Wilderness Passion (15 page)

9

T
REVOR BATES’S EYES
narrowed as he watched the two people approaching his camp. He had a small fire going, with coffee perking in the battered, blackened pot. He stood up as they neared.

Libby broke the tense silence by offering her hand. “Mr. Bates, I’m Dr. Libby Stapleton,” she greeted him. “And I believe you’ve already met Mr. Wagner.”

Bates took her hand, giving it a shake and then quickly breaking contact. His dark-eyed gaze moved to the man who towered above both of them. “Dr. Stapleton, a pleasure. And yes, I’ve met Mr. Wagner. Sit down. I just got the coffee on,” he invited.

Dan looked around the camp. Bates was a sloppy camper, and his negligence only increased Dan’s dislike of the man. Several pieces of food wrapping lay about the campsite. There were also several cans thrown farther down the hill. Controlling his anger, Dan joined Libby at the fire.

“You know, Bates, if you want grizzly and black bear up here, keep on throwing those opened tin cans around,” he growled, hunkering down.

Trevor gave him a scathing look as he poured three mugs of coffee into battered tin cups. “I don’t need you playing forest ranger with me, Wagner. I happen to have plenty of experience living in the woods. The bears are too busy eating berries right now to bother with my cans.”

Libby tensed, taken aback by the hatred in Bates’s voice. She looked quickly at Dan, seeing the anger in his eyes. “Basically, what I’d like to do is spend a day in camp with you, Trevor,” she said, pretending the volley had not been exchanged.

“Of course,” Trevor muttered, watching Dan over his coffee cup. “I assume you’ve read all the reports I’ve radioed in?”

“Yes, I have.”

Dan rose. “By the way, Bates, that brings up another point I wanted to discuss with you.”

Bates ignored him, drinking his coffee.

“You know that thing you call a radio? I’ve brought you a more reliable model. It may be useful, because it has a longer range and won’t conk out on you in an emergency.’’

“Wagner, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness, but you can keep your damn radio. My handheld portable only weighs half a pound.’’ He glared up at Dan. “And when I’m carrying a fifty-pound pack, I don’t need a newer, better radio that weighs close to four pounds. No, thanks, I’ll use the one I’ve always had. It’s never failed me yet.”

Dan reined in his temper. He saw Libby give him a distraught look and thought better of verbally attacking Bates in front of her. “Have it your way,” he returned, the velvet in his voice belying the anger he felt.

“I come back to camp every night,” Trevor said defensively, “and I keep a larger model here as a backup. So I really don’t see the problem, Wagner.”

There would be one if I was going to allow Libby to stay overnight with you, Dan thought savagely. He compressed his mouth into a thin line, disliking Bates’s way of camping. He remained silent, walking away from the fire so that Libby could deal with Trevor in her own way. Taking his own portable radio, which he carried around his waist on a special belt, he called into base camp to check on the morning’s agenda. By 8:00 a.m. all the trucks and various equipment would be out and working.

Libby grimaced, returning her attention to the biologist. “Trevor, I’ll only be up here for a few days, but I’ll be going back to base camp every night. What I’d like to do is fit into your schedule and see how everything is coming along.”

Trevor, who was close to forty, with thinning brown hair, gave her a distrustful look. “Dr. Stapleton, may I inquire as to why your company sent you up here? I’ve worked for Cascade Amalgamated before and done a thorough job for them. My credentials are good, Doctor. Unlike some biologists—” he looked directly at her “—I have over a decade of experience in forestry management. I just don’t see the reason for your being here.”

Tactfully, Libby tried to explain her presence to Bates without upsetting him. “Trevor, we’re quite interested in your condor sighting. We both know that the bird is almost extinct. Naturally I want to verify the sighting so that we can protect it.’’

Bates slowly got to his feet, watching Wagner talking on his radio some distance away. “I don’t mean to question your reasons, Dr. Stapleton, but I know Wagner, there, doesn’t believe me. He and I have a personal grudge that goes back a long way.” He settled his black-eyed gaze on her upturned face. “Are you sure you aren’t here because Wagner doesn’t believe I saw a condor?”

“No,” Libby lied. “I happen to have a minor degree in ornithology, Trevor, and I hold a personal interest in your sighting.” That wasn’t a lie. She had majored in plants and minored in predatory birds of the world. She saw Bates’s eyes widen momentarily at that bit of information. She had gone over his major and minor in college and knew that it did not include ornithology. And that meant that he could be wrong about the type of bird he’d seen.

