Read Online Bear Bait (9781101611548) by Pamela Beason - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Pamela Beason
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these special-agent magic tricks.”
“I’ll study the manual.”
Putting on a disappointed expression, she looked up into his eyes. “I thought you had it memorized.”
He snorted, licked his index finger, and theatricallymarked a point in the air for her, then turned and slid into his car. Her chest pulled tight at the thought of what almost happened between them this morning. So close. She swallowed hard, waved, and watched him drive away before she turned her truck toward Highway 101 and park headquarters.
SAM entered the park’s central administration building forty-five minutes later. Mack Lindstrom was lounging in the dilapidated lobby, shooting the breeze with the park’s geologist, Jodi Ruderman, as they waited for the crowds to gather at the visitor’s center for their afternoon lectures.
“Yow.” Jodi stared at Sam’s lip. “Does that hurt?”
“It looks worse than it feels,” Sam told her. Were the stitches
that
ugly?
“Sam frequently looks like she’s been in a bar brawl,” Mack said helpfully. Then, to Sam, “Hoyle’s waiting for you.”
Uh-oh. She’d expected to be cross-examined by Tracey Carsen, the superintendent, not Peter Hoyle, the assistant super. This didn’t bode well. Carsen was all about conservation and promoting public appreciation for wilderness; Hoyle was all about rules and regulations. Sam had heard that he’d been an officer in the Army Quartermaster corps before joining NPS, and that seemed to fit his officious personality.
“Joe’s in there now,” Mack added.
This didn’t bode well at all. Joe should have been at home with his family. Sam reluctantly changed course to Hoyle’s office. Mack murmured in a low voice, “I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes, prima donna.”
Joe was slumped in one of Hoyle’s folding metal visitor chairs. Catching her eye, he mouthed the word
sorry
before focusing again on his lap. Peter Hoyle sat ramrod straight, his hands folded together on top of his immaculate desk. Overhead, the cheap fluorescent light fixture buzzed like a trapped bee.
“How are you, Peter? What’s the word on Lisa Glass?” Sam asked, hoping to head off whatever unpleasantness was planned.
Hoyle waved at the empty chair. “We’ll get to that in a minute. I want to talk about this situation with Lili first. Sit.”
Sam slid into the other chair. “I know I shouldn’t have had her up there.”
“Damn straight, you shouldn’t have. You got the manual, you signed the contract, you know the regs.”
“But the volunteers—”
“Have guests all the time, I know.” He leveled a finger at Joe. “And I know that Choi asked you to invite Lili. That was the first mistake. You can go now, Choi. Close the door behind you.”
Joe slunk out of his office.
Behind his wire-rimmed glasses, the assistant superintendent’s eyes were fierce. “The volunteers are beside the point, Westin. They’re
volunteers
. The park service doesn’t pay for their health care, doesn’t pay for insurance, and doesn’t have to answer for their irresponsible actions. Lili is a dependent of an employee. And you—you may be just a temporary hire, but you still have to obey the regs. What if Lili had been hurt out there? We’ve already got one employee on the critical list.”
Sam squirmed in her chair.
“You had no business tackling that fire on your own. You seem to think that just because you’re a celebrity, you’ve got some sort of special status around here.”
Celebrity?
And Mack had called her a prima donna. “What do you mean, celebrity?”
Hoyle stared angrily at her, his lips pressed into a thin line, then shook his head. “You don’t know?” He unclasped his hands, leaned back in his chair, and folded his arms across his chest. “You were on the news last night.”
“The news?” Sam had a sudden fear of a TV news helicopter zeroing in on her and Chase in each other’s arms. No, that was ridiculous—they would have heard the roar ofchopper
“I’ll study the manual.”
Putting on a disappointed expression, she looked up into his eyes. “I thought you had it memorized.”
He snorted, licked his index finger, and theatricallymarked a point in the air for her, then turned and slid into his car. Her chest pulled tight at the thought of what almost happened between them this morning. So close. She swallowed hard, waved, and watched him drive away before she turned her truck toward Highway 101 and park headquarters.
SAM entered the park’s central administration building forty-five minutes later. Mack Lindstrom was lounging in the dilapidated lobby, shooting the breeze with the park’s geologist, Jodi Ruderman, as they waited for the crowds to gather at the visitor’s center for their afternoon lectures.
“Yow.” Jodi stared at Sam’s lip. “Does that hurt?”
“It looks worse than it feels,” Sam told her. Were the stitches
that
ugly?
“Sam frequently looks like she’s been in a bar brawl,” Mack said helpfully. Then, to Sam, “Hoyle’s waiting for you.”
Uh-oh. She’d expected to be cross-examined by Tracey Carsen, the superintendent, not Peter Hoyle, the assistant super. This didn’t bode well. Carsen was all about conservation and promoting public appreciation for wilderness; Hoyle was all about rules and regulations. Sam had heard that he’d been an officer in the Army Quartermaster corps before joining NPS, and that seemed to fit his officious personality.
“Joe’s in there now,” Mack added.
This didn’t bode well at all. Joe should have been at home with his family. Sam reluctantly changed course to Hoyle’s office. Mack murmured in a low voice, “I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes, prima donna.”
Joe was slumped in one of Hoyle’s folding metal visitor chairs. Catching her eye, he mouthed the word
sorry
before focusing again on his lap. Peter Hoyle sat ramrod straight, his hands folded together on top of his immaculate desk. Overhead, the cheap fluorescent light fixture buzzed like a trapped bee.
“How are you, Peter? What’s the word on Lisa Glass?” Sam asked, hoping to head off whatever unpleasantness was planned.
Hoyle waved at the empty chair. “We’ll get to that in a minute. I want to talk about this situation with Lili first. Sit.”
Sam slid into the other chair. “I know I shouldn’t have had her up there.”
“Damn straight, you shouldn’t have. You got the manual, you signed the contract, you know the regs.”
“But the volunteers—”
“Have guests all the time, I know.” He leveled a finger at Joe. “And I know that Choi asked you to invite Lili. That was the first mistake. You can go now, Choi. Close the door behind you.”
Joe slunk out of his office.
Behind his wire-rimmed glasses, the assistant superintendent’s eyes were fierce. “The volunteers are beside the point, Westin. They’re
volunteers
. The park service doesn’t pay for their health care, doesn’t pay for insurance, and doesn’t have to answer for their irresponsible actions. Lili is a dependent of an employee. And you—you may be just a temporary hire, but you still have to obey the regs. What if Lili had been hurt out there? We’ve already got one employee on the critical list.”
Sam squirmed in her chair.
“You had no business tackling that fire on your own. You seem to think that just because you’re a celebrity, you’ve got some sort of special status around here.”
Celebrity?
And Mack had called her a prima donna. “What do you mean, celebrity?”
Hoyle stared angrily at her, his lips pressed into a thin line, then shook his head. “You don’t know?” He unclasped his hands, leaned back in his chair, and folded his arms across his chest. “You were on the news last night.”
“The news?” Sam had a sudden fear of a TV news helicopter zeroing in on her and Chase in each other’s arms. No, that was ridiculous—they would have heard the roar ofchopper
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