Thor's Child ©

by K Pelle

Chapter 21

Tor went out to the backyard and set his dad's barbeque briquet lighter on the grill, dropped in some crumpled newspaper and added a couple handfuls of dried wood chips.  Then he loaded the two-foot length of six-inch stainless steel piping with almost half a bag of charcoal briquets, struck a match and lit the paper through the holes in the lower end of the pipe.  Experience had taught him that in ten or fifteen minutes every briquet in that chunk of pipe would be glowing and ready to use, but he knew better than to walk away.  On this farm any open fire was attended at all times, even one made in their huge barbeque grill.

That barbeque grill was another of his dad's custom welding jobs, made from a cutoff section of two-foot diameter pipe from an oil pipeline. The five foot length of pipe had been cut in half, lengthwise, and the two sections hinged together.  After that both ends had been capped with sections of steel sheet, both the ends and the pipe itself was at least a quarter of an inch thick and made of steel.  Since the grill's top was kept closed when it wasn't in use and the outside coated with black 'stove' paint every year, Tor thought that grill would last forever and a day.

Now though Tor needed something to do to spend the few minutes needed before spreading out the glowing briquets, so he grabbed the scraper and began to scrape grill surface.  That grill surface was actually the most expensive part of the whole setup since it was made from stainless steel rod spaced close together and really didn't need scraping, but Tor wanted to keep himself busy.

Actually he had been a little worried by his short conversation with Officer McDonald since it had concerned Harold Burns.

"Damn!" he'd been trying not to think about that bastard, but his mind kept returning to thoughts of the S-O-B, just like a kid who couldn't seem to resist picking at a partialy healed scab.

Something that little pipsqueak had said or thought bothered Tor, but he couldn't seem to put his finger on what it was.  There had to be a reason for his concern, but Tor didn't think the guy was a child molester, instead he felt that the twerp was only a danger to those with additional talents, rather than normal people.  Yet, what if there was some truth to that idea that Burns might have kidnapped a young girl last year, after all he'd 'overheard' Burns mention finding a girl, but he hadn't 'said' anything incriminating.  Only, what if he really did snatch a kid, especially a young girl?  If he had, Tor was certainly ready to find some way to make the twit pay for that sort of crime, but just how was he going to be able to do it without explaining how he knew the things he did?

How was he supposed to convince anyone that Burns was dangerous, but without exposing his and Dori's special talents to the world?  Right now he didn't think anyone believed that he and Dori were capable of doing things that others couldn't, and really, he would rather that no one suspected that they had any abnormal abilities.  So how was he supposed to help the police without giving away clues of how he'd learned the facts he knew?  There had to be some way to do it, but right then the means of passing on a warning without implicating either Dori or himself was eluding him. Only was there anything he could do?  After all Burns was a Yank and from the sounds of it he had some sort of connection to the Yankee military.  Would they protect the smarmy little bugger if he was accused of kidnapping?

Dammit, he was worrying over things he didn't think he could change and coming up with scenarios that he knew were beyond his abilities.  After all, Burns had acted almost as if he was running away, so perhaps he was no longer a danger to anyone in the area.  Besides, if the cops were involved, he could quit worrying about all that crap for now!

He did have other problems he really needed to consider more thoroughly.  Hell, he had enough duties, desires and problems for ten guys his age and it seemed that every damn day added more crud to that list, each and every one of them needing his attention right away.  Well to heck with that, he was going to have to establish some priorities and stick to them.  In the first place he'd originally planned to be away for the last week of July and most of August anyway.  School and martial arts training didn't start up again until September.  Hockey wouldn't really get going until October at the earliest and as far as working on his car was concerned that was a 'free time' effort, and would have to be fit in whenever he didn't have anything else to do.

That meant he could devote the next month to surveying his new ranch, working with the people who were there and perhaps even thinking about making some minor changes.  He wasn't about to start out making many changes though, not until he knew how the place worked and what the people who were already there thought they needed.  For the time being he planned to treat the next month as a working holiday and not get too deeply involved, at least not yet.  Not only that, but since Dori said she might be coming there to visit him, the idea that he wasn't hard at work all the time might give him a chance to stay in her good books - at least he hoped that would work.  Right at the moment the ranch took priority, even over her - not that he'd want to admit that to Dori, because that might just bother her a bit more than he'd like to have happen.

Actually now that he thought about it, the idea of Dori visiting the ranch had some merit.  For one thing he wouldn't be staying in the new log house, because of what Aunt Hanna had said - what had she called the other cabin, 'a servant's wing' or something?  Whatever it was called, it was a separate building and if Dori came there for a visit she could 'play house' as much as she liked.  Tor knew she wanted to do much more toward looking after his needs than she had been able to do here at the farm, so being at the ranch might ease her desire to care for him.  Actually Dori made no bones about the fact that she wanted to be with him and please him in any way, because she said they were a perfect couple and destined to be together.

Dori had made it plain that she wanted to be his partner in every way that she could, but he knew that if she insisted on sleeping at his side at the ranch the same way she did here - well, things might just happen.  After all, she and her mother had made no bones about her being on the pill, so if they were suddenly in a more private setting, Tor wasn't so sure his inhibitions would still be strong enough to keep them apart.  Best not to plan on that - or rather best to plan that they might be intimate, but he'd have to control his disappointment if nothing did.  Even so it might be wise to take along a few condoms, then whether they were or weren't used, he'd need to do his best to take anything that came at face value and not get overly emotional.