“Libby,” Dan called, coming back over.

“Yes?”

“Listen, I’ve got to get back to base. We’ve got a problem brewing with some of the union employees and Chuck can’t handle it. I have to go.” He stopped at her side, giving Bates a black look. “Will you be all right up here by yourself for a couple of hours?’’

Bates snorted and turned away, climbing back up the rise to his tent.

Libby drew in a deep breath. “You two go at it tooth and nail, don’t you?” she demanded.

Dan frowned. “Yeah, we do.” He studied her clear features. “I don’t want to go, but—”

“Go. I think I can accomplish more if you’re not around to aggravate him, Dan. Trevor just isn’t a very friendly type and he certainly won’t cooperate if you’re here.”

He hesitated. “Damn, I hate to leave you. He’s asking for trouble with bears, Lib,” he said angrily. Dan gripped her arm. “Look, if bears do come, climb a tree and go just as high as you can. Don’t ever try to outrun a bear, because you won’t make it. Just climb a tree and stay there. I don’t know how long it will take to settle this problem with the union, but I’ll be back here by no later than four o’clock this afternoon. I’ll give you my other radio and you carry it on you today. That way I’ll have constant contact with you.”

Libby grinned elfishly. “Gosh, I don’t know, Mr. Wagner. All that weight. Why, I can’t possibly carry a four-pound radio around with me....”

“Don’t start on me, too,” he growled, a smile lurking in the depths of his blue eyes. “The chopper’s going to be here any minute now.” His fingers tightened momentarily on her arm. “I’m going to go over and find out what Bates’s itinerary is today before I leave. I want to make damn sure I know where he is at all times,” he breathed. “Here, take my compass. You got that Buck knife in your pack?’’

Libby took the compass, noticing that the olive-green paint had been chipped off in spots from use. She held it gently in her hands, grateful for his concern. During the last week of their trek out into the wilderness he had taught her how to use it. She had gotten so good at it, Dan had allowed her to guide them back to the base camp. She had brought them within a tenth of a mile of the actual base site.

“Yes, I have it in my pack.”

“Well,” he said darkly, “you carry it on your belt. You never know if you might need it. And watch out for snakes. They’re all over the damn place now, soaking up the sun.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, I will! That’s a promise.”

He gave her a pat on the rear as he turned to leave.

“I’ll see you later this afternoon.”

Libby returned his smile, her heart filled with joy. They were working as a team once again and it felt good. And so natural. She remained at the fire as Dan talked at length with Bates. Trevor traced their route for the day on a map, which Dan marked with a felt tip pen. The chopper arrived shortly after and Libby waved goodbye, watching him take off.

Trevor scowled as she approached. “Well, I’m certainly glad to see Wagner gone. At least we can do our job without his meddling.”

Libby remained silent, pulling from her pack the Buck knife, which was in a sheath, and looping it on her leather belt. Bates kicked dirt on the campfire near the edge of the small meadow. Then he looked up, searching the sky.

“Look!” he shouted excitedly. “It’s the condor!”

Libby frowned, straightening up from her pack. She was standing in the deeply wooded area on the rise near the tent. She saw Bates jumping up and down, pointing skyward.

“Quick!” he called. “Come and see it!”

Libby dropped everything, jogging down the slippery pine-needled expanse. But by the time she joined Bates and put her hands up to shade her eyes from the sunrise, the bird was a mere speck in the sky.

“See?” Bates breathed excitedly. “Did you see how long his wingspan was? My God, that’s phenomenal!”

She moistened her lips, turning to him. “He’s too far away for me to see anything, Trevor.”

Bates became excited. “I know where he’s going! Let’s follow him. He’s going to a cliff area south of here. Yes, that’s what we’ll do. I’ll get the camera and you get your pack, Dr. Stapleton. Hurry!”

Libby was thrown into confusion as Bates scurried around the camp like a little gnome in a furious hurry. Bates tossed her the camera, which she nearly dropped.

“Let’s go! There isn’t much time. He always comes this way around eight and leaves the cliffs around three to seek food. If we hurry, we can get there in time to verify that it’s a condor.”

“But—”

“Are you coming?” he demanded, shrugging into the pack.

