Texas Fire

by Gerry Bartlett

  Wallace jumped to her feet. “Oh no, Amos. I’m sure Ms. Calhoun wants to taste our delicious well water.” She jerked the bottle out of Megan’s hand, then rushed out of the room and came back with a glass. “Try this. If you dare.” She thrust it in Megan’s face.

  She took it, trying not to wrinkle her nose at the whiff of rotten eggs coming from a liquid the color of weak tea.

  “Why aren’t you drinking?” Wallace sat back down. “I’ve been assured it won’t kill me. At least not in the immediate future. Of course, the trace of carcinogens in there will eventually build up in my system and—”

  “You’ve made your point, Dr. Wallace.” Megan handed the glass over to Rowdy.

  “Have I? Have I, really?” Wallace leaned forward. “How would you like to shower in that? Brush your teeth with it?” She looked around the room when her cousins begin to move, one of them shouting, “That’s right!” Another said, “You tell her, Sharon!”

  Megan stood. “Hold it!” Her voice rang out and, to her surprise, everyone got quiet. “Let’s get something clear right off the bat. I don’t think Calhoun Petroleum owes you a thing. You have a beautiful home that you bought without a lot of forethought. We own the mineral rights and are asserting those rights as we are certainly entitled to do. If your well water is bad now, I’m sorry. Show me proof that it was uncontaminated before we started drilling, and I’ll see what we can do about it.” She waited while Sharon looked around.

  “Artie? Where are those papers?”

  He was going through a file folder. “Nothing here, Sharon. Just the readings after Calhoun started the first well.”

  “Moving on.” Megan wished she had the bottle of water Wallace had taken back to the kitchen. Her mouth was like cotton. “Dr. Wallace, have you bothered to read the statutes concerning the rights of landowners as set out by the state of Texas?”

  “Of course.” Wallace leaned forward. “What are you trying to pull now?”

  “I don’t think you have read them. Or you wouldn’t have built a three-car garage so close to our pipeline.” Megan pulled out a paper and passed it to the person sitting next to her, who gave it to Wallace. “As you must know, we have the right to build a pipeline across your property. Which we have done.”

  “That ugly thing! You can bet I had plenty to say when trucks tore up my land putting it in.” Wallace started to crumple the paper, but Art grabbed it.

  “I’m sure you’ve been told that you have no recourse or say-so as to where we place it.” Megan ignored the curse one cousin muttered a few feet away. “Then, according to rules set out by the state of Texas, you must keep your buildings a certain number of feet away from it. Or that building will be considered a safety hazard.” She waited for silence when there were more curses and murmurs around the room.

  “It seems you violated those guidelines when you built a brand-new garage as recently as four months ago. Then there’s the shed—or is it a barn?—you also managed to set right next to the pipeline.” She passed another paper around the room. Amos stopped it this time and read it. “Those are both potential hazards, and don’t bother claiming you didn’t notice the pipe.”

  “She’s right, Sharon. The statutes are clear. Ms. Calhoun, are you going to make her tear the buildings down?” Amos finally passed it to Sharon.

  “It’s possible.” Megan smiled. “But then it wouldn’t be our decision if the state board was contacted about it, would it?”

  “That’s a threat.” Sharon Wallace jumped to her feet.

  “No. Not yet.” Megan pulled out another paper. “Your concerns about the local wildlife are duly noted. The Texas horned lizard is protected in this state, but not endangered. Close, but no cigar, Dr. Wallace.”

  “But the noise from your fracking has run off all the birds!” This came from Amos’s wife, and several other people chimed in about the wildlife and the noise.

  “That is a shame.” Megan nodded. “You’ll be glad to know that well number four is complete and we’re close to finishing wells five and six. There are noise abatement measures we can take that should help minimize the sound in the pumping stations that will be left when we’re done drilling here. Research shows that the birds will come back to nest once the fracking is completed.” She paused. “Of course, we could decide to drill more wells. Engineering specs and geological surveys show that we have enough allowable space and a promising formation that make this property attractive to drill, oh, a dozen more. This has already been a very profitable field for us.”

