The Bachelor Ranger Read online

  She heard them talking quietly in the back. Suddenly Mika said her name in a way that told her something important was on his mind.

  “What is it?”

  “Lusio and I just remembered something about when we were up at Tenaya Lake.”

  “Go on.”

  “You know Steve?”

  “After how badly he made you feel, I’m not likely to forget him.”

  “When he opened his backpack to get out his insect repellent, he must have opened the wrong compartment because we saw bear spray. He zipped it up again real fast.”

  She tensed.

  “We thought only the chaperones were supposed to carry it.”

  So did Alex. “Maybe Mr. Thorn told his kids to bring some along.”

  “Then Steve must have brought it for the others—we counted at least six cans,” Lusio informed her. “It didn’t seem important at the time, but when we found those bears today and Cal told us how bear spray is used to subdue them, it got us thinking.”

  “Now you’ve got me thinking. I’m glad you told me. I’ll pass the information on to Cal.”

  Two hours later she said goodbye to the boys at Curry Village. They wanted to get tacos first, then walk back to Sugar Pines. Alex told them to have fun, knowing they wouldn’t mention anything about the bears.

  After she reached Cal’s house and put his car away, she phoned him to let him know she was back.

  “I’m glad you got there safely. Cindy will be by for you in a few minutes. Just leave the car keys on the counter in the kitchen and lock the front door as you leave. Alex—” he sounded intense “—I’d like to talk to you longer, but we’re in the middle of this investigation. Got to run.”

  He hung up before she could tell him about her conversation with the boys. While she waited outside for her ride, she decided to let Vance know what she’d learned. Unfortunately he wasn’t answering, so she left a voice message for him to call her back ASAP.

  Before long Cindy pulled in the drive and Alex climbed in her truck. After they’d backed out and started down the street, the pretty ranger cocked her head. Her hazel eyes seemed to be asking a question. “What’s going on with you and Ranger Hollis? For you to be driving his car today is a first.”

  Alex had to be careful how she answered. Cal wanted the news about the bears kept secret. “He got detained on business and couldn’t bring the boys back from their work project. It made sense for me to drive them. He said he’d get a ride later with one of the other rangers.”

  “I don’t mean just today.”

  “Oh.”

  “As long as I’ve worked here, there’s always been something between you two.” Alex’s heartbeat sped up.

  Always? “I’ve never been able to figure it out.”

  Alex decided to joke about it. “There’s nothing to figure out. I usually tagged along with my father when he came to the park. I’m not proud to admit I was a big pain, but Cal and I have achieved a working pax now.”

  A shadow fell across her face. “You know what happened to his wife?”

  She took a quick breath. “Yes. I can’t imagine anything more ghastly.”

  “It was awful.”

  “Were you good friends with her?”

  “As much as we could be without knowing each other very long.” Cindy seemed to hesitate. “Please don’t take this wrong, but Leeann used to worry about you.”

  That was news. “In what way?”

  “She’d heard about you and thought maybe you were the reason Cal was so slow to commit to her.”

  Alex laughed to hide her pain. “Me? The senator’s obnoxious daughter? If he was slow, it had nothing to do with me. He asked her to marry him.”

  “That’s true.”

  Alex was still reeling from the revelation when they pulled into Sugar Pines. Before she opened the door, she turned to Cindy. “How would you like to go to lunch at the Yosemite Lodge next week? My treat. I’d like to pay you back for driving me home.”

  “I’d love it. We could swim first.”

  “Great.”

  “What day would be best?”

  “How about Wednesday? That’s my day off.”

  “Perfect. I’ll call you for a definite time. Thanks for the ride.”

  She hurried inside the ski lodge, glad to see Lusio and Mika had made it back from town. Sheila, the director, was crossing through the lounge and told her the ranger presentation would be starting soon.

  “Has Lonan’s fiancée arrived?”

  “Yes. They’re outside at the amphitheater with some of the boys waiting for the program to begin.”

