All of Me

by Leeanna Morgan

  ***

  Dylan opened the cooler and left three wrapped sandwiches on the blanket he’d pulled out of the truck. Next came juice, pie, muffins and a sweet apricot bar. “I’ve got bottled water if anyone wants it?”

  Logan’s mom looked at the food. “Were you planning on staying for the week?”

  Tess had learned very quickly that Kathy Allen had a great sense of humor. Their tour of Yellowstone National Park had been more fun than hard work. After checking at the visitor center to see when Old Faithful was next due to erupt, they’d hiked to the top of Observation Point to get a birds-eye view of the geyser.

  They’d seen elk and bison along the trail, taken more than one photo of each other enjoying the scenery, and laughed with other tourists doing the same thing.

  Old Faithful’s eruption hadn’t been as spectacular as the last time Tess had been in the Park, but she still enjoyed watching the steam and water shoot out of the ground.

  Dylan picked up a sandwich and started reading the brochure they’d been given at the Yellowstone Lodge. “Eat up, ladies. Once we’ve finished lunch, we’re going to walk around the Geyser Basin. There’s a hot spring in there that I’ve heard about.”

  Tess picked up a slice of vegetarian pie. “You can’t go skinny dipping.”

  Dylan almost smiled. “I’d scare everyone away if they saw me rising buck naked out of a hot spring.”

  Kathy and Tess looked at each other, trying hard not to laugh.

  “You’d start a social media stampede,” Kathy said. “Every woman under the age of ninety would be clicking on your link to see you.”

  Dylan didn’t look impressed with the thought. “I’ll keep my clothes on, then.”

  Tess smiled. “Wise man.”

  Kathy opened a bottle of water and glanced at Tess. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I was wondering what happened today? You didn’t seem all that happy to come with us.”

  Tess finished what she was eating and wiped her mouth. “Logan didn’t tell you?”

  Kathy shook her head. “All he said was that a big story was about to hit the papers and he wanted you away from Bozeman for the day. What’s happened?”

  Tess looked at Dylan. He wasn’t giving anything away about what he knew. “I was a model for about ten years. Just before I retired three years ago, a friend of mine died from a drug overdose. A senator was supplying her with cocaine. I tried to do something about it, but no one believed me. Logan found evidence that could put the senator in prison. He wrote a story about it and it’s in today’s paper.”

  Kathy’s bottle of water landed on the blanket. “What the heck does Logan think he’s doing?”

  Tess hadn’t expected such an angry response from Logan’s mom. She thought she’d be supportive of Logan’s story, even a little confused that Tess wasn’t feeling as positive.

  “He’s going to get himself killed on American soil this time.”

  Dylan watched them both with steady eyes. “It’s okay, Mrs. Allen. Logan’s being careful. He knows the risks.”

  Kathy wasn’t buying any of Dylan’s reassuring words. “I watched my son go off to Afghanistan full of high ideals. He came back broken. What he saw over there nearly destroyed him. I don’t want him getting tied up in political games and drug rings over here.”

  “It’s not a drug ring, ma’am. Least we don’t know if it is. Logan’s planned his story with military precision. He’s been speaking with a team of lawyers and PR people. He knows what he’s doing.”

  “He told me the same thing before he went to Afghanistan.” Kathy looked at Tess. “Have you seen the story Logan wrote?”

  Tess shook her head. “I haven’t seen the story. I’ve got a feeling it might spoil my day so I’m not going to read it until tonight.”

  “Would you mind if I bought a copy and read it now?”

  Tess glanced at Dylan. “You don’t need to buy one. Dylan’s got a copy in his truck.”

  Dylan sighed and pulled his keys out of his pocket. “I’ll go and get it now.”

  While Dylan was gone, Kathy put her hand on Tess’ arm. “I’m sorry you’ve been put in this situation. How do you feel?”

  “I’m worried and angry.” Tess’ voice shook and Kathy gave her a hug. “I want the senator put in prison for what he did to my friend, but he’s as slippery as a snake. He knows how to use the media and make himself look like a victim.”

  “I hate to admit this, but Logan knows what he’s doing. I think that’s why what happened in Afghanistan was harder to understand. He’d always been so careful. He keeps his professional and personal life completely separate.” Kathy paused, then looked more closely at Tess. “Are you still Logan’s almost girlfriend?”

  “He was my friend, but I’m not so sure anymore.” Tess looked across the Park. Logan had known about her past long before she’d told him. He’d worked his way into her life, learned things from her that she shouldn’t have told him. She’d thought he was different. She’d been wrong.

  She turned to Kathy. “You said Logan normally kept his professional and personal life separate. What happened in Afghanistan to change that?”

  “Has he told you what happened?”

  “A suicide bomber destroyed the school he’d started.”

  Kathy waited for her to say something more. “Did he tell you about Abiba?”

  Tess thought back over what Logan had told her. “She was the suicide bomber. She spoke more English than anyone else in the village. That’s why she helped at the school.”

  “That’s all?”

  Tess nodded.

  “You need to ask Logan about her. It might put what’s happening into perspective.”

  Dylan arrived back and handed Kathy the paper. “Front page.”

  It was worse than Tess imagined. If it had made the front page of the Chronicle, it would have made the front page of at least one major newspaper. She glanced down at the paper and her mouth dropped open. “That’s not the Chronicle.”

  Dylan looked confused. “Why would it be?”

  “Logan works for the Bozeman Chronicle, not the Los Angeles Times.”

  Kathy looked up at Tess. “He works on contract with the Chronicle, but still does freelance work.”

  Tess bit her bottom lip. This was worse than she imagined. “Are you saying the story might be in other major newspapers?”

  “I don’t know,” Kathy said. “Unless he sold the story to other corporations it might only be in this paper.”

  “It’s not.”

  Tess and Kathy stared at Dylan.

  “What do you mean?” Tess asked.

  “The story was picked up by all major newspapers.”

  Tess dropped her head to her chest.

  Dylan moved closer to her. “Are you okay?”

  “No.”

  Kathy moved the newspaper into the center of the blanket. “I think we’d better read this story together. What do you think?”

  Tess looked down and saw a picture of a pretty woman with big green eyes staring straight at her. Whoever had taken the photo knew what they were doing. Then she looked at the rest of the page. Logan’s story hadn’t only made the front page, it was the only story on the front page.

  Kathy squeezed Tess’ hand. “Are you ready?”

  Tess nodded. Senator Gibson represented California. Logan had struck into the heart of where his re-election votes would come from. The fall-out would be huge.

  She’d sooner read the story with Dylan and Kathy. If she left it until tonight, she’d be on her own, terrified the senator would be sending his henchmen to kill her.

  And that would be much worse than sitting in the middle of Yellowstone National Park, reading the story and working out what to do next.