by J. A. Marlow
Mr. Goodwin turned to face the hallway leading to the back of the office and shouted back, "Another old woman interfering with my life? I won't have it!"
Mr. Pelson shouted back, "A session, or I will not handle it."
"You're the only lawyer in town. That's blackmail!"
"That's right."
The secretary was already on the phone. Zach watched, fascinated as the shouted argument continued. After the shouting matches between his mother and father before their divorce, his stomach automatically recoiled at raised voices. But the conversation getting shouted back and forth and the expressions on Mr. Goodwin and the secretary's faces were too absurd to be real.
She set down the phone and stood up to guide Mr. Goodwin towards the door. "Ms. Simpson says she would be delighted to have tea and coffee with you and your wife immediately. Have a nice sit-down."
"But I want the papers."
"We can see about the papers afterwards. If you still want it," she assured. She firmly closed the door behind him.
With how red and loud the man was, Zach half expected him to come storming back in. But no, the man stomped off across the road, obviously determined to go somewhere.
"And there is a lot more of that where you're going," the secretary said as she passed him on her way back to the desk.
"Did you send him to a marriage counselor?" Zach asked.
"Local native elder. Middle child of a family of nine kids."
"The moderator."
The secretary glanced up at him as she sat down. "Middle child?"
Zach shrugged. "Only child, but my Uncle has a big family. Emily is the moderator."
"All finished," his father announced, coming out from the back with a large manila envelope in one hand.
Zach stood up. "Do we have to come back?"
Mr. Pelson shook his head, "No, you can head out to Salmon Run tonight and take possession. Let me know if you have any problems or need any legal advice."
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Pelson." His father said, shaking his hand.
Zach zipped up his coat. As he thought, the entry back into the cold outdoors was an unwelcome shock. The cold went right up his nose, his breath turning into white puffs around his face. The cold quickly infiltrated his coat, moving right down to his skin, as if the warmth of the office never happened.
"Back to the bus station?" Zach asked. He hoped so, also hoping that no one was occupying the chair closest to the fireplace.
His father looked at his watch. "Bank first. I have a paper from the lawyer to give them to transfer an account over to me. Then the Chamber of Commerce."
The bank required a hike further down the road. And the reactions continued. The woman at the bank suddenly sucked in her breath before completing the change of ownership name of the Salmon Lodge business account. Back at the Chamber of Commerce the man behind the counter looked up quickly with a laugh when his father said the business name. The man smothered the laugh and went back to business.
But while his father completed signing up the lodge Zach noticed that the name of the lodge had been noticed by plenty of other people in the room. The expressions ranged from surprise, horror and out-right amusement.
"I'm getting really nervous about the lodge," Zach said quietly in the entryway of the Chamber of Commerce while zipping back up his coat. "Is it falling down or something?"
His father held the door open for him. "Mr. Pelson assured me it's been watched over since Uncle George died."
"Then why is everyone acting funny anytime it or Uncle George is mentioned?"
"Uncle George had a reputation wherever he went."
"Is it going to keep lodgers from coming?"
Zach was quick to note that his father didn't say anything, and the lines on his forehead appeared.
He turned his attention to walking on the well-sanded parts of the steps. "I hope the heat works."
And at the bottom of the three steps sat a mangy wolf with a crooked left ear and a notch out of the right. The appearance of two rows of sharp bared teeth made him instantly forget the cold.
CHAPTER THREE
Hawk pulled Zach back, putting himself between the two despite the urge to flee. Oh, how he wanted to run. But, he had a feeling the wolf could run a lot faster across the snow and ice than he could.
Black and gray matted fur around the face and mangled ears indicated a hard life. A pink and black tongue nipped out to lap over long and sharp teeth. No growl yet, but with teeth like that, who needed one?
Hawk pushed his son backwards and said in a whisper, "Move slowly towards the building."
A long furry tail wagged at the words. The wolf barked at them with a distinct dog-like bark and cocked its head.