  “No!” At least five people jumped up then. The discussion got so loud that Rowdy finally had to shout for quiet.

  “I have some power over that decision. Whether to drill more wells or stand down. As do you, Dr. Wallace, about whether these protests you’re planning will go forward. Do you understand what I’m saying?” Megan pulled out yet another paper, this one a map. “Here’s where we can drill next, if we decide to do so. You’ll notice the site is quite close to the fence line on the other side of your property.” She passed it on around.

  “That’s where I plant my vegetables!” Wallace almost wailed. “You people are deliberately torturing me. It’s inhumane!”

  “No, we’re in business.” Megan sat back while different groups huddled around the papers she’d given them. “I don’t want to despoil your property. And measures are being taken to clean up every bit of your land that’s been damaged by our drilling and pipeline operations. In compliance with state guidelines.”

  “I saw that the county road is being repaired,” one of the cousins spoke up. “When Calvin came by yesterday, he said Calhoun Petroleum paid the county commissioners a good chunk of change to get the job done. That’s a promising start.”

  “Don’t listen to her! You really think her company is going to follow through on any of the good things she says?” Sharon was on her feet. “I don’t trust you, Megan Calhoun.”

  “I’m not surprised you have trust issues. Whom did you buy this place from, Sharon?” Megan stood and faced her. “The party who sold you this place is a matter of public record. That’s Comstock LLC. Digging out who exactly is behind the corporation is a little more complicated. But what’s clear is that Comstock chose to sell this place cheap, because the royalties from the mineral rights are making them rich. Comstock would like nothing more than for us to drill a dozen more wells right here next to your house. I fielded a call from a representative of theirs just this week asking about it.”

  “Comstock. Bastards.” Sharon looked around the room. “I needed to get away, and the house was so beautiful. The air was clean and fresh then, too.” Tears filled her eyes. “Now if the wind is wrong, all I smell are those damn chemicals.”

  “I’ll be working on a way to fix that, Sharon.” Megan put her hand on the woman’s arm. “You need to sue Comstock and whoever is behind it for deceptive practices. I looked it up. If you weren’t notified of the proper terms when you bought this property, they will have to buy it back, with interest.”

  “No, no more bad publicity. And I do love my house.” She shook her head. “I made a stupid decision, and I have to live with it.” She sat down. “Can you really clean things up? Stop drilling more wells? Will the chemical smell go away when you do?”

  “Yes, the chemicals are only used when we drill. No more drilling, no more chemicals.”

  “You’d give up the chance to make more money with more wells just to keep us from protesting?” She looked around the room. Many of her cousins were shaking their heads. “How can I believe you?”

  “We have our reasons for thinking that your land isn’t worth the hassle. And Calhoun owns other uninhabited properties in the area that will be much easier to develop.” Megan saw she’d surprised them with that news. “Now, what if I put our agreement in writing? Got our lawyers to draw up a contract? Would you believe me then? I have reason to believe that our contracts can be made binding and we can’t wiggle out of them.” Megan sat, too. Everyone had stopped
talking, waiting to see if this could be settled.

  “A contract with all those points you just made. But my garage and barn. You won’t tell the commission about them?” She glanced around the room again, looking for reassurance. “I knew I was taking a chance putting them where I did, but the garage is so convenient with access to the road and the barn is next to my garden. It’s where I keep my tiller and my tools.” Her hands were shaking as she pushed back her hair. “I can’t lose my garden, too!”

  “I won’t tell the commission, but that doesn’t mean the facts might not come out anyway. You’d be smart to move both buildings while you’re not subject to fines and a time crunch.” Megan looked back at Rowdy, who’d been quiet the entire time. “What are the problems with buildings being so close to a pipeline, Mr. Baker? Sharon, you remember our engineer. He’s been checking into your situation here for the company.”

