“He wants a police investigation?” Rowan asked.
“He’s made up his mind Leo managed to do this. He may be right.” She walked her feet up to a forward fold, hung there a moment, then straightened. “Irene’s leaving him. She’s already packing up. The Brayners are taking the baby tomorrow, and I don’t think she plans to be far behind. She’s going to move into your daddy’s place for a couple weeks, until she clears up her business.”
“She’s moving in with Dad?”
“No, into the house. He offered it to her. He’ll be in Ella’s.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t give me that WTF look. Talk to your father about it. Meanwhile, I hear they have Leo on suicide watch and he’s clammed up tight. He wants to take a lie detector test. I think they’re going to do that today or tomorrow.
“That’s about it. I’ve got to get back.”
Gull waited a moment, then scooped up some pasta. “All that, and I bet the only thing you’re thinking is your father’s going to be living with the hot redhead.”
“Shut up. Besides, he’s just doing a favor for Mrs. Brakeman.”
“Yeah, I bet it’s a real sacrifice. You know what I’m thinking?”
Deliberately she stared up at the sky. “I don’t care.”
“Yes, you do. I’m thinking, the way this is working out, I’ll move in with you. You’re going to have the room, then I can be closer to Marg and get this barbecue on a regular basis.”
“I don’t think this is something to joke about.”
“Babe, I never joke about barbecue.” He licked some off his thumb. “I wonder how a Fun World would go over in Missoula.”
Rowan tried to squeeze out some stress by pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m losing my appetite.”
“Too bad. Can I have the rest of your sandwich?”
The snort of laughter snuck up on her. “Damn it. Every time I should be annoyed with you, you manage to slide around it. And no.” With a smirk, she stuffed the rest of her sandwich into her mouth.
“Just for that I’m going to get some pie. And I’m not bringing you any.”
“You don’t have time.” She tapped her watch. “Briefing.”
“I’ll take it to go.”
He didn’t get her any pie, but he did bring her a slab of chocolate cake. They ate dessert out of their palms on the way to Ops.
Jumpers poured out of the woodwork, heading in from the training field and track, striding out of the barracks, filing in from the loft. A grim-faced Cards, shoulders hunched, hands deep in his pockets, turned out of the ready room.
Rowan nudged Gull’s arm with her elbow and shifted direction to intersect.
“You look like somebody stole your last deck,” she commented.
“Do you think I didn’t do my job? Didn’t pay attention to what I load?”
“I know you did. You do.”
“That equipment was inspected and checked. I’ve got the goddamn paperwork. I checked the goddamn manifest.”
“Are you taking heat on this?” Rowan demanded.
“It’s got to go up the chain, something like this, and when shit goes up the chain, the hook drops on somebody. What’re we supposed to do, check every valve, nozzle, cord and strap before we load it, when every damn thing’s been checked before it goes into rotation? Are we supposed to start everything up before we put it on the damn plane?
“Fuck it. Just fuck it. I don’t know why I do this damn job anyway.”
He stalked off, leaving Rowan looking after him with a handful of cake crumbs and smeared icing. “He shouldn’t take a knock for this. This is nobody’s fault except whoever messed up the equipment.”
“He’s right about the way things drop back down the chain. Even if they pin it on Brakeman, on anybody, Cards could take a hit.”
“It’s not right. L.B. will go to bat for him. It’s bad enough, what we’ve been dealing with, without one of us getting dinged for it.” She stared down at her chocolate-smeared hand. “Hell.”
“Here.” Gull dug a couple of wet naps out of his pocket. “Some problems have easy solutions.”
“He’s a damn fine jumper.” She swiped at the chocolate. “As good a spotter as they come. He can be annoying with the card games and tricks, but he puts a lot into this job. More than most of us.”
Gull could have pointed out that putting more than most into it meant Cards had regular and easy access to all the equipment, and that as spotter he hadn’t jumped the Alaska fire.
No point in it, he decided. Her attachment there ran deep.
“He’ll be all right.”
They went into the building where people milled and muttered.
He saw Yangtree sitting, rubbing his knee, and Dobie leaning against a wall, eyes closed in a standing-up power nap. Libby played around with her iPhone while Gibbons sat with a hip hitched on a counter, his nose in a book.
Some drank coffee, some huddled in conversations, talking fire, sports, women—the three top categories—or speculating about the briefing to come. Some zoned out, sitting on the floor, backs braced against the wall or a desk.
Every one of them had dropped weight since the start of the season, and plenty of them, like Yangtree, nursed aching knees. The smoke jumper’s Achilles’ heel. Strained shoulders, pulled hamstrings, burns, bruises. Some of the men had given up shaving, sporting beards in a variety of styles.
Every one of them understood true exhaustion, real hunger, intense fear. And every one of them would suit up if the siren called. Some would fight hurt, but they’d fight all the same.
He’d never known people so stubbornly resilient or so willing to put body, mind and life on the line, day after day.
And more, to love it.
“L.B. hasn’t started.” Matt maneuvered in beside him. “I thought I’d be late.”
“Not yet. I didn’t expect to see you for a couple more days.”
“I’m just in for this. L.B. wanted all of us, unless we caught a fire. What’s the word?”
“As far as I know they’re still inspecting. They found a few more pieces of equipment tampered with.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“Did your parents get in all right?” Rowan asked him.
“Yeah. They’re over visiting with Shiloh. We’re going to take her out for a couple hours later, so she gets used to being with us. She’s already taken to my ma.”
“How’s Mrs. Brakeman doing?”
He lifted his shoulders, stared toward the Ops desk. “She’s being real decent about it. It shows how much she loves the baby.” He let out a little sigh. “She and my ma had a good cry together. L.B.’s getting ready to start.”
“All right, settle down,” L.B. called out. “I’ve got some things to say, so pay attention. Everybody knows about the equipment failures on the jumps in Alaska and Wyoming. I want to tell you all that we’re continuing a full inspection, any equipment or gear not yet inspected and passed doesn’t go out. I called in a couple extra master riggers to help reinspect, clear, repack every chute on this base. I don’t want anybody worrying about the safety of their gear.”
He paused a moment.
“We’ve got a good system of checks on this base, and nobody cuts corners. Everyone here knows it’s not just important, it’s fucking
He hard-eyed the protests until they died off.
“I’ve been in touch with the Management Council so they’re aware of what we’re dealing with. The local police and the USFS are also aware and conducting their own investigations.”
