Page 91 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

Either not caring or not realizing the tension her geologist is causing, Tilda reaches out to shake Aislinn’s hand. Theintroductions continue among our crew, and Ingrid offers to show them where the Gator is so they can load their equipment.

Before I follow, Aislinn sticks her small hand on my chest, “Don’t worry, caveman, some manbun guy isn’t going to sway my interest. I love you, even when you’re all growly bear. His voice sounds eerily familiar, but I can’t place him.”

“He sounds like any other condescending jerk,” I chuckle and shake my head as we head toward our horses.

Everyone saddled up their horses and prepped them for the trail ride up to Topaz Ridge before our guests’ scheduled arrival time. We all mount our horses and wait for Ingrid to jog back in and hop on Skye’s back.

The Gator appears at the back of the barn, and we all file out toward the trailhead. The ride up to the ridge is quiet and peaceful. Aislinn rides in front of me and behind Noah. Ingrid is bringing up the rear, with Callum directly behind me. The five of us make good time and arrive at our destination ahead of schedule.

“Make sure you tie your horses well. No repeats today. We will make a safe descent and ascent,” I say with authority.

Tilda and Cooper approach the ridge with professional climbing gear. Their leads are tethered to the back of the Gator. “About twenty feet below is a wide and stable ledge. See the overhang off to the left? The entrance to the mine is in the shadows there.”

Tilda nods and, without a word, turns and begins to walk backward down the hillside. She must have done this hundreds of times in her career. She makes it look effortless for her age.

Cooper is right behind her. He has looped his case across his body and just like Tilda, makes the climb easy. Maybe having the professional gear helps?

I swear I can hear him mutter, “It sure is an easier descent without the added weight.”

“What did you say?” I growl.

He ignores me and continues hopping down the hillside.

I have a rope tied around the tree fifteen feet from the edge and the other end around my chest in case I slip. Looking over the ledge, I see both DEQ representatives striding confidently toward the mine.

“Do you need help?” I shout loudly.

Tilda turns and calmly calls out, “I think we can collect what information we need on our own, Mr. Ambarsan. You will be the first to know if we need assistance.”

Without another word, she turns and passes into the shadows, out of sight.

I turn toward my group. In a low voice, I say, “Ingrid, call back to the main office on the walkie talkie. See if you can get Axel to call Edwin. I think Cooper is the person who helped Cody.”

Aislinn gasps beside me and begins taking shallow breaths as the color drains from her face. I wrap her in my arms to offer her comfort.

After an hour, the intense afternoon sun is beating down on us. I release a deep breath when I see both Cooper and Tilda come out from the shadows. They are both smiling, which is reassuring, and there was no call for emergency assistance.

When they reach the top of the ridge, I go over to give them a hand with their equipment. Offering my hand to Tilda, I bring her topside, and she smiles up at me. Her hair is a little askew, but she looks no worse for wear.

Cooper has a smudge of dirt across his cheek, but the cocky grin on his face tells me he may have information for us before we hand him over to Edwin.

“Well, Mr. Ambarsan, you have a topaz mine down there. It’s really quite remarkable. It appears to be mainly blue and green shades, from what we can tell. Cooper has taken a few small samples to analyze further at his lab. Topaz is like ruby, where it gets its pigment from small levels of chromium. What is really intriguing to us is how the topaz is situated. Typically, topaz is formed in hydrothermal veins. Most topaz is found in schist, which has turned into lateritic clay. Somehow, this mountain ridge contains lateritic clay.”

“Okay, so it’s a rare situation. Do you think the mine is salvageable after the partial collapse?” I ask with a wince.

Cooper responds, “I would like to bring my team in here to excavate it slowly and methodically. From the looks of the timber, I’m guessing it was started in the early 1900s, but my samples should confirm a date. Any idea whose this could be?”

“My mom has heard family rumors about my maternal grandfather’s family. Supposedly, my great-grandfather, Hamish McLeod, farmed this land and was known for disappearing up into the mountains. He supposedly made good money, and they lived a comfortable life, even though he wasn’t a very productive farmer. One day, he didn’t come home,” I tell the story as best as I can remember.

Tilda nods. “This would line up. When we excavate, we will keep an eye out for skeletal remains. There is a chance something happened while he was mining. It appears the mine goes back a decent distance. I won’t know for sure until we excavate it a little better, but I would guess sixty feet? We will have to discuss claiming rights and procedures after the tests are conducted back at the office.”

I nod to them both. “Should we head back? Thank you for making the trip out here.”

She gives me a warm smile. “Sounds like a plan. Since we know the way, Cooper and I will lead and head out when we return. I want to get working on this information as soon as possible. The location and minerals are a fascinating combination. It makes me wonder if there are other topaz deposits in the area.”

While still muttering to herself, she turns and pulls Cooper toward the Gator.

I place a hand on Cooper’s upper arm. “Actually, I was hoping to ask Cooper a couple of questions. You know, to catch up?”

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