"Darnit, I told you to wait!"
The wolf-dog turned towards the shout. A man with a carefully groomed salt and pepper beard poking out of a hood hurried towards them from another building. He stuffed letters into the oversized pockets of his stained brown parka.
"I told you to wait outside the door," The man said, stalking up to the creature. The wolf-dog rolled his head and wagged his tail more furiously.
"Is he safe?" Zach said from behind him.
Hawk swallowed hard. How could Zach even ask such a thing? The dog looked ready to jump them. He wanted to tell him that no dog was truly safe, but the pressure in his chest made it hard to speak.
The man stopped berating the dog to look at them confused. "Darnit? He's an annoying dog, for sure. A failed sled dog due to not getting along with the other dogs. It's how he got his name. It would have been something else, but that name wouldn't have been appropriate in polite society. But dangerous? Only if you leave your meal out where he can get to it."
Zach stepped out from behind him but Hawk left a hand on his shoulder to pull him back again if necessary. "He was showing his teeth."
"He was?" The man looked down at the dog. "Trying your human grin again, Darnit?"
"Nice to meet both of you. We need to get to the bus terminal now." With great relief, Hawk inched away from the dog who was still showing his teeth, watching their every move. Away from the dog and to a room with a good heater were his only ambitions.
"BB's? Might that be for the Solar Express? Word just went out that the departure has been delayed again."
"Delayed?" Hawk and Zach said together.
The man grinned, the frost on the tips of the hairs of his beard twitching. "Yep, it happens that way. By the way, Chance McRoyal. Prospector, miner and jack of all trades. Call me McRoyal. Everybody does."
"Hawk, and this is Zach," Hawk answered absently, pulling the collar of his denim coat closer in a futile effort to keep out the cold. "What do you mean delayed? We were told to be at the bus station at exactly seven tonight."
"I'm sure you were. The Solar Express leaves when it wants to, and no yellin at it will change its mind." Chance pulled off his stocking hat, ran a hand through his hair and stuffed it back on. He took a moment to look them up and down. "If you are on the Solar Express, then you must be heading for Salmon Run."
Hawk sighed, seeing he wasn't going to get away. At least they were a bit further away from the dog. Zach wrapped his arms around his body as he bobbed up and down. "You're from there?"
"Most of my adult life has been spent there and in the hills and mountains surrounding the place. Always good to have new blood, even if it's for a short time. Will stir a few things up." Darnit barked in emphasis. McRoyal stopped and frowned. "And what kind of designer city clothes are those?"
Hawk looked down. The dark denim coat, jeans and hiking boots seemed okay to him. "Is it going to get colder?"
"Are you serious? This is balmy!"
He couldn't help the groan that slipped through. He couldn't control his shivering as it was. His mind went through the contents of their luggage. Maybe layering the sweatpants and shirts? Split them between himself and Zach.
McRoyal took his arm and guided him down the street. "Come with me. Can't h
ave the new arrivals freezing to death their first day in town. The Mayor would kill me. Much as I hate to do it myself, it's time to go shopping. Hope you have a little poke put away."
"Poke?" Hawk repeated as he shuffled along the ground in an effort to keep up.
"You know, grub stake. Money whiled away for a future emergency. The proper clothes will cost a bit, but they'll last a time if you take care of them. You'll never be sorry to have proper winter gear." McRoyal let go of Hawk's arm to wave at someone across the street, "See you next time, Myrtle! I'm heading home tonight."
Zach caught up with him and whispered, "Are you okay?"
"Fine," Hawk muttered, eying the mangy dog, hating that he'd once again shown his fear.
The dog padded along behind them, its tongue lolling out to the side, more sure-footed than he felt it had a right to be.
McRoyal stopped, turning towards them with a shake of his head. "No, not the heels. No wonder you are slipping about so much. Slide along on the balls of your feet, as if you were skating. You'll keep your balance better."