Wait a minute!

When had his thoughts on that subject changed?  Even more importantly, WHY had his thoughts on the idea changed?  He was still the same age as he had been when he woke up this morning and he certainly hadn't been seriously considering the idea of having sex with Dori then, even if he liked the idea.  Of course he had a second home now and was more independent, but he was still legally regarded as a child and was still effectively living at home.  Owning that ranch had to be the reason for the change in his attitude though, since he was now the legal property owner on record.  That ranch meant he was solvent and he could afford to support himself.  If worse came to worst the ranch might even be capable of supporting a family, but it would probably be tough slugging and he wasn't sure either he or Dori were emotionally ready for that sort of thing.

Considering that, he decided he'd best take the safest route possible, and do his best not to take any chance of getting her pregnant, which meant a supply of condoms.  He knew darn well that Uncle Nils wouldn't want to stop in town the next morning while Tor made a side trip to the local pharmacy to buy rubbers.  Then he grinned since that meant talking to his mom and perhaps having her buy him some 'supplies,' just in case Aunt Hanna did bring Dori down to the ranch. 

He checked the barbeque briquet starter and saw that the briquets were all alight and most of those at the top of the pipe were covered in gray ash, so he dumped them out and spread them.  Then he used the big removable handle to close the lid on the grill and felt he could safely walk away from it.  When he went inside, he heard his mom in the pantry, but he didn't bother her yet, instead he went upstairs to his room.  He grabbed his cheque book and stuck it in his hip pocket, then went back downstairs to talk to his mom about doing him a favour.

He wasn't surprised when she asked him the same questions he had just asked himself, but instead of answering instantly he took the time to make it appear that he was giving his answer some deep thought.  He was absolutely astonished to get a huge hug after he'd explained his thought process to her.

"It's times like this when I am very proud of you, Tor!" she sighed into his ear while hugging him.

Then she leaned back and looked him in the eye.  "Is there anything else you'd like us to buy for you, because you're right about Nils?  He won't want to waste time stopping on the way to the new ranch."

"That's a darn good question, because I don't know what supplies are there." Tor shrugged his shoulders.  "But, you can figure on me being there for most of the next month, so I guess I might need some groceries, mostly staples though.  I think it might be an idea if we talk to Aunt Hanna about what she noticed and even then it might be best if I call you tomorrow night. But, I was thinking of giving you a cheque to cover buying a couple hundred bucks worth of supplies anyway."

"I think that's a really good idea, both talking to Hanna and calling me tomorrow night.  As for the cheque, I can wait for a month or so on that.  I think you should take your chequebook with you though, just in case the ranch itself needs something in a hurry, that way you can have it handy if you need to pay for anything."

"I guess I'll need to establish a business account at the bank for the ranch, won't I?"

"Actually, you already have one.  Hanna and Nils deposited the money they owed you from your work on the old homestead into a business account in your name as owner of the Tula Ranch.  Of course because of your age, either your Dad or I will have to cosign your cheques on that account, at least for now.  I was just talking to our lawyer this morning though and he suggested that you might want to apply to be emancipated, which would mean you'd be legally declared to be an adult."

"Do you really think that's necessary?" Tor frowned at his mom.  "Are you trying to pressure me into cutting my apron strings for some reason?"

"Legally, yes, but in reality we'll still be supporting you as far as housing, schooling and sports are concerned, everything other than finances concerning your new ranch," his mom sighed.  "You see as the lawyer explained to me, by gaining possession of that ranch you've changed the dynamics of the family's finances.  You now own more acreage than your father and I do, but at the same time your ranch is a much less productive property than this place is, so business wise, it would be best kept separate.  Not only that, but being emancipated gives you a degree of independence that you wouldn't have otherwise.  Of course it would also change your legal status, since it would mean you would become a legally responsible adult, which means we couldn't protect you quite as much.  So there are both positives and negatives to consider about the idea."

"Oh brother!" Tor sighed heavily.  "Another thing to wonder and worry over."

"I agree, I never expected to have anything quite this legally complicated happen to one of my children.  You see one of the things he was talking about was insurance, which is something you probably need, since you now have people working for you."

"Holy Crow, do we have to do this right away?"

"Well, I think we should talk to your dad about it first, but it is something we might have to take into consideration.  Now how would you like to go check the barbeque to see if it's well lit, then go see how Alva and your dad are coming along with the chores?"

"Okay, but the barbeque is ready for the meat.  Oh by the way, is there going to be a big crowd here for the barbeque?"

"Fairly large," his mom smiled, since she liked having a crowd around.  "There's us four, and then the electricians, but Hanna and Nils are bringing Dori and her cousins as well.  Then there's Jax and Keisha as well as his brother and sister-in-law.  Oh and Björn is coming home tonight and Kai might be with him.  I'm not sure if Dag can make it tonight or not, but he knows what we're doing, so he might have invited Peter."

"Yeah, that sounds like one of your parties, alright, somewhere between fