttering while she cut two slices of pie.
They ate in silence for several
minutes. Sasha stared at the apple clock and tried to think of a topic that
wouldn’t set off the old man.
“You know they sued the county
commissioners?” he demanded out of the blue.
“Who sued the county
commissioners?”
He threw her a look of disgust.
“The oil and gas dirtbags. Who else?”
“What’s the basis of the
suit?”
Jed snickered around a mouthful
of pie. “Those other dirtbags—the commissioners—are holding up the oil and gas
people who are so desperate to get their precious gas out. Take Heather Price.
She runs her husband’s trucking company. Heather opposed some of their permits.
Then, suddenly Big Sky has an exclusive contract with her company to truck out
the gas. Guess who gets their permits all of a sudden? That sort of thing. I
guess the drillers figure since they’re scratching everyone’s back, they should
get a scratch once in a while, too. But, last month, at the meeting, the
commissioners accepted a petition from that McAllister kid and a bunch of
hunters and fishers to consider a ban on drilling. They didn’t vote to ban it,
mind you, they just voted to vote on it. The oil and gas people got their
panties in a twist and ran over to the courthouse to file some kinda petition
that the vote would be invalid if they held it. Seems like they’re right about
that. The commissioners shouldn’t be able to interfere with any business they
want. They’re worse than gangsters.”
“So, you’re anti-fracking and
anti-banning fracking?”
Jed let out a genuine laugh.
“Marla used to say I’m anti-everybody and anti-everything. I suspect she was
right about that, except for this here pie.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Sasha left her misanthropic
client’s home feeling good about her case. She thought she’d made it clear to
Jed that he’d have to tone down the swearing and the anger some at his upcoming
hearing if he wanted to testify. Truth be told, though, she thought a little
righteous indignation would be fitting the circumstances. She’d just have to
keep him on a tight leash.
April in Pennsylvania is rarely
balmy, but the afternoon sun was warm enough that she cracked the windows and
let the air in as she drove back toward Springport. She even hummed along to
the radio, which seemed to be limited to country music at the moment. Country
singers told the best stories, she thought, as she listened to the Dixie Chicks
sing about a traveling soldier.
As she hummed, a name popped
into her head: Heather Price. The commissioner Jed had mentioned. She’d
encountered that name before. But where? She searched her memory but before
she could make a connection, her cell phone rang. She glanced down at the
display. It was Connelly.
She turned down the volume on
the radio and activated the hands-free setup through the car. She hated the
delay that the Bluetooth caused but not as much as she would have hated running
over someone because she was on her phone.
“Hey.”
“Hi, beautiful. How’d your
meeting go with your new boyfriend?”
She laughed. “As well as could
be expected, I think. I just left. Should be back home by seven or so.”
“Excellent. Do you want fish
tacos or my Thai chicken and noodles for dinner?”
“The chicken and noodles with
the peanut sauce?”
“That’s the one.”
It was too hard to pick, what
with the belly full of pie.
“Chef’s choice,” she told him.
He groaned, as she knew
front lawn with my hatchet when they came sniffing around. That contaminated
water’s coming from upstream.”
The pie cutter clattered to the
counter. The old man’s face was red and his arms shook.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean
to upset you.”
Sasha walked over to him and
touched his arm. “Why don’t you sit down and I’ll dish us up some pie?”
He let her lead him to the
table and sat muttering while she cut two slices of pie.
They ate in silence for several
minutes. Sasha stared at the apple clock and tried to think of a topic that
wouldn’t set off the old man.
“You know they sued the county
commissioners?” he demanded out of the blue.
“Who sued the county
commissioners?”
He threw her a look of disgust.
“The oil and gas dirtbags. Who else?”
“What’s the basis of the
suit?”
Jed snickered around a mouthful
of pie. “Those other dirtbags—the commissioners—are holding up the oil and gas
people who are so desperate to get their precious gas out. Take Heather Price.
She runs her husband’s trucking company. Heather opposed some of their permits.
Then, suddenly Big Sky has an exclusive contract with her company to truck out
the gas. Guess who gets their permits all of a sudden? That sort of thing. I
guess the drillers figure since they’re scratching everyone’s back, they should
get a scratch once in a while, too. But, last month, at the meeting, the
commissioners accepted a petition from that McAllister kid and a bunch of
hunters and fishers to consider a ban on drilling. They didn’t vote to ban it,
mind you, they just voted to vote on it. The oil and gas people got their
panties in a twist and ran over to the courthouse to file some kinda petition
that the vote would be invalid if they held it. Seems like they’re right about
that. The commissioners shouldn’t be able to interfere with any business they
want. They’re worse than gangsters.”
“So, you’re anti-fracking and
anti-banning fracking?”
Jed let out a genuine laugh.
“Marla used to say I’m anti-everybody and anti-everything. I suspect she was
right about that, except for this here pie.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Sasha left her misanthropic
client’s home feeling good about her case. She thought she’d made it clear to
Jed that he’d have to tone down the swearing and the anger some at his upcoming
hearing if he wanted to testify. Truth be told, though, she thought a little
righteous indignation would be fitting the circumstances. She’d just have to
keep him on a tight leash.
April in Pennsylvania is rarely
balmy, but the afternoon sun was warm enough that she cracked the windows and
let the air in as she drove back toward Springport. She even hummed along to
the radio, which seemed to be limited to country music at the moment. Country
singers told the best stories, she thought, as she listened to the Dixie Chicks
sing about a traveling soldier.
As she hummed, a name popped
into her head: Heather Price. The commissioner Jed had mentioned. She’d
encountered that name before. But where? She searched her memory but before
she could make a connection, her cell phone rang. She glanced down at the
display. It was Connelly.
She turned down the volume on
the radio and activated the hands-free setup through the car. She hated the
delay that the Bluetooth caused but not as much as she would have hated running
over someone because she was on her phone.
“Hey.”
“Hi, beautiful. How’d your
meeting go with your new boyfriend?”
She laughed. “As well as could
be expected, I think. I just left. Should be back home by seven or so.”
“Excellent. Do you want fish
tacos or my Thai chicken and noodles for dinner?”
“The chicken and noodles with
the peanut sauce?”
“That’s the one.”
It was too hard to pick, what
with the belly full of pie.
“Chef’s choice,” she told him.
He groaned, as she knew
Similar Books