  Alex had just enough time to grab a bite to eat from the kitchen before she went out to join them. Happy as she was that Mankanita had come, she couldn’t get her mind off the men who’d mutilated those bears. If they thought Cal was getting too close, they might try to harm him.

  Along with that fear, his revelations about why he’d rejected Alex for so long were starting to sink in. He wouldn’t lie to her, would he?

  And then she had Cindy’s remark about Leeann to think about. She needed to be alone, but that wasn’t possible right now. Everyone was waiting for her. It was going to be hard to go out there and pretend all was well, but she had no choice. The boys were depending on her.

  Chapter Nine

  Before Cal reported to the Chief’s office Saturday morning for an emergency meeting, he and Sergei made a detour to Ranger Sim’s office. He hoped the head of security had managed to dig up some background information on a couple of unsolved bear mutilation crimes that could help him with this latest investigation.

  When he entered his office, he found Jeff hunched over Sim’s desk supplying input. Both heads came up before his friend hurried forward. He gave Sergei a brief rubdown, then looked at Cal. “That was some find those boys came across yesterday.”

  “It was ugly, Jeff.”

  “How did you get here so fast?” Sims called out.

  “Vance sent a helicopter to fly me and the investigators back early this morning for Bishop. We worked half the night before crashing at the Rim Rock motel. I had to cancel my meeting with the forest service heads.”

  “This matter has taken precedence over everything. I’m glad you’re here. We’d better get in there, too. The Superintendent’s antsy this morning.”

  Cal had news for him. Bill Telford was always like that.

  The three men headed out the door and down the hall. Beth stood outside Vance’s office redirecting traffic because the meeting place had been changed. Coffee and doughnuts now awaited them in the conference room.

  “I haven’t seen this many rangers assembled in ages,” Jeff whispered as they made their way around the table to find a seat. Sergei lay down by Cal.

  “Let’s hope it produces results.” The mutilation deaths of three bears had brought in the big brass.

  Bill Telford spoke first, acknowledging everyone’s presence. “The element of secrecy is crucial right now, gentlemen. What’s important is that we carry on this investigation without the press getting hold of any information yet. It could tip off the criminals. With that said, we’ll hear first from Nate Daniels, the special investigator.”

  The man who’d gone over the crime scene with Cal stood up. “Gentlemen? Ranger Jarvis called in our department the minute Ranger Hollis alerted him to the find. In our opinion this is the most egregious case of illegal bear hunting and killing we’ve uncovered here in Yosemite in years.

  “As Ranger Hollis has stated, the wildlife in the park is as important as Half Dome or Yosemite Falls. Our department is taking this crime very seriously and will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute anybody found to be partaking in this activity. It’s a very serious offense and we want to send a clear message that it will not be tolerated. Chief Rossiter has more to say on that.”

  It was a rare sight to see Vance’s countenance so dark. He looked around the table. “We’ve got a real menace on our hands. It’s no news to
any of you that poaching is a problem in every national park. We’ve already got our hands full with the deaths of too many mule deers.

  “At my last conference with other chiefs, it became clear there’s seemingly nothing poachers won’t take, be it snakes from Mojave National Preserve, fossils from Badlands National Park in South Dakota, American ginseng from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia or frontier-era pistols from Fort Davis National Historic Site in Texas.”

  Cal was aware of most of the poaching Vance spoke of, but not the theft of pistols.

  “To quote the chief at Yellowstone, ‘There are no resources out there, besides air, that someone isn’t taking unlawfully.’ We know a huge segment of the population is commercially removing park resources. Just last week Ranger Hollis discovered increased theft of downed redwood trees within our park boundaries. This affects the future survival of our park, since new trees take root in the fallen ones and fertilize the next generation.

  “Our forests were set aside for the enjoyment of all people, yet less than five percent of all the old-growth redwoods in the world remain. For people to steal them is a major crime. They work at night when few people are around to hear their chain saws. The forest’s heavy growth does a remarkable job muffling the sound. The thieves work over the course of several nights, coming and going at random times to evade detection.”

