That Reckless Night

“Catch you later, Otter!” She grasped her son’s hand and quickly walked away.

Otter, I’m doing you a favor.

Miranda would eat someone like Otter alive and spit out his bones. And she couldn’t bring herself to be that cruel.

She might play fast and loose with moral boundaries but she knew when the stakes were simply too high to ante up.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

JEREMIAH WAS MORE than glad when his meeting with the department heads came to a close. Administrative meetings were never his favorite part of the job, but it came with the paycheck, so he didn’t complain.

Stuart Olly, his immediate superior, came to him with a smile and shook his hand vigorously, almost painfully, and Jeremiah countered with a forceful squeeze of his own. Stuart grinned and nodded, pleased with Jeremiah’s understanding of the unspoken code of appropriate handshakes for men. “How’s the new office?” he asked. “Settling in all right? No one giving you trouble?”

“New office is great. My team is well seasoned and do their jobs without a lot of hand holding needed. I appreciate that in a team as it frees me to attend to other more pressing details.”

“Excellent. Well, not to speak badly of Virgil but he wasn’t exactly a go-getter, if you know what I mean. He preferred to keep his head down and simply do his job without anyone bothering him. However, I’d like to see you take the Homer office in new directions. No more running under the radar.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know. Impress me.”

“Well, one of my team is tracking poachers who are possibly running a black-market poaching ring to sell bear parts illegally. She’s been asking for more resources but with the budget being as tight as it is...you can imagine how quickly her requests have been shot down.”

“Poaching...grim business and not particularly what I’d had in mind, but if she managed to catch these poachers, it could make for some good publicity.”

“Oh, are we looking for media-friendly stories to pitch to the local news?” Jeremiah asked, half joking, but when Stuart didn’t laugh, Jeremiah realized that his boss’s request to impress him had come with a specific set of requirements. “If we managed to catch the poachers, it would look good for the Department of Fish and Game,” he added cautiously. “But from what I’ve read in the reports, we’re dealing with a highly organized and sophisticated operation. It’s going to take more than just a few hours to wrap the case up with a nice pretty bow.”

Stuart smiled and rested his hand on Jeremiah’s shoulder. “Make it work. I know you will. I look forward to your progress report. Out of curiosity, who’s your lead investigator on the case?”

“Miranda Sinclair.”

Stuart’s easygoing expression faded into a worried scowl and Jeremiah wondered how Miranda had locked horns with the older man. “Is that a problem?” Jeremiah asked.

“She’s a loose cannon who doesn’t respect authority. It’s a wonder she hasn’t managed to lose her job yet. Virgil was too lenient on her. I hope you’ll get her in line more effectively than he did.”

“I don’t know her well but she seems a valuable asset. Everyone on my team raves about her tracking skills.”

“She’s fair in the field—not as good as her brother Trace, which is why she didn’t go into Search and Rescue same as him—but she’s got absolutely no respect for authority and she’s got no problem with cutting her nose to spite her face. Honestly, when she applied for the director position, I had to do a double take. I wasn’t sure if her application was meant to be a joke or if she was serious.”

“Why wouldn’t she be serious?” Jeremiah asked, mildly offended for Miranda’s sake. It appeared to Jeremiah that Stuart had a significant prejudice against Miranda and he’d like to know why. “She’s smart and capable. I’ve looked through her file and, yes, she’s passionate about certain subjects, but she’s a solid employee. She has her bachelor’s degree from University of Alaska and she’s motivated to see positive changes in her work environment. Forgive me if I seem out of line but...I prefer a passionate employee over one who is apathetic.”

Stuart regarded Jeremiah for a long moment, then said, “She’s a beautiful woman, no doubt about it. But keep your wits about you when it comes to Miranda Sinclair. She’s a man-eater. Don’t kid yourself about that.”