Several items still needed to be put in her pack. “Well, yes, but—”

“Really, Doctor, forget all the rest of that stuff. We’ll be back by nightfall,” he chided as if she were some child who needed adult guidance.

She had never worked with someone who was as emotionally volatile as Bates, and it unstrung her briefly. Without a word Libby slipped on her thirty-pound pack and followed him down into the sunlit meadow.

Trevor was so intent upon making the most of their hike along the fairly flat terrain that he didn’t even want to take a break. Libby insisted on one near noon, shedding her pack gratefully and sinking to the ground. Bates reluctantly stopped.

“It’s just a few more miles, Doctor,” he wheedled.

“It could be a mile and I’d still stop and have lunch,” she replied firmly, digging into her pack for the trail mix. A thought suddenly struck her: Where was the radio that Dan had given her? There was a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach as she quickly checked the pockets of the pack. “Oh, damn!” she exclaimed.

“What’s wrong?”

“My radio. I left it back at camp.”

Bates shrugged. “I’ve got mine right here. Don’t worry.”

Libby wasn’t sure, remembering Dan’s displeasure over the handheld portable. “Are you sure it works?” she asked, cringing when Bates glared at her.

“Of course I am! I’ve had this little beauty for six years and it’s never failed me. Quit worrying. Or did Wagner’s know-it-all attitude rub off on you, too?”

Anger stirred in Libby and her eyes narrowed on Bates. “I don’t think Mr. Wagner is entirely wrong. He’s concerned for everyone’s safety. The forest is very dry and the danger of fire is critical, Trevor. I don’t blame him for caring what happens to us out here.”

Bates scoffed. “He may care about you, but he sure doesn’t care what happens to me. He’d probably like to see me get fried out here. That way there’ d be one less thing standing in the way of this lease going through.”

She took a gulp of water from her canteen, trying to control her temper. “Let’s get going,” she muttered, realizing that if she kept Bates occupied, he’d quit complaining. She was beginning to appreciate why Dan disliked the wiry little man so much.

The going got much rougher the last few miles. And it was 4:00 p.m. before they reached the face of the cliffs on Ridge 254. Libby untied the bandana from around her forehead, wiping away the sheen of sweat from the rest of her face and neck. Worriedly she glanced at her watch again. Bates excitedly lowered his pack, taking out his binoculars.

“Trevor, I don’t care what you think. I want you to call into base camp and let them know where we are,” she ordered.

“Just a minute!” he answered impatiently, quickly scanning the gray-and-black cliffs a mile off in front of them.

Libby unscrewed the cap of her canteen, taking a good swig of water. The sun was murderously hot, the heat rising in shimmering curtains on the basalt-and-lava-type rock that surrounded the cliffs. They stood at the edge of the woods.

“Trevor!” Libby snapped. “I don’t give a damn about that condor. Call base!”

Grudgingly, Trevor lowered his binoculars. Like a pouting child, he walked over to his pack, angrily ripping open the nylon straps and buckles. Libby stood at a distance, her face tense and worried. She had tried repeatedly to get Bates to call in and inform Dan where they were. Originally, Bates had told Dan they would be heading due north of the camp. Now, they were many miles in the opposite direction. Well, she tried to tell herself, he’ll call in and Dan can send a helicopter to pick us up.

Trevor angrily jerked open the pouch that contained the radio. It flew out of reach of his hands, landing with a sharp crack on the granite a few feet away. Libby gasped.

“Don’t worry!” Trevor said, going over and calmly picking it up. He twisted a knob. A frown wrinkled his forehead. He twisted another knob and then held the radio to his ear.

“Doesn’t it work?” she demanded, walking up to him.

He shrugged, checking the batteries. “Something must have broken loose,” he muttered.

“But we have to make radio contact or Dan will be worried sick!”

Trevor gave her a mocking glare. “Oh, come, now, Dr. Stapleton!”

She stood, confusion in the depths of her light brown eyes. If Dan did fly into the base camp at four as he’d said he would, he wouldn’t find them. Libby twisted around, looking in the distance toward Ridge 256, where their base camp was located. They had spent too much time getting to the cliffs. And it would be getting dark by seven. Should she head back toward base camp at darkness, or stay where she was? Either way, Dan was going to be worried. She turned and glared at Bates.