ma’am, and I have to ask you for the permits.”
Quill nodded. “The permits.” Then, “Wait! Are you talking about our beach?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“The one Mike and I put in by the river?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“A permit?” Quill said, with a sinking feeling. “We need a permit?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He hitched his belt up. “There is a substantial fine attached to interference with a navigable waterway.” He paused. “Ten thousand dollars a day, I’m afraid.”
“Ten thous . . .” Quill swallowed hard.
“We take our environmental concerns seriously in New York state, ma’am.”
“Well, of course you do,” Quill said.
“The only way you can navigate the Hemlock River is in an inner tube,” Clare said tartly. “This is ridiculous, officer.”
“I went down it in a kayak, once,” Elizabeth offered.
“And it’ll handle a canoe,” Dina said.
“There you are,” Officer Banks said. “Navigable.” Quill put her hands on her hips. “Everybody please be quiet. Right now.”
An obedient silence filled the room.
“I’ll be happy to obtain a permit,” Quill said. “I’m truly sorry that I didn’t get a permit in the first place. If you can tell me where to go to get one, I’ll do it right now.”
“That’d be our Syracuse office. In the meantime, if I could take a look at the engineering report, Mrs. McHale?”
“The engineering report?”
“Yes. Regulations require . . .”
Quill held her hand up and laughed hollowly. “We filed that with our . . . um . . . engineer.”
“Maybe he could fax it over,” Dina said helpfully.
Quill glared at her.
Dina smiled and beamed flirtatiously at the conservation officer. “You are aware, of course, of the Hemlock Falls riverfront project.”
“Can’t say as I am, ma’am.”
Dina frowned. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Annoyed on your behalf, of course. They never seem to keep the guys in the front line appraised of anything. ”
“You can say that again,” Officer Banks said.
“Of course, a guy like you must have heard rumors, at least.”
“Some,” Officer Banks admitted. He ran his finger around his shirt collar in an uneasy way.
“But you’re not allowed to talk about it, either. Well! All I can say is my graduate class in river morphology took an interest in the beach project and did a pilot study like you wouldn’t believe. My professor sent the whole thing on to the Secretary in D.C. to use as a template for further studies in similar situations.”
“The Secretary,” Officer Banks said, with an inflection that gave it a capital letter, just like Dina.
“The very same. You should be getting a memo about the changes in the regs any day now, as a matter of fact. My professor has worked with—you know—the Secretary—on other projects, and do you know what?” Dina stood on tiptoe and brought her face close to his. “I think this study may change the way we handle navigable riverfront projects completely .”
“Wow.” Officer Banks shook his head.
“So, sure, we can get a copy of the study to you. But they’ll have to black out quite a bit.”
“Pilot study, huh?”
“Yes, sir.”
Officer Banks grinned. “Okay. Pilot study it is.” He put his hat back on his head and carefully adjusted the brim. “Mrs. McHale?”
“Yes, officer,” Quill said. Her voice sounded faint to her own ears, so she said “A-hum!” in a very authoritative way.
“This pilot study’s complete?”
“Oh, yes. Absolutely.”
“Then what we recommend at the home office is that these pilot studies be dismantled sooner than quick.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll be off now, ma’am.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He touched one finger to the brim of his hat and walked out the back door.
“Ten thousand dollars a day.” Quill sat down in the rocking chair by the fireplace and put her head between her knees.
“Dina, I am in awe ,” Elizabeth Chou said. She raised her hand, palm up, and she and Dina
Quill nodded. “The permits.” Then, “Wait! Are you talking about our beach?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“The one Mike and I put in by the river?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“A permit?” Quill said, with a sinking feeling. “We need a permit?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He hitched his belt up. “There is a substantial fine attached to interference with a navigable waterway.” He paused. “Ten thousand dollars a day, I’m afraid.”
“Ten thous . . .” Quill swallowed hard.
“We take our environmental concerns seriously in New York state, ma’am.”
“Well, of course you do,” Quill said.
“The only way you can navigate the Hemlock River is in an inner tube,” Clare said tartly. “This is ridiculous, officer.”
“I went down it in a kayak, once,” Elizabeth offered.
“And it’ll handle a canoe,” Dina said.
“There you are,” Officer Banks said. “Navigable.” Quill put her hands on her hips. “Everybody please be quiet. Right now.”
An obedient silence filled the room.
“I’ll be happy to obtain a permit,” Quill said. “I’m truly sorry that I didn’t get a permit in the first place. If you can tell me where to go to get one, I’ll do it right now.”
“That’d be our Syracuse office. In the meantime, if I could take a look at the engineering report, Mrs. McHale?”
“The engineering report?”
“Yes. Regulations require . . .”
Quill held her hand up and laughed hollowly. “We filed that with our . . . um . . . engineer.”
“Maybe he could fax it over,” Dina said helpfully.
Quill glared at her.
Dina smiled and beamed flirtatiously at the conservation officer. “You are aware, of course, of the Hemlock Falls riverfront project.”
“Can’t say as I am, ma’am.”
Dina frowned. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Annoyed on your behalf, of course. They never seem to keep the guys in the front line appraised of anything. ”
“You can say that again,” Officer Banks said.
“Of course, a guy like you must have heard rumors, at least.”
“Some,” Officer Banks admitted. He ran his finger around his shirt collar in an uneasy way.
“But you’re not allowed to talk about it, either. Well! All I can say is my graduate class in river morphology took an interest in the beach project and did a pilot study like you wouldn’t believe. My professor sent the whole thing on to the Secretary in D.C. to use as a template for further studies in similar situations.”
“The Secretary,” Officer Banks said, with an inflection that gave it a capital letter, just like Dina.
“The very same. You should be getting a memo about the changes in the regs any day now, as a matter of fact. My professor has worked with—you know—the Secretary—on other projects, and do you know what?” Dina stood on tiptoe and brought her face close to his. “I think this study may change the way we handle navigable riverfront projects completely .”
“Wow.” Officer Banks shook his head.
“So, sure, we can get a copy of the study to you. But they’ll have to black out quite a bit.”
“Pilot study, huh?”
“Yes, sir.”
Officer Banks grinned. “Okay. Pilot study it is.” He put his hat back on his head and carefully adjusted the brim. “Mrs. McHale?”
“Yes, officer,” Quill said. Her voice sounded faint to her own ears, so she said “A-hum!” in a very authoritative way.
“This pilot study’s complete?”
“Oh, yes. Absolutely.”
“Then what we recommend at the home office is that these pilot studies be dismantled sooner than quick.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll be off now, ma’am.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He touched one finger to the brim of his hat and walked out the back door.
“Ten thousand dollars a day.” Quill sat down in the rocking chair by the fireplace and put her head between her knees.
“Dina, I am in awe ,” Elizabeth Chou said. She raised her hand, palm up, and she and Dina
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