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8:00 AM. CAVE RANCH:
Kristy hears the horn from the school bus and stands from the kitchen table. She sets her cereal bowl in the sink, then grabs her bright yellow backpack off a chair and slings it over her shoulders. “Aren’t you going to school today, Derek?”
“In a minute.”
“Is something wrong?”
Derek glances over at Robert and back to Kristy. “I just need to talk to grandpa first. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
Kristy knows something is wrong when Derek calls him grandpa. “Uncle Alex told you something bad is going to happen, didn’t he?”
Derek stares at his sister, wondering what to say without lying. For a ten-year-old, she is very perceptive. “Nothing you need to worry about right now.” The look in her eyes tells him she doesn’t believe him, and it tears at his heart. “I’m sorry, Kristy, but I made a promise to Alex. He said there’s nothing to worry about right now.”
Kristy opens the screen door, then turns to look at Derek. “All right. I know Uncle Alex would never tell a lie.” She walks out onto the porch and eases the screen door closed.
Derek watches her jump down the steps and run along the driveway with her little yellow backpack bouncing on her shoulders. The school bus driver gives a friendly honk as it drives away with Kristy.
“What’s going on, Derek?”
Derek turns to face Robert and explains what he learned last night. “Did you know that Alex is a friend of the Director of National Security?”
Robert leans back in his chair, wondering if he should tell his grandson what he suspects about why his parents were killed. “Alex used to work for the government.” He stands, carries Derek’s bowl to the sink, and turns on the water.
Derek gets up and moves to Robert’s side. “You’re holding something back. What is it?”
Robert continues rinsing the dishes. “That’s up to Alex. Ask him yourself.”
Derek stares at Robert for a long moment, wanting more information. When Robert doesn’t respond, he walks across the room and out through the screen door, slamming it closed behind him. What is Robert’s problem? And why does he hate Alex so much?
***
Robert turns off the water, dries his hands with a small towel, then turns and leans back against the counter. He hears the roar of the motorcycle and watches a cloud of dust rising into the air down the road. He only suspects Alex is responsible for the death of Ken and Doreen. It would not do any good to tell that to Derek right now. That will be up to Alex.
He walks across the kitchen, grabs the keys for his truck, and continues out onto the porch and across the driveway to the garage. If what Derek told him is possible, he needs to get some supplies in case they get stranded on the ranch for a while. The river has flooded three times over the past five years, but the ranch has always survived. Only the pastures end up under water. His only worry is having enough food to last until the water level drops and they can leave.
***
THE CABIN:
Alex lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. With so much at stake, the night passed slowly, and he’s anxious to get started. He hears Wesley walk out of the bathroom, so he swings out of bed to start the day. After a quick shower, he pours a cup of coffee and joins Wesley at the kitchen table. “Good morning.”
“Is it?”
Alex sits down and stares at him. “What’s going on?”
“I hope your director friend has some brilliant engineers. I was one ten years ago, and I can’t imagine an easy way to retrieve your device at that depth. Especially through all that ice.”
“Martin and I have some mutual friends that can figure it out. At least it hasn’t activated since I was down there yesterday.”
Wesley takes a sip of coffee and grins. “I wasn’t going to say anything to jinx the situation.”
Alex feels his phone vibrate and stands to pull it out of his front pocket. He recognizes Sonja’s ID, turns on the speaker, then sets the phone on the table. “I’m here, Sonja.”
“The Polar ice sheet had another expansion last night, Alex. It froze another three-hundred-kilometers of ocean. It is already causing an effect to the weather conditions in the arctic regions. Many of my colleagues are frustrated trying to find out why this is happening, and I do not know what to tell them. We are all very worried, Alex. Only disastrous events will come from this sudden change in the ice sheet.”
Alex and Wesley exchange puzzled expressions. None of their alarms went off. “I don’t understand why it would activate on its own, Sonja?”
“A few of us will create a computer model to track each event.”
“If you can determine a location for me to search, it would be a big help.”
“I did notice a dark area in the ice. It could be that device you are looking for, but I am not positive.”
“Once I talk to a friend in Nevada, I might have some information that could help us with our search.”