He tried to imitate the shuffling gate of the old-timer. Now that he knew what to look for, he saw the locals walking the same way. Across a street and two buildings down McRoyal turned towards a large building not far off the street.
Darnit joined the other dogs waiting outside of a sporting and clothing store, faces full of sharp teeth growling at each other as they jockeyed for position. Hawk pushed Zach inside with more force than necessary to get them out of the way.
His anxiety level plummeted once the steel and glass door closed behind them. With trembling fingers he unzipped his jacket, thankful for the warmth inside the store.
McRoyal unzipped his coat and pushed down the hood, revealing the same salt and pepper hair that his beard consisted of. He stopped by a rack to the left of the door and held up a black coat with yellow stripes so stuffed with insulation that it looked like a small person were hidden inside. "Here's what you need. Serious winter gear. In an Alaskan winter, you can't be too warm."
Hawk saw Zach open his mouth with the same expression he'd seen him use to correct the science teacher. He quickly put a hand on his shoulder to stop the no-nonsense debate sure to follow. "We do have warmer clothes in our luggage."
McRoyal looked them over once more and shoved the jacket towards him, "Not good enough. You won't find the gear you need in a high-falutin store in a downtown lower-48 city. No sir. Trust McRoyal. I'll make sure you have what you need."
Before Hawk knew it he had on the biggest and heaviest coat he'd ever worn in his life. "How does that feel?"
"Sleeves need to be longer," Hawk said automatically. He could feel beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead. He quickly took it off while McRoyal went through the racks again.
Zach poked at the rack. "These aren't even close to my size."
"I'm sure there are some in the store somewhere," he said while hanging the coat back up. "Wow, like a sauna."
"It won't feel that way when you are out in the cold. You'll need it for working on the outside of the school. The flashing on the south side needs replacing. And, for heavens sake, don't let Ms. Angie talk you into painting the place fuchsia. The town has its pride." He pulled off a coat of dark blue and yellow. "Here, this one should work."
Hawk automatically took it and tried it on. "I'm not working at the school. I'm the new owner of the Salmon Run Lodge."
The sleeves were longer. Hawk liked all the pockets it had, as well as a collar that pulled snug around the neck.
Then he realized he was surrounded by silence. He looked up after trying the zipper again to find McRoyal staring at him.
He let out with a whoop of a laugh, "You hear that, Darnit? We have a new owner of the Salmon Run Lodge! I wondered who old George saddled the place with. Welcome to the community."
Hawk heard Darnit howl from the front of the store. The other dogs quickly joined in the chorus. He also noticed the wide-eyed stares of several other people in the store. The next moment he was surrounded by men with red and pink wrinkled faces, women with friendly curious faces and a group of kids who appeared out of nowhere.
"Welcome to the area."
"Don't believe all the stories about the place."
"Going to open 'er up again?"
"The noises are nothing."
"Hey, mister, are you really going to live there?"
CHAPTER FOUR
Hawk looked down at the wide brown eyes of one of the children. He noticed Zach's eyes were just as wide.
"Oliver, of course they are going to live there. A quick cleaning and the lodge will be quite comfortable," an elderly smiling native said. He pulled the boy backwards to stand right in front of him, extending a hand out, "Welcome to Salmon Run. Steve Neeley, but everyone calls me Grandpa Neeley."
"Nice to meet you," Hawk said, shaking the rough hand with large knuckles. "You know the lodge?"
"Helped George on many an occasion. It's a good solid place, built to last." Grandpa Neeley ignored a muttering from further back in the store and continued to talk, making it impossible for Hawk to hear more of the whispers. "We've worked with Mr. Pelson to keep her in shape. You don't keep a building cold in the winter. It will destroy a structure faster than anything."
"Wonderful. Then we can move right in."
Grandpa Neeley scratched the salt and pepper short-cut hair at the back of his neck, "Well, I didn't say that. Will need a bit of a cleanup. A herman got into the kitchen not too long ago."
