After we all exchanged pleasantries, they left.I noticed that Dore's goodbyes to Tina were particularly warm. Shehad passed.
Soon, the catered dinner was served. It wasquite a party.
****
The next morning, it seemed as though everyonewas sleeping in. I woke Tina and told her that we needed to go intotown for our last breakfast in Rocky Butte. There was one morething I had to do.
At Bob's Cafe we sat on stools at the counter,somewhat to Tina's surprise. Four rough looking cowboys, wearingtheir cowboy hats, sitting in a booth, told Agnes something whileshe was taking their orders. She shrugged her shoulders, came overto us, carefully looking Tina over, and said,"what’ll-ya-have."
"Two scrambled eggs," I responded. Tina added,"The Denver Omelet."
Agnes looked me straight in the eye and said,"Congratulations on creating Rocky Butte's first millionaires andputting the Sheriff in his place."
"Thanks, but that is not exactly true. Theirsuit will be locked in appeals courts for years to come. Theinsurance companies will try to drag it out forever. The Sodastromswill not get a penny for years. People shouldn't try to hit them upfor donations or grub stakes on mining ventures. They don't haveany new money. Tell all the potential kidnappers of Ann and Ed thatunless they want to hold captives for years, there will be no moneyfor ransom."
"Is that really true?" She soundedsurprised.
"And, our law firm doesn't get paid from thesettlement until the Sodastroms do. I am not leaving here with afat paycheck from the settlement. I did not come here and get richoff the Sodastroms' hard luck."
"Is that really true? That's disappointing, forthe Sodastroms, I mean."
Agnes leaned down as if she were going to sharea confidence with Tina and said. "The boys over there think youwere the girl who beat up Chester Dawson at The Claim Jumperyesterday. Is that true?"
Tina bent her head down in mock embarrassmentand replied in her fake southern accent, "I was at The Claim Jumperyesterday with one of my lady friends and I saw those big cowboysscrabbling about something. How could somebody like little old mebeat up a cowboy who weighs twice as much as I? Well, I'llsay."
"I'll tell them," replied Agnes.
As we got back in the car, I said to Tina, "Youhave created another legend for Rocky Butte. You're probably thebiggest thing since Sasquatch was sighted. I don't think any localsheard about Mr. S's little surprise. Buster had requested the FBIkeep the affair secret for a while. He didn't want to risk havingthe car bombing interfere with the trial."
"We visited the Sodastroms briefly, andreturned to the Ranch to pack up. We said our goodbyes to Busterand Sofia, with Sofia, and Tina acting as if they were long lostsisters."
Elizabeth would stay a few days to clean upsome paperwork, and take Ben up on his offer to give her ridinglessons.
She blushed slightly and added, "Ben also saidsomething about learning something called 'wrangling.' Do you knowwhat that means?"
"I'll expect a full report when you get back toLA," I joked.
Elizabeth smiled, "I need to take somethingback: Catered dinners, fine champagne, clients who fly in LearJets, twenty–million dollars, that's big time. I am delighted I gotto assist." She offered her hand.
"Thank you," I replied, and shook herhand.
As we drove away Tina said, "Well, that's onemore chapter in our lives."
'That is more true than you think,' I thought.I didn't want to discuss Colson's letter until I had sorted out awhole bunch of things.
****
Chapter Nine
THEQUIET TIME
We had a leisurely trip through the GoldCountry in the foothills of the Sierras where the California GoldRush happened, through the sleepy towns, so isolated from largertowns that they did not become bedroom communities. They'vemaintained the character of an early California small boomtown,isolated from the changes in industry and immigration.
We had fun panning gold, riding logging trains,swimming in ice-cold rivers through tame rapids; beingtourists.
At one point Tina observed, "I was expecting wewould rush back to CrystalAire and your sailplane. Here, we areplaying tourist."
I replied, "That's where we are headed. Somehowit doesn't seem so urgent now."
I wanted to talk to Tina about my letter fromColson. I though it was such a huge subject that it required aspectacular setting to discuss. I suggested to Tina that we go toYosemite, it was not too far off our route, and neither of us hadbeen there for many years.
We spent a day and a half in Yosemite Valley,mostly hiking. Since we were both consumed by the excitement ofexploring the beautiful place, for the first time since we werekids, I didn't find a suitable, quiet time to discuss grown-upplans with Tina. Reluctantly, we started the drive to SouthernCalifornia.
After we left drove out of the Valley, we cameto a sign for the turn to Glacier Point. I said, "Let's go there.There is a place there that is one of my favorites."
We drove for about a half hour over an areathat was mostly grey granite outcroppings with scattered clumps oftrees. We came to the Washburn Point turnout and parked. We walkedover and sat on a low granite block wall.
Tina exclaimed. "This is really spectacular!Look how dark it looks down in the valley below us and how theshadow is creeping up the other side of the valley. Are those thefalls we hiked up where there was all the mist? Look at how goldenHalf Dome looks in the late sun."
I recalled to Tina, "The last time I was here,a geology teacher, standing on that boulder over there, lecturedhis class. He was really in his element, talking about eons oftime, the glaciers grinding their way through the valleys, He wassilhouetted in front of hundreds of miles of Granite Mountains. Ihad never really thought about it, but geology has a lot to do withspace-time, the four-dimensional kind. Speaking ofspace-time....."
I reached in my pocked, produced Colson's offerletter.
"Tina read it with astonishment and said, "Whatdoes this mean?"
"This will be essentially a new career for me.I will change my life plan. Stand up a second." I