“Thank you, Alex. Bye, love.”
Alex turns off the phone and stares out the window while he sips his coffee. “I hope my friend in Nevada can give me a better idea what I’m dealing with.”
Wesley stands up from the table. “I’ll go check the equipment in the workshop just to make sure.”
Alex looks at his watch. “I’ll see if Okana is up yet.” Wesley closes the cabin door behind him, and Alex enters Okana’s number.
“Hey, Alex. Any new information?”
“Yes. Did anyone activate the ultrasound last night?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“There was another increase to the ice sheet. Are you sure nothing happened?”
“Positive. Lisa locked the system down after what happened to us. There’s no way we could have caused it.”
“Damn. That means it activated on its own. Did you talk to Mike?”
“Yes. Whenever you’re ready, he’ll send the helicopter.”
“Great. I have to go to Nevada first. My phone may not work where I’m going, so I’ll call you when I’m back.”
“You’re never going to tell me what’s down there, are you?”
“I’ll tell you about it when I get back. There is one thing I can tell you. Once this is over, you’ll have a much better appreciation for our little blue planet. I’ll call you later.”
Wesley walks in and pours another cup of coffee. “Nothing happened around here. What did he say?”
“They didn’t do it, but at least I have a boat ride when I need it. Mike is an interesting man. He’s rich, but couldn’t care less about it. He’s trying to solve our global warming problem and has the money to do whatever he wants. I’m sure when he heard about another device in the Arctic, he wanted to help.”
“What’s next on your list?”
“A call to a friend of mine at the college, and hopefully, a trip to Nevada.”
“Let’s eat breakfast. You cook, I’ll watch the news.”
Alex stands from the table. “Are you really that bad a cook?”
“Hell no. I just like being pampered.”
When they finish eating, Alex sets the last of the dishes on the counter for Wesley to wash, then pours another cup of coffee and sits at the table. Just hanging around with so much going wrong is frustrating, and he needs something to do, then his phone rings. He looks at the number and it’s Marcia Story, the Director of the science department at his college in Montana. “Good morning. I was going to give it another hour before I called you.”
“David is with me. We’ve been watching the news, and it sounds very bad. What have you found out?”
Alex explains what he knows. “I need a favor. Could you do a background check for me? The name is Eric Dieter. All I have on him is that he was a German U-boat captain near the end of World War II. He supposedly smuggled confiscated gems and precious metals with the U-boat and was never heard from again. He has a relative that might help with your search. A fifty-year-old male of Scandinavian descent named John Dieter. I want to know about him, too.”
“I’ll start on the background immediately and call you when I have something. George wanted me to thank you for recommending he is placed in a minimal security prison.”
“How’s he holding up?”
“He’s being treated for PTSD from his time as a POW, and it seems to be working. His nightmares are less frequent now.”
“He didn’t strike me as your type of man, Marcia.”
“People can change. He’s just bent, not broken.”
“Hi, Alex, this is David. Maybe I can help your chemist, Lisa. She sounds like she knows what she’s doing.”
“I think you’d like her, David. I’ll tell her about you and give her your number.”
“What can we expect to happen next, Alex?” Marcia asks.
“I’m not sure. We’ve found the cause of the events out here, but we’re not sure how to stop it. My main concern now is the expansion of the Polar Ice Sheet.”
“Thanks, Alex.”
Alex turns off the phone and looks away from the window as Wesley sits down across from him. “Martin is usually an early riser, and he’s probably busy getting things started. For now, it’s the end of my list until he calls me.”
Wesley’s phone rings and he answers. “Hi, Jamie. I thought you might be calling.” He covers the phone and looks over at Alex. “It’s a young woman who just started working in the park.” He removes his hand. “It’s not a prelude, and it’s over now. Yes, I’ll call if anything changes.”
Wesley turns off the phone. “She’s one of the Parker kids from the valley and just transferred from eastern Washington. Nice young lady. She’s been training to be a Ranger in Wenatchee for about six years and was waiting for the opportunity to work closer to home.” He can tell Alex doesn’t enjoy sitting around. “Let’s go for a ride. I want to show you my mountain.”