Zach leaned on the rack with a frown. "Then tell Herman to go mess up his own place."
The comment was met with a round of laughter throughout the store.
Oliver rolled his eyes and gave Zach a haughty, "Herman is a rat."
"Not a rat, an ermine is a type of rodent," Grandpa Neeley said with a chuckle, emphasizing the pronunciation of the word. "Annoying little things, make one heck of a mess, but pretty harmless. We chased him out. Finish up your shopping. We can update you on the lodge on the train."
He herded the kids away. The others drifted away to continue their shopping, some still laughing and shaking their heads.
Hawk pulled off the coat before he melted from the heat. "This one will do."
"Don't believe all the stories about the place?' Zach asked. "What did that mean?"
McRoyal shrugged. "Don't pay any attention to that. Now to find a coat and snow pants for Zach. What size do you wear?"
Fifteen years old, and people were still trying to dress him. "Um, I'm fine."
"They really are a lot warmer," Hawk said. He put the coat aside. The thought of going back out in the cold had just become more palatable.
"They cost too much," Zach said with a frown. "My jacket is fine and we have other things to spend the money on."
Hawk smothered a sigh. Not the budget again. Sometimes he worried about Zach becoming much too old before his time.
#
Zach slipped off his coat at his father's urging, trying on a heavily insulated light blue coat. Zach didn't care for the color, but fortunately it didn't fit. The long day of travel was starting to wear on him, making him eager to get on the Solar Express and get to Salmon Run and the lodge as soon as possible.
A brown eyed teenager not much older than himself studied him from across a display of boots. "If you are going to be living in the lodge that means you will be attending the Salmon Run School."
Zach shrugged. He searched another rack. If he had to get a coat it would be in a color he liked. "Yeah."
"How's your crossover?"
Zach paused while pushing the hangers back and forth. "My what?"
"Or your layup? Blind pass? Give and go?" The boy started frowning. "Come on, anything?"
He shook his head, his mind trying to sort and categorize the phrases into something that made sense. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Ah, geez. Another useless transplant," the boy said with disgust.
A pair of gloves fle
w through the air and hit the boy on the back of the head. A black-haired native girl in a soft yellow sweater and with sharp bright eyes lobbed a second pair at him from the shoe section. "Leave him alone, Jacob. Not everyone has basketball on the brain."
Jacob caught the second pair. He bent down and grabbed the first pair, throwing them both back at the same time, "And not everyone has homework on the brain, Sasha. You are such a geek."
"You were talking about basketball?" Zach asked as the girl insulted Jacob's homework ethics in return.
Jacob looked back at him with a snort. "Obviously. Don't you play any sports?"
"Fishing is as close as I get."
Jacob waved at him as he walked away. "Then what good are you?"
"The world needs more geeks and less jocks," the girl shouted after him.
"I never liked basketball much, either," his father said. "Don't let anyone pressure you into joining the team if you don't want to."
"That's one sport you don't have to worry about." Zach moved to a different rack. "If there's a debate club, that might be different."
His father laughed. "And I worry about the equipment you would want me to buy for that."
The girl appeared around the rack, smiling at him. She held out her hand. "Sasha Neeley. Nice to meet you."
Zach automatically extended his own hand. "Zach Callahan."
"Nice to have another thinker in the school. The place has been over-run with testosterone-laden jocks who would prefer to be playing sports than learn anything." She grinned. "Or anything, really, other than be in school."
"I didn't say school was my entire life," Zach said quickly. He continued looking through the racks. "I meant it. I like fishing."
"Great, so do I. And there's lots of great fishing around Salmon Run. It's how it got its name. What grade?"
"Uh, 9th."
"Perfect, so am I! We can be study partners."
Zach froze, staring at Sasha. He would have guessed she was younger than his own fifteen years, by perhaps a couple years. He croaked, "We're in the same school?"
