Read Online Endangered Species by Nevada Barr - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Nevada Barr
Tags: Fiction, General, Suspense, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Pigeon; Anna (Fictitious character), Women park rangers, Cumberland Island National Seashore (Ga.)
Ads: Link
was
charred and falling away in strips, but a single square of
red-andblue-plaid fabric remained over a chunk of tissue that, from the
ruin of a watch, Anna guessed was the pilot's wrist.
Curled around the dead pilot, as if his had been the first to burn loose
from the seat belt, was the body of the passenger. It was burned beyond
recognition, beyond human. It was crisp and sere and, Anna knew from
experience, would crumble if she touched it.
Guy folded down and crawled beneath the plane. Through the smoke and
sweat and stench, Anna caught a whiff of cologne and was immeasurably
touched by it. Overwrought, she told herself, but the humanity -the
gesture struck a chord somewhere in the vicinity of her heart.
"Done deal," Guy said as he looked inside the cabin ." Get out of here,
Anna. We're finished. Fire's out."
Anna crawled backward, rump first into the open air. As soon as she was
clear, Guy followed.
" Dead?" Dijon asked.
He was so young Anna guessed he'd not seen much death, and she watched
closely to see how he was taking it. Between the black of his skin and
the gray of the ash it was hard to tell. His voice sounded
matter-of-fact but he'd probably plit forth some effort to make sure it
would before he'd opened his mouth.
"Crispy Critters?" Rick asked, a little too jovially.
AI worked to get his pipe going and said nothing.
The three radios they carried among the five of them crackled to life.
Guy responded and they stood in a half-circle, their backs to the dead
men, listening.
A helicopter had been dispatched with two paramedics. They were on
final to land at St. Marys to pick up the chief ranger, Norman Hull.
It took a few seconds for the name to register ." Hull?" Guy echoed
stupidly.
"Norman Hull, Chief Ranger," Lynette repeated clearly.
"I thought he was our second dead guy," Anna said.
The radio took stage again, this time a male voice scratching through
the either from air to ground issuing orders.
"Apparently not," Guy said.
N UNSPOKEN ACCORI), the five of them retired to the unburned ledge of
the clearing, sat down in the dirt, and began uncapping water bottles.
Rick was putting on a bit of a show, dredging up black humor to ward off
shock. Dijon bought into it, but Anna noticed the only one eating lunch
was AI.
Every day he had the same thing, two PB&js on white bread .
"Want halp." he offered when he caught Anna's eye. She took the
proffered sandwich. In her yellow pack was a peanut butter and honey
sandwich of her own. Later maybe she'd return the favor. At the moment
there was something reassuring in the breaking of bread with another.
"Health food again?" Rick jibed. His hand rested on his belt .
Anna suspected he was secretly fondling his "six-pack," the ridged
stomach muscles that adorned the covers of bodybuilding magazines.
"Ambrosia," AI said, unperturbed.
"I bet your kid loves it when you cook," Dijon put in.
"As a matter of fact, he's wild about my cooking." A dab of strawberry
jelly quivered momentarily on Al's cheek. Before he wiped it away
Anna's ever-active brain had likened it to blood, guts, and half-cooked
flesh. The childhood song "great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher
guts floating in the pink lemonade" made its tinny music in the recesses
of her memory and she smiled.
Guy shoveled gorp into his mouth and talked expertly around the mash.
Paramedics would not be needed. A coroner would. The radio vied with
the thump of a helicopter and the growl of an A'fV .
The cavalry was arriving.
Anna leaned back against a young oak and poured water into her
dehydrated body. AI smoked. Guy, Rick, and Dijon wandered back into
the fray. By ones and twos it seemed most of the island was trickling
in to see the wreck. The green and gray of NPS uniforms predominated
and Anna had little doubt she had been introduced to some of them, but
she wasn't good with names and faces .
The only person
charred and falling away in strips, but a single square of
red-andblue-plaid fabric remained over a chunk of tissue that, from the
ruin of a watch, Anna guessed was the pilot's wrist.
Curled around the dead pilot, as if his had been the first to burn loose
from the seat belt, was the body of the passenger. It was burned beyond
recognition, beyond human. It was crisp and sere and, Anna knew from
experience, would crumble if she touched it.
Guy folded down and crawled beneath the plane. Through the smoke and
sweat and stench, Anna caught a whiff of cologne and was immeasurably
touched by it. Overwrought, she told herself, but the humanity -the
gesture struck a chord somewhere in the vicinity of her heart.
"Done deal," Guy said as he looked inside the cabin ." Get out of here,
Anna. We're finished. Fire's out."
Anna crawled backward, rump first into the open air. As soon as she was
clear, Guy followed.
" Dead?" Dijon asked.
He was so young Anna guessed he'd not seen much death, and she watched
closely to see how he was taking it. Between the black of his skin and
the gray of the ash it was hard to tell. His voice sounded
matter-of-fact but he'd probably plit forth some effort to make sure it
would before he'd opened his mouth.
"Crispy Critters?" Rick asked, a little too jovially.
AI worked to get his pipe going and said nothing.
The three radios they carried among the five of them crackled to life.
Guy responded and they stood in a half-circle, their backs to the dead
men, listening.
A helicopter had been dispatched with two paramedics. They were on
final to land at St. Marys to pick up the chief ranger, Norman Hull.
It took a few seconds for the name to register ." Hull?" Guy echoed
stupidly.
"Norman Hull, Chief Ranger," Lynette repeated clearly.
"I thought he was our second dead guy," Anna said.
The radio took stage again, this time a male voice scratching through
the either from air to ground issuing orders.
"Apparently not," Guy said.
N UNSPOKEN ACCORI), the five of them retired to the unburned ledge of
the clearing, sat down in the dirt, and began uncapping water bottles.
Rick was putting on a bit of a show, dredging up black humor to ward off
shock. Dijon bought into it, but Anna noticed the only one eating lunch
was AI.
Every day he had the same thing, two PB&js on white bread .
"Want halp." he offered when he caught Anna's eye. She took the
proffered sandwich. In her yellow pack was a peanut butter and honey
sandwich of her own. Later maybe she'd return the favor. At the moment
there was something reassuring in the breaking of bread with another.
"Health food again?" Rick jibed. His hand rested on his belt .
Anna suspected he was secretly fondling his "six-pack," the ridged
stomach muscles that adorned the covers of bodybuilding magazines.
"Ambrosia," AI said, unperturbed.
"I bet your kid loves it when you cook," Dijon put in.
"As a matter of fact, he's wild about my cooking." A dab of strawberry
jelly quivered momentarily on Al's cheek. Before he wiped it away
Anna's ever-active brain had likened it to blood, guts, and half-cooked
flesh. The childhood song "great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher
guts floating in the pink lemonade" made its tinny music in the recesses
of her memory and she smiled.
Guy shoveled gorp into his mouth and talked expertly around the mash.
Paramedics would not be needed. A coroner would. The radio vied with
the thump of a helicopter and the growl of an A'fV .
The cavalry was arriving.
Anna leaned back against a young oak and poured water into her
dehydrated body. AI smoked. Guy, Rick, and Dijon wandered back into
the fray. By ones and twos it seemed most of the island was trickling
in to see the wreck. The green and gray of NPS uniforms predominated
and Anna had little doubt she had been introduced to some of them, but
she wasn't good with names and faces .
The only person
Similar Books
