Read Online Blood Will Tell by Dana Stabenow - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Dana Stabenow
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me."
Johnny was agreeable. "Okay. What's next?"
"Let me see. After statehood, Fish and Game outlawed all the fish traps at the mouths of the rivers and in the late sixties the salmon started coming back. About that same time we started to fish for king crab commercially. Then in 1968, they discovered a super-giant oil field in Prudhoe Bay, the largest one in North America. In 1969, they had a lease sale, and--"
"--in 1970, my dad came up!"
"Right. When did your mom and dad get married? What year? Do you know?"
"Ten years before I was born."
And you were born the same year as the divorce, Kate remembered. She made a mark. "Right here, construction began on the Pipeline. Oil in was
1977."
"Oil in where?"
"Into the pipeline. That's how they call it. Oil in."
"That's right, you went up there this year, didn't you? Did you catch the bad guys?"
"Ah-yup," Kate drawled in her best Dodge City sheriff imitation. "We run thim varmints right outta town." She tapped the sand in front of the time line, drawing his attention back to it. "So what do we have here?"
He contemplated the scratches in the sand.
"What we have here," she said, "are stories. Just stories."
He looked up, uncertain. "Stories?"
"Sure. Just stories about people. Without any one-eyed monsters or guys with magic cloaks in them. Or guys that chase girls into the water and get turned into whales. Still, just stories."
She pointed at him with the stick. "But wait a thousand years. By then, your grandfather will have become the god of travelers himself." He looked blank, and she said, "Mercury."
"The guy with wings on his shoes?"
"That's the guy."
He thought about that for a moment. "Draw your time line." She smiled.
"That would take up the whole day and most of the beach."
She tossed the stick to one side and thought how to say it. She'd probably only get one chance, and she wanted it to come out right. "When you go to court, Johnny, and you have to get up on the witness stand and speak your piece." She could see him stiffening, and kept her voice neutral and her eyes on the time line. "When you get up there, and your mom's lawyer is asking you questions, and maybe you hear some things you don't want to hear and maybe she makes you say some things you don't want to say, and you're maybe getting a little mad at your mom, and maybe even your dad, too?" Kate pointed at the timeline. "Remember this.
It's just another story, just another part of the family history. Some stories are good. Some are bad. Some are both." She pointed at Susitna.
"Like that one."
"Is that what a legend is?" She nodded. "So," he said slowly, "so she could be like Medusa, and I could be like Perseus."
Remembering what had happened to Medusa and who did it to her, Kate was a little alarmed. "Yes. Well. I suppose you could--remember, Johnny, the Gorgons had the heads and arms of women. They may have been monsters, but they were partly human, too."
He looked unconvinced, and she decided it was time to leave before she waded any further into that particular mire. They started walking again, staying down on the sand instead of climbing back up onto the trail.
There was a soft swish of wings and they looked up to see the two eagles returning, flying low and slow, the tips of their wings almost brushing the tops of the trees. Across the water the white peak of Mount Spurr reared up against the pale blue of the sky.
They paused to admire it, and a gray streak cannoned into Johnny from behind, knocking his feet out from under him. He landed on his back in the sand. "Whoof." He blinked up at the sky for a moment before elbowing himself up and looking around.
Kate was standing next to him, shaking with laughter. A few feet away Mutt crouched down, tail wagging furiously, eyes begging for fun. Johnny caught his breath and said, "So you wanna play rough, do you? You asked for it!"
Mutt gave a joyous yip and raced off, he tore down the beach in hot pursuit, Kate close behind, and for the
Johnny was agreeable. "Okay. What's next?"
"Let me see. After statehood, Fish and Game outlawed all the fish traps at the mouths of the rivers and in the late sixties the salmon started coming back. About that same time we started to fish for king crab commercially. Then in 1968, they discovered a super-giant oil field in Prudhoe Bay, the largest one in North America. In 1969, they had a lease sale, and--"
"--in 1970, my dad came up!"
"Right. When did your mom and dad get married? What year? Do you know?"
"Ten years before I was born."
And you were born the same year as the divorce, Kate remembered. She made a mark. "Right here, construction began on the Pipeline. Oil in was
1977."
"Oil in where?"
"Into the pipeline. That's how they call it. Oil in."
"That's right, you went up there this year, didn't you? Did you catch the bad guys?"
"Ah-yup," Kate drawled in her best Dodge City sheriff imitation. "We run thim varmints right outta town." She tapped the sand in front of the time line, drawing his attention back to it. "So what do we have here?"
He contemplated the scratches in the sand.
"What we have here," she said, "are stories. Just stories."
He looked up, uncertain. "Stories?"
"Sure. Just stories about people. Without any one-eyed monsters or guys with magic cloaks in them. Or guys that chase girls into the water and get turned into whales. Still, just stories."
She pointed at him with the stick. "But wait a thousand years. By then, your grandfather will have become the god of travelers himself." He looked blank, and she said, "Mercury."
"The guy with wings on his shoes?"
"That's the guy."
He thought about that for a moment. "Draw your time line." She smiled.
"That would take up the whole day and most of the beach."
She tossed the stick to one side and thought how to say it. She'd probably only get one chance, and she wanted it to come out right. "When you go to court, Johnny, and you have to get up on the witness stand and speak your piece." She could see him stiffening, and kept her voice neutral and her eyes on the time line. "When you get up there, and your mom's lawyer is asking you questions, and maybe you hear some things you don't want to hear and maybe she makes you say some things you don't want to say, and you're maybe getting a little mad at your mom, and maybe even your dad, too?" Kate pointed at the timeline. "Remember this.
It's just another story, just another part of the family history. Some stories are good. Some are bad. Some are both." She pointed at Susitna.
"Like that one."
"Is that what a legend is?" She nodded. "So," he said slowly, "so she could be like Medusa, and I could be like Perseus."
Remembering what had happened to Medusa and who did it to her, Kate was a little alarmed. "Yes. Well. I suppose you could--remember, Johnny, the Gorgons had the heads and arms of women. They may have been monsters, but they were partly human, too."
He looked unconvinced, and she decided it was time to leave before she waded any further into that particular mire. They started walking again, staying down on the sand instead of climbing back up onto the trail.
There was a soft swish of wings and they looked up to see the two eagles returning, flying low and slow, the tips of their wings almost brushing the tops of the trees. Across the water the white peak of Mount Spurr reared up against the pale blue of the sky.
They paused to admire it, and a gray streak cannoned into Johnny from behind, knocking his feet out from under him. He landed on his back in the sand. "Whoof." He blinked up at the sky for a moment before elbowing himself up and looking around.
Kate was standing next to him, shaking with laughter. A few feet away Mutt crouched down, tail wagging furiously, eyes begging for fun. Johnny caught his breath and said, "So you wanna play rough, do you? You asked for it!"
Mutt gave a joyous yip and raced off, he tore down the beach in hot pursuit, Kate close behind, and for the
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