Read Online Open Pit by Marguerite Pigeon - Free Book Online Page A

against a gold mine.
    â€œIt’s your mother’s friend,” André calls from the kitchen.
    That means Neela. André knows her name, so it bothers Aida that even now he won’t deign to pronounce it — as he tends to avoid saying Danielle’s. Is it really so hard? Aida goes into the kitchen to take the call. The only house left in Toronto with a rotary phone bolted to the wall. And Danielle actually uses it.
    â€œCan you believe this?” says Neela. “Keil says they don’t negotiate with terrorists. They spend half their time cutting deals for leeches like NorthOre! But that’s not terrorism. Oh, no.”
    Aida says nothing. Neela’s moral outrage makes her want the couch and her sane, rude fiancé.
    â€œAnyway, I won’t keep you long. Just wanted to touch base. Have you thought more about tonight?”
    Aida is still unable to see herself at the vigil Neela has organized. But she hopes it might work — like the press conference won’t, apparently — to surprise her. She needs a jolt, a reason to reject the scheme forming in her mind. “I think I’ll come, yes.” She enjoys the brief pause that follows, Neela at a loss for words.
    â€œWonderful. I’ll pick you up.”
    â€œI prefer if we meet you there.” Aida hasn’t broached the idea of the vigil with André yet. He’s even more allergic to activists than she is. She strains around the corner, where André has returned to the television.
    â€œEither way. Oh — did you see Mitch Wall in the papers?”
    â€œI saw him.” Aida actually spent some time with the photo of NorthOre’s CEO . She scrutinized Mitch Wall, trying to determine what kind of man he is. Here was the one person with the power to get Danielle home. Logically, Aida should’ve been angry. Wall has completely rejected the kidnapper’s demand for a shutdown at his mine. Instead, she found that he looked decent. Standing in front of a helicopter with another man, a Salvadoran, Wall looked genuinely proud of his business, his success. Probably he’s just wishing the kidnapping would blow over before too much harm is done, much like the ambassador on TV . Like Aida.
    â€œThe statement he put out! He takes no responsibility for what he’s done to that town. Self-serving prick.” Neela is headed towards a rant.
    Aida hopes to stave it off. “I read it. I get it. And I really do have to go —”
    Neela drowns her out with angry rustling of the newspaper where Mitch Wall’s picture and statement appear. “This guy is sucking the water table dry!” she shrieks. “Los Pampanos will be a dust bowl if this expansion at Pico goes ahead. And the river! You have no idea what’s getting into the river. Do you know why he’s really refusing these demands? Money, my dear. Wall can’t afford a shutdown. He’s scared, and he’s blaming the victim.”
    That word. Victim. One of Neela’s favourites. In her world, victims are always justified, as they are for Danielle — as they are, Aida realizes, for the kidnapper. For all of them there are no mines, no dust or damage. But life isn’t like that. There’s always damage. Aida feels her throat constrict. Neela deserves some of the blame here. Handing those letters back to Danielle after all these years has changed everything. “So?” she says.
    â€œSo? So we have a responsibility to fight the — ah, you know what, Aida? Forget it. I’m not going to get into it. The other reason I called is I want to respond to his bullshit. I’m going to put the names of the hostages up on the PJA website.”
    Aida grimaces. The government has made it clear they won’t publicly release any names until all the families have been notified. Apparently, the parents of one hostage are out of the country and unreachable. But Neela, who runs the NGO that puts these