  It was impossible to miss the anger in the chief’s voice. “I’m convinced this is what these ruthless bear hunters are doing under our very noses. They do it noiselessly, and their ability to hide what they take without anyone being aware makes them especially deadly. Therefore I’m asking you to inform all the people working under you to be more alert than ever before. Anything they see that sends up a red flag, no matter how unimportant it seems, we’ll investigate. Ranger Sims will spell out your job in more detail.”

  Ranger Sims took over. “As head of Homeland Security and Terror watch, you all know it’s my job along with Ranger Jarvis to vet not only the entire population of employees within the park, but to keep track of every visitor coming and going. Because of the gravity of this case, I’ve asked for Ranger Thompson’s help because he oversees the volunteer program, which brings in another segment of the population for seasonal work. We’re not leaving a stone unturned to catch these criminals.”

  All around the table, the rangers nodded or voiced their agreement.

  “As a result we’re going to be doing more thorough checks of people’s belongings and vehicles along with surprise random checks,” Sims continued. “Bikers, hikers, volunteers, everyone working the concessions, road and maintenance people—no one will be exempt. Ranger Hollis is going to tell you what you’ll be looking for.”

  Cal went over the list with them. When he finished, the meeting broke up. Vance asked him and Jeff to stay. After the treats were consumed, the room cleared except for Chase. The Chief locked the door, then sat back down at the table.

  “We have a glimmer of a possible lead in this case,” he announced, “but I didn’t want it going beyond the four of us yet. It came from Alex.”

  It wouldn’t have surprised Cal if everyone felt the body-rocking thump of his heart. “How? When?”

  “She phoned me yesterday and I called her back later last evening. It seems that on her drive back to Sugar Pines, the boys told her they’d seen cans of bear spray in the backpack of one of the volunteers in Ralph Thorn’s group. They noticed it when he opened his pack to get out some insect repellent at Tenaya Lake.”

  “What?”

  In the next breath Vance told them what had happened to Alex and her group on that outing.

  Cal’s hands formed fists. “I wonder what else was in that backpack. What’s the teen’s name?”

  “Steve Minor.”

  The revelation drove Cal out of his chair, startling the dog. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t she tell me Thorn had left her alone so long to go off with Steve?”

  Vance stared up at him. “It’s because she was operating in secret for me.”

  For the first time since Cal had known Vance, he was confused. “Am I missing something?”

  “It’s my fault you’re full of questions,” he admitted. “When I told Alex she was hired as a volunteer for the summer, I gave her the extra job of being my personal liaison.”

  Cal was stunned. That was tantamount to Vance making her an honorary ranger.

  “She was to report to me and no one else. I had no idea she’d stumble across something this serious so soon.”

  Cal stared at him. On an intellectual level he understood Vance’s reasons for wanting another pair of eyes, but emotionally he feared for her safety.

  “If this lead turns out to help us catch this monster, then Alex’s help is paying dividends in a number of ways. At every campground she’s visited so far, she’s uncovered violation after violation. Already she’s sent in a ton of license plate numbers where food has been left on seats in vehicles.”

  That was why the rangers had been giving out a slew of tickets lately? Cal had never seen so many in such a short time.

  “So far she’s worth her weight in gold,” Vance said with quiet satisfaction.

  Adrenaline charged Cal’s nervous system. Maybe that was true, but it potentially put her life at risk. His thoughts shot ahead. “She’s with Thorn and his group today.”

  “I know. I asked her to keep her eyes open, Cal. Alex and the boys know what’s at stake. When she reports back to me, we’ll find out what she’s learned—if anything. What have you discovered on your end, Jeff?”

  “Steve Minor was one of the volunteers last year. He’s also in the same school district in Torrance where Ralph Thorn is the psychologist.”

  Vance eyed the three of them. “It’s a possible tie-in. If Thorn is one of the criminals, he might have some kind of hold on Steve and is using him.”