“I’d like that.”
***
MOUNT BAKER STATE PARK, MARMOT CAMPGROUND:
Jamie Parker turns off her phone and feels intimidated by so many questioning eyes. When she drove into the campground ten minutes ago, seven of the occupants approached her dark green Park Service SUV, expecting her to have all the answers about the earthquakes in the islands and the ground movement here, yesterday afternoon. She didn’t realize how many people use this park. Her new supervisor said it’s always packed with people trying to get out of the higher temperatures on the flatlands below.
Jamie clips the phone onto her utility belt, then looks at the campers. “We don’t know what happened to the islands, but it’s over now. Enjoy your time in the park.”
She feels relieved when most of them walk away, but one woman with a young girl and boy remain, and she sees the fear in the children’s eyes. She kneels down and smiles at them. “It’s all right. It’s all over now.”
The kids wrap their arms around their mother’s legs, and Jamie gets up. The woman’s smile is troubled as she turns away and holds her children’s hands to lead them back to their campsite.
Jamie looks at her watch and realizes if this happens every time she stops, checking all the campgrounds this morning is going to take a while. “One down, twenty-three to go.” She climbs into the SUV and drives out of Marmot Campground.
***
SPARROW VALLEY:
Robert parks in front of the restaurant, climbs out of his truck, and notices a piece of paper taped to the inside of the window. The District high school track and field championship games will take place this Friday, here in the valley. He was a student in Darrington High School thirty-nine years ago, and that’s how he met his wife, Shannon Parker. The rivalry between the two high schools has been going on for generations.
It’s Sparrow Valley’s turn to host the games, and over one hundred students, parents, and faculty will drive up to the valley to watch the competition. Last fall, during the football playoffs, over twenty motorhomes, trailers, and campers came up early and stayed in the school parking lot so they could drink and not have to drive home after the game.
After listening to Derek, he wonders if he should ask them to cancel the event. No, he thinks. If I say anything and nothing happens, I’ll look like a fool.
He strolls into the restaurant and a small silver bell above the door tinkles. All conversations suddenly stop as he continues to the counter, aware that all eyes are on him as he sits down.
Molly Moran, the server and part owner, walks up with a pot of coffee and sets a tan mug on the counter. “I hear your son’s in town, Robert. Does it have to do with the destruction to the islands?”
Robert watches her fill the mug. “That’s right.”
“Carry Sorenson said he’s staying with Wesley. Does it have something to do with that tremor yesterday?”
Robert turns his head and looks around the room, and everyone is listening intently to his conversation. He agrees with what Derek told him about starting a panic, so he turns back and takes a sip of coffee. “We don’t talk much since the funeral.”
“Bob called from the grocery store and said you bought a bunch of supplies. Should we be worried?”
Robert hears the doorbell tinkle and doesn’t answer the question.
“Hey, Cave?”
Robert knows it’s Arnie Parker calling his name, and he refuses to turn and look at him. He and Arnie have been fighting since their high school years, when he dated his sister. Arnie called her a traitor for dating a Darrington student, and he knocked Arnie to the ground with one punch. They’ve been fighting ever since.
Arnie hooks his thumbs over his utility belt and holster and smirks at the other people in the restaurant. He’s the sheriff, and this is his town, because no one ever runs against him in the elections. Cave is the only thorn in his side. He’s the only person who refuses to call him sheriff and something about Cave has always rubbed him the wrong way since they first met.
Arnie walks up next to Cave and leans back against the counter so he can look at the other people watching his every move. “I have thirty bucks says we’ll kick the snot out of Darrington on Friday.”
Robert sets his cup on the counter, swivels his stool around, then stands and looks into Arnie’s eyes. “Make it one-hundred and you’ve got a bet.” He watches the grin slip from Arnie’s face. “Is it a bet, Arnie? Or is that too much money for you?”
Arnie stands up straight and glances around the room, then looks at Cave and forces a grin for everyone watching. “You’ve got a bet, Cave.” When Robert grins and walks out of the restaurant, Arnie hears a few chuckles from the patrons. He stares out the window and watches Cave drive away. You’re a real son of a bitch.