  Rowdy looked serious and very professional in a yellow shirt with the company logo on his chest. “It’s dangerous. The contents of the pipes are flammable, of course. There are signs posted with that information all along the pipeline right-of-way. With the drought you’ve been having, if anything close catches fire, you could have an explosion that could cost you a lot more than the garage and barn. Even this beautiful home.” He gestured toward the fireplace. “And it is a great house. No wonder you bought it.”

  “Yes, I love it.” Sharon held out her hand. It was steadier, as if she was finally calming down and ready to be reasonable. “Give me whatever papers you have. I need to study them. And tell your lawyers to get busy. Once I see what the contract says, I’ll decide.” She looked at her cousins. “Artie, Amos, you’re lawyers. Will one of you stay long enough to look over what the company sends me? Advise me?”

  “Sure, Sharon.” Amos walked over and held out his hand. “Megan, just give those papers to me.”

  Megan passed them over, glad she’d been so thorough.

  Sharon stood and faced the people in the room. “Well, folks, I guess we’re not going to rally like we planned, but Marfa is still a nice trip. I hope some of you will go over there and enjoy the music, food, and film festival.”

  “I’ve heard the lights are interesting. Sounds like a fun weekend.” Megan stood. “I look forward to hearing from you once those contracts come in. I’ll try to make sure they expedite that. But one more thing.” She raised her voice and made eye contact with as many people in the room as she could. “I need all of you to listen to me. Everyone involved in the protests and you, Sharon, must sign a nondisclosure agreement. This is important. Calhoun is bending over backward to accommodate you, but we are not going to set a precedent. If any of you feel like this is your opportunity to go to the press and start bragging that the environmentalists have won over big oil? If the details of her contract leak? Well, then, Sharon’s contract will be null and void. Am I clear?”

  Sharon Wallace waited until the angry buzz died down. “She’s not being unreasonable. If this goes through the way she’s promising, I’m willing to keep my mouth shut. I hope you’ll do the same.” She walked Megan to the door. “They’ll calm down, as a favor to me. They know I’ve had a rough couple of years. But I have a question: Once the wells are complete, will there still be Calhoun workers on my land?”

  Megan turned to Rowdy. “Will there?”

  “No regular crew. There’s electronic monitoring of the pipeline and pumping stations, and someone will do a visual check from time to time.” Rowdy nodded. “I think I can safely say you’ll have your privacy back, though. There will be no more big crews on the well site for you to worry about, and no one should be bothering you at the house here. Never should have been.”

  “That’s a relief. That man, Clint Stephens, came by several times when they first started drilling.” Sharon shuddered. “I was beginning to think he had an interest in me.” She grabbed Megan. “He’s not a bad-looking man, but when he spit tobacco on my yucca plant . . .” She seemed to realize she was squeezing Megan’s arm and let go. “I told him to leave and never come back.”

  “Of course. I’m sorry he bothered you.” Megan frowned. What had the supervisor been thinking? Of course, Sharon Wallace was attractive.

  “I admit it made me a little scared to be alone out here after that. It was also a convenient excuse to call for reinforcements when I decided to come after Calhoun. Can I call you Megan?”

  “Of course.” Megan almost smiled. This was real progress.

  “Well, Megan, I don’t like the way your company came in and spoiled my land. But at least you seem reasonable. That’s more than I can say for the man running the show out there at your oil wells. When I did go out there to complain about the noise and smell, all I got were vague promises, then curses and threats.” She opened the front door. “Thanks for coming out here. A Calhoun in West Texas. I heard your father was here last year. Before I arrived. Do you think he would have helped me?”

  Megan laughed. “Never in a million years. I loved him, but Daddy was all about oil production. He was more like Clint. Though he didn’t touch tobacco. Once the wells are complete, the supervisor will be gone. Maybe sooner, if Rowdy and I have anything to say about it.” She stepped outside. “And we do.”

  “Be careful. I’ve seen his temper.” Sharon looked back when someone from inside called her name. “But I’ll be glad when he’s no longer on my property. Now I have to calm the family.” She shut the door.

  “I think we can call that a win.” Rowdy slung his arms around her shoulders. “You were brilliant. But those were big promises you made. Did you check all this out with the head office?”