  Jeff held out several papers. “Here are their applications for this year and last, both with picture ID.”

  Chase took them from Jeff. “I’ll go back to my office right now and run them through the national data base for possible aliases or warrants for their arrest that weren’t added at the time.”

  “Something tells me we’re working with more than two people,” Cal muttered. “Come on, Jeff. Let’s go through the volunteer applications to see if there’s anything we’ve missed.”

  “Cal?” Vance had gotten to his feet. He patted the dog, eyeing both of them. “I’m glad you and Jeff know about Alex. Keep an eye on her as a personal favor to me. And watch your back,” he added.

  He blinked. “What do you mean?”

  “Alex has the feeling Thorn doesn’t like you for some reason.”

  Cal knew another volunteer who didn’t like him, either. Brock Giolas.

  Interesting.

  He and Jeff nodded before walking back to his office. Once they were alone, Jeff gave Cal one of those inscrutable looks.

  “What?” Cal blurted with impatience. Vance’s revelation about Alex had shaken him.

  “The way you react every time Alex’s name is brought up—it makes me think you’re in love with her. How about telling me what’s going on? They say confession’s good for the soul. I’m no priest, but I’m willing to listen as long as it’s the whole truth.”

  Cal shot his dark-haired friend a penetrating glance. “Have you got all day?”

  ALEX’S GROUP REACHED the Hetch Hetchy Valley campground before Ralph’s. They all stopped to drink the water they’d brought and feast their eyes on the view. Mankanita walked over to Alex.

  “Thank you for making it possible for me to come.”

  “Lonan has missed you.”

  Mankanita got a sweet look on her face. “I’ve missed him, too. I can see why you love it here so much. Lonan told me it was beautiful. He was right.” The Valley resembled the Yosemite Valley and was an awe-inspiring sight. Mankanita’s response was all Alex could have hoped for.

  As she turned around to see how everyone was doing, she
let out a little gasp because Cal had unexpectedly appeared with Chief Sam Dick and his wife. The older couple wore ceremonial dress.

  Cal’s blue gaze zeroed in on Alex. She felt a quickening in her body as they stared at each other. He hadn’t brought Sergei. Soon Ralph and his group arrived. She saw the way his eyes narrowed when he caught sight of Cal, who told all the kids to form a semicircle and sit down to hear the old chief speak.

  Alex sat at one end of her group, Lonan and Mankanita at the other. Ralph and his kids formed the second and third tiers. Chief Sam stood a little way off, the backdrop of the valley providing an impressive natural surrounding. His wife sat next to him.

  When everyone was settled, Cal stepped forward. He looked magnificent in his uniform, Alex thought. The late-afternoon sun gilded his dark blond hair. Out of respect for the chief, he’d removed his hat. Both men came from different times and cultures. Both were noble and strong. A surge of emotions without words filled her.

  “You teens have the unprecedented honor of gathering at the feet of one of the great Paiute Chiefs of Yosemite. He’s going to tell you a legend about his land and his people.”

  The next thing Alex knew, Cal came to sit next to her so their legs touched. At the first contact, fire as real as a burning torch scorched across her skin. The moment was surreal.

  The chief looked out over them with visionary eyes. “I used to hunt acorns here. My people called this place Ahwahnee. It means ‘large mouth,’ like the bear’s. The white man calls it Yosemite. In our language it means, ‘those who kill.’ Many generations ago before the Creator completed the fashioning of the cliffs in the Valley of the Ahwahnee, a Paiute couple lived at Mono Lake. They learned of the beautiful and fertile Valley of Ahwahnee and decided to come here to dwell.

  “They began their journey. He carried deer skins. She held a baby in her arms and carried a wono basket on her back. When they reached Mirror Lake, they began to quarrel. She wanted to go back to Mono Lake, but he refused. No oaks or other trees grew there. He would not listen to her when she said she would plant seeds.”