Whisper to the Blood by Dana Stabenow Page B

big game guide with a high-end lodge back in the Quilaks on
a salmon- and trout-rich stream, in close proximity to bears black and brown
and within an easy hike of all the moose and caribou a great white hunter could
possibly want. The lodge, a rustic affair with hot and cold running water,
one-bedroom suites, a full bar, maid service, and a live-in gourmet chef during
the fishing and hunting seasons, had become so well known among business
executives, the Hollywood elite, and the jet set that nowadays it ran full on word
of mouth alone. While not as pro-development as
Harvey
, unlike Auntie Joy Demetri was not
averse to commerce, especially when it might make him a buck or two. On the
other hand, he wouldn't take kindly to any development that might affect the
raw, rough, wilderness experience of his guests, either. Of everyone on the
board, Demetri had the best grasp of numbers. If it looked like the mine would
make him more money, bottom line, than his lodge, he'd be for it. The opposite,
the opposite. Self-interest was a wonderful thing, and at least it made him
predictable.
    Macleod walked around Demetri, trailing a hand across his shoulders, and
increased the wattage of her smile to where it was almost blinding. "And
of course the legendary Kate Shugak."
    Old Sam's responding smile had been wicked and appraising, Auntie Joy's
handshake had been brief, the tips of Demetri's ears were red, and
Harvey
looked like a
proud, lecherous parent. Kate found herself very much on her guard. She leaned
forward as if to get to her feet, caught sight of Auntie Joy's stony visage,
and only just stopped herself in time. She hated being loomed over but since
Macleod was at least five ten in her stockings and the heels of her boots added
two inches more, and Kate was only five feet nothing, she would have had to
look up anyway. She accepted Macleod's hand from a seated position and said,
"I don't know about legendary."
    "I do," Macleod said. Her grip was firm and strong and lasted just
long enough. "Mandy says hi, by the way."
    "And you know Mandy," Kate said. Mandy Baker, expatriate Boston
Brahmin and champion dog musher, lived on the second homestead over from
Kate's, and was one of Kate's closest friends.
    Macleod grinned. "I think everybody in
Alaska
has cheered her out of the chute on
Fourth Avenue
at
least once."
    "Talia,"
Harvey
said, reasserting his control of the situation, "joined us today at my
invitation to tell us a little bit about the Suulutaq Mine."
    There was instant attitude from around the table, beginning with Auntie
Joy's continued imitation of
Washington
on
Mount Rushmore
. Hard for an old Native woman to look like
a dead white guy, but Auntie Joy managed it. Old Sam leaned back in his chair,
propping his knee on the edge of the table, and linked his hands behind his
head, but the carefree pose couldn't hide his attentive-ness or his tension.
Demetri closed his eyes and shook his head very slightly.
    "Really," Kate said. There was a lot going on here that she didn't
understand. Kate never enjoyed feeling ignorant, unsure, and out of control.
"Listen, Ms. Macleod—"
    "Talia, please."
    "Okay, Talia," Kate said. "No offense, but while I'm prepared
to acknowledge that you can ski and shoot my ass off, what do you know about
gold mines?"
    There was the barest perceptible glimmer of emotion from Auntie Joy. Old Sam
laughed outright. Demetri pretended to be invisible.
Harvey
sucked in his breath but before he
could protest Macleod said, "Maybe a little more than you do, but only
because I've been boning up on them since Global Harvest hired me."
    Kate thought about it, and nodded. "What's your interest here?"
    Macleod gestured at
Harvey
.
"Like
Harvey
says, they hired me to liaise with the Park. It's a paycheck. Biathlons don't
pay real well."
    "Fair enough," Kate said. Auntie Joy had reverted to the Great
Stone Face again, and Old Sam was maintaining a watching brief, so no help
there. "Okay. Make your pitch."
    Macleod