Page 34 of The Northern Lights in His Eyes

“She’s putting on a show just for you.”

The mountain was magnificent: snow, ice, and rock, stretching almost four miles toward the sky. “I saw it from over the lake.”

“This is probably the best viewing spot in the state. It’s rarely out like this. I’ve passed by here and never seen a thing. The mountain makes its own weather, and she loves to keep herself shrouded in the clouds. But today… she must feel like really showing off.”

“I guess.” William blinked as he stood watching the mountain. Then they headed back to the car. Garvin turned around, and when William took a final look, he could already see clouds forming near the peak. Within five minutes, the top was shrouded and could no longer be seen.

Garvin turned the Jeep around and they headed south, back toward Willow. “I guess we got really lucky,” William said.

“Yes, we did. The mountain only shows herself to those she really wants to. The rest of the time, she shyly hides behind her clouds and mist.” Garvin continued south with William watching out the back window as the mountain did indeed cloak herself in the clouds, slowly disappearing from sight.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” William said softly. It was like he had gotten to witness something few people did. “I got to see the northern lights, Denali…. What else is there?” He was getting so excited.

“There are glaciers that we could visit at other times of the year, but right now, they’re a little difficult to get to, and a lot of the visitor centers are closed until summer. You’ll have to come back, and I can take you to see some of them.” Garvin seemed happy, and William definitely was. That was the first time Garvin had spoken about William returning like it might actually happen. William definitely took that as a win.

THE REST of the drive back was quiet, especially after the light faded and William let Garvin concentrate on the road ahead. Thankfully it was fairly clear, but ending up in a snowbank was something William did not want to experience again.

Garvin’s phone vibrated as they approached the trading post. “Go ahead and answer it for me.”

William picked it up from the center console. “This is Garvin’s phone.”

“William, it’s Enrique. I assume Garvin is with you. Can you stop at the trading post? There seems to be a little trouble, and I need your help. I’ve already called the police, but they’re a ways off.”

“I’ll tell Garvin. We’re on our way.” William hung up and explained what Enrique said.

“We’ll be there in a few minutes.” Garvin sped up a little. William held on, thankful it wasn’t snowing and the road seemed clear, but there could be ice. Finally they turned off, down the side road, and pulled into the trading post lot.

Garvin hurried out with Sasha right behind him. William followed, wondering what the hell was going on now.

“How dare all of you stick your nose into our business!” someone yelled as William closed the door behind him. Sasha barked and then growled.

“What is going on?” William demanded in his loudest voice, the snap in his tone stopping everyone.

“And you are?” the man asked.

William stood next to Garvin. “I think the real question is, who the heck are you? This is private property, and you have no rights here at all. Now, you can act civil or you can leave. The police have already been called and are on their way.” He turned to Enrique and Devon, who seemed overwhelmed. “What seems to be the trouble?”

The loudmouth motioned to the eight men behind him. “You all cost us our jobs.”

“I see. And what jobs would those be? The ones at the mine?” Willian got a bunch of nods. “Well, I have news for you. The people who cost you your jobs were the ones blasting in the middle of winter, bringing down half the mountain.” He was livid, and Garvin placed a hand on his back. Normally he would have reveled in the touch, but right now, he was so angry he could spit nails. “I saw the mess up there. A huge section of trees was destroyed, and all because someone couldn’t follow the rules, or worse. As far as I can see, it was your company that is responsible. And if they laid you off, then we’re all sorry for that. But no one here broke the rules.” He glared at the men, and one by one, they seemed to take a step back.

“Do you want to leave peacefully or wait until the police get here?” Enrique asked.

The men all shook their heads. “But what do we do about our jobs?” one man asked. “I was counting on that come spring, and now I’ll have nothing.”

William had no idea what to tell them. This wasn’t the fault of these particular people, but it wasn’t Enrique’s, Devon’s, or Garvin’s issue to solve. “This has nothing to do with us. We don’t have jobs hanging around for you, but neither did we get you fired,” Garvin told the group. They all began talking at the same time, and tensions began to flare once more.

“What seems to be the problem?” This time the speaker was Trooper Nelson, as he and another trooper entered the bar area. That began another round of explanations from Enrique and more grousing from the miners. This whole situation would have been funny if William didn’t feel for these men and their families. It was like a comedy sketch that went around and around and never got anywhere.

“You all need to go home,” Trooper Nelson declared. “If you have grievances, then take it up with the mining company, or the state mining board. They have the real authority to punish the company if they did something against the law. These folks live here, and this is a private business. It’s not a forum for you to take out your frustrations or make threats to anyone.” He tapped the miners in the back on the shoulders, and they got their gear on and started leaving. Slowly the place emptied out, except for the locals who had come in for a drink or a meal. They’d gotten a floor show tonight.

“This is getting out of hand,” Enrique told the troopers.

“Yeah. Well, the mine company terminated everyone, including the three who were caught in the avalanche. It seems they are trying to scapegoat them and make it look like it was all their fault. But I doubt that’s the case.”

“Were you able to speak to them?” William asked.

Trooper Nelson sighed. “I can’t speak about an ongoing investigation.”

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