Page 16 of Carmine

“This is Mayor Austin Baker and the members of the council,” Phoe introduced me to them and rattled off their names. I knew I’d never remember them, but they all wore badges.

“Axel you know,” Phoe said, stopping by him. “He is second in charge of search and rescue. So, he’s here in that capacity.”

Axel sent me a wink to reassure me, and I sensed a presence at my back. A quick glance showed me Carmine was there, and I relaxed.

Phoe gave me a curious look before smiling brightly.

“Dr Balfour-Cherlyn, this is Fire Chief Bill Hawthorne and EMS Lieutenant Cole Rogers.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said with a shy smile.

“This is Professor Trevelyan from the Black Hills State University. And finally, you might know Dr Carla Stevens, Dr Sarah Dune, Dr Rip Bagshaw and Dr Amos Flight from EROS?” Phoe asked.

“Great to see you again,” I quietly muttered.

I watched as Dr Flight drew himself up. “If I had known you would be inviting this crank—”

“You’d have still come because I promised to donate three million dollars. That depends on you giving Dr Balfour-Cherlyn a fair hearing, something that didn’t happen last time and letting her finish,” Phoe said sternly and put him in his place.

Dr Flight bristled but shut up, and I hid a smile. Seeing Phoe do that filled me with confidence.

“Dr Balfour-Cherlyn, I’m Dylan Hawthorne, I run a PI firm in the city but also help out in times of disaster. May I introduce Akemi, who is part of the Juno Group. They offer support to the city and finally, Lieutenant-Colonel Jacob Reeves, who runs a team called Delta Force,” a man said with a warm smile. He bent closer as he took my offered hand and whispered in my ear, “Kick their asses, your data is solid.”

“The rest are Rage MC, who you’ll meet over time and some of the old ladies. Can everyone please take their seats? And the presentation will begin,” Phoe said.

“Sorry I’m late,” a woman announced and waltzed in.

My jaw dropped open as I gazed at one of the most respected volcanologists alive today. Dr Susan Jones-White spoke to her colleagues and took her seat.

“You’re okay. Come, I’ll sit with you,” Carmine said as the shaking in my hands increased. I nodded, walked to the table, and brought up my holographic programme. There were a few sighs, but they vanished as I started speaking.

I began the presentation with the explanation of how volcanoes and laccoliths worked and stressed that there was no active volcano in South Dakota. I also emphasised that laccoliths didn’t erupt. But then I started presenting the data from the last ten years.

“Okay, before we scare everyone here, what is the point of this, Dr Balfour-Cherlyn?” Dr Flight interrupted.

“To present the information and show my conclusions, and gain your insight,” I replied.

“Which is what? There’s no active volcano, and laccoliths don’t erupt. So, what do you hope to prove?” he questioned in his nasally superior voice.

“Amos. Shut up, I’m interested,” Dr Jones-White exclaimed loudly. Dr Flight turned to her and opened his mouth. “I said close it or leave. We promised to give Dr Balfour-Cherlyn a fair hearing. You’re spouting stuff without listening to facts.”

“Her information has already been proven false with her own words,” Dr Flight stuttered.

“I shan’t repeat myself, Amos. Quite bluntly, shut up or go. And I shall remember this,” Dr Jones-White said.

Dr Flight turned red but subsided, and I continued to the data. Everyone used the pack provided as their visual aids, and I displayed on the holographic screen.

“Where did you get this information from?” Dr Dune asked me when the seismic graph was shown.

“From seismic recorders I placed and from those that the Geological Survey team positioned. As you can see, what I recorded on mine mirrored your own,” I replied.

“Why use the two?” Dr Stevens inquired.

“Because if I only used my own, you’d accuse me of doctoring the information. But your own can’t be tampered with, and everyone knows that. Wave for wave, mine match yours.”

“There is a strong escalation, and it’s clear to see. I would like to understand how this has been missed,” Dr Jones-White interrupted.

She had her head buried in her laptop and was typing away furiously. “Please continue, Dr Balfour-Cherlyn.”

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