  “Yes. I’ll tell you the details once we’re out of here. You’re not going to believe it. But Sharon’s right. We do need to get rid of Clint. It’s past time.” Megan paused. She could hear the noise from the last two wells clearly. The roar of the generators wasn’t as horrible as being on the site, but it wasn’t peaceful, either. Rowdy had made good progress in getting Clint to clean up out there, but she could still smell the chemicals when she took a deep breath. And that well water! She wished she could do something about it. Research. Time to hit the computer. If there was a way to remediate . . .

  “Clint goes as soon as the last well is done. No sense in changing supers this close to the end.” Rowdy held open the passenger door for her and helped Megan inside.

  “But if there’s another serious accident?” She kept thinking about Clint’s temper. She’d seen it in action herself.

  Rowdy frowned. “Then he’s gone.”

  Chapter 15

  “I can’t believe you’re giving in to those do-gooders. I know your father expected to get more wells drilled on this land.” Clint was livid. “He’s probably twirling in his grave.”

  “First, you don’t know what my father is doing in his grave.” Megan was clearly not happy. “Second, I made the decision, and Headquarters is fine with it. You have any idea what the price of oil is this week? We’re not drilling any new wells right now. Here or anywhere.”

  Rowdy was ready to step between them, but he knew Megan liked to fight her own battles. She sure had taken care of the Wallace group. In the two days since they’d met with Sharon, her cousins had already started leaving for parts unknown. Half of the RVs in Raylene’s trailer park had taken off this morning. The few that were left had moved down by the showers and the building with the washers and dryers next to Raylene’s trailer. That left Rowdy and Megan with their end of the park to themselves.

  Clint dug more tobacco out of his tin and reloaded. “This contract you’re having drawn up. What about when oil goes back up to a hundred dollars a barrel? You can’t promise to never again drill more wells here. That’s just plain stupid. And isn’t fair to the people who own the mineral rights.”

  “People who buy mineral rights are gamblers. They take a chance that someday oil will be found and drilled on their property.” Megan was being surprisingly patient, but Rowdy could tell she was about to lose her t
emper. “And I really have no respect for the holder of these rights. Comstock basically took advantage of Sharon Wallace when they sold her that land. If they lose out on the rest of the property, tough shit.”

  Clint took a step closer, his fists tight. “What the fuck do you know about it, missy?”

  “Hold it right there, Stephens. You need to remember whom you’re talking to.” Rowdy stepped in front of the supervisor. “Don’t you have work to do on rig number five? It looked to me like it’s about time to push on it.”

  “Yeah. I’m waiting on a chemical delivery now. Clearly I’m wasting my time here.” With one more sour look, he strode out of the office and slammed the door.

  “We need to give him time to cool off.” Rowdy picked up his tablet computer and gestured at Megan’s laptop. “Why don’t you give the research a rest for now and let’s take off early. That festival in Marfa sounded like fun. What do you say we go back to the RV, change clothes, and head over there?”

  His reward was her beaming smile.

  “Seriously? We can take the afternoon off?” She threw her arms around him and gave him a deep kiss that made him want to lock the office door. “Thanks, Rowdy. I’ve been wishing we could go. I was trying so hard to stay Good Megan.”

  “There’s nothing bad about wanting a little time for ourselves. Turn off that damn computer and let’s get out of here.” He didn’t have to tell her twice. He knew they’d been buried in their work for too long. He was used to it—the mud, the men, and the noise. He could see that it had been wearing on Megan, though she hadn’t complained.

  Instead she’d thrown herself into settling what he’d privately figured was a losing proposition. When you went up against the anti-fracking mob, you really didn’t have many arguments you could win. Not when your well site hadn’t been following good procedures. Megan had done a great job ferreting out just the arguments she’d needed to win over Sharon Wallace and her crew. They were at least listening now. And trying to be patient as he kept after Stephens to get his act together. It hadn’t been easy. The man was all about speed over efficiency. He didn’t give a damn for the environment.