Savage Run by C. J. Box

term to promote sabotage in the name of the environment."
    "Edward Abbey" Joe said, "it was Edward Abbey He wrote a book called The Monkey wrench Gang"
    Barnum looked blankly at Joe. "Whatever," he said dismissively.
    Then Joe paused. "Any chance somebody tipped off Finotta about the explosion before I talked to him?
    Barnum's eyes narrowed. "Why? What did he say?"
    "It wasn't what he said .. . it's what he didn't say" Joe continued. "It's what he didn't ask. About the victims, for example. When I thought about it later, I realized he hadn't shown much interest in who died. Like he might have already known."
    "Did you ask him about it?"
    "No."
    Barnum sighed, then shrugged. "Finotta has lots of contacts, so it's possible. Maybe he heard about it over a scanner or something. I don't see where it much matters, to be honest with you. The death of an environmental whacko probably wasn't very high on his priority list. Or mine."
    Joe put the newspaper down and drained the last of his coffee. He hadn't had a chance to tell Marybeth about the conversation when he got home the night before, other than to say that the victims had been identified and that they weren't local. Joe wondered why the name of the dead man had affected Marybeth the way it had. Or was it the fact that he had forgotten to tell her?
    Joe was aware that within the town of Saddlestring, Stewie Woods's death -was already turning into something of a joke. He guessed that it was the same throughout the west in the logging communities, the mining towns, and the farm and ranch centers, where Stewie Woods and One Globe were known and despised. One Globe was one of the most extreme of the environmental groups, a media darling, and one of the few organizations that openly advocated direct action. They hated cattle, they hated the practice of grazing on public land, they hated the ranchers who had or applied for leases, and they hated the politicians and bureaucrats who continued to allow the practice.
    Barnum had speculated that Woods was hoping for headlines like "Cow Explodes In National Forest"--something that would focus attention on the grazing debate--when something went horribly wrong.
    An interesting angle raised in the newspaper, and previously unknown to Joe, was the fact that Stewie Woods was a local boy born and reared in Winchester. He had attended high school in Saddle string and had played middle linebacker for the football team with a
    recklessness that made him All-State. Then, according to his coaches and neighbors, he had gone to the University of Colorado in Boulder and instead of playing football for the Golden Buffaloes, he hooked up with the wrong people and went crazy
    Joe wondered about the embarrassing legacy Woods's death would leave. Like an overweight Mama Cass, who died from choking on a sandwich, or Elvis Presley, who died on the toilet, or fitness author Jim Fixx, who died while running, Stewie Woods would forever be remembered as the environmental activist blown up by a cow. Despite the stunts, the publicity the best-selling biography written by Hayden Powell, and the attention Woods had garnered through the years, Stewie Woods would always be linked with a cow explosion. Joe knew there were ranchers, loggers, and politicians who would find this all very amusing.
    Joe raked a hand through his hair. What he still didn't know was why Marybeth was so upset by the news. But he knew she would tell him when she felt she was ready Since her shooting injury and the loss of their baby, Marybeth readily admitted that she was more prone to quick mood swings and tremendous bouts of strong emotion--mostly sentimental ones. Sometimes she couldn't identify exactly what it was that triggered the tears. He had learned not to press her, not to make her give him a definitive answer right away because sometimes she simply didn't have one. It bothered her more than it bothered Joe, for she was a woman who had no room or time for baseless theatrics.
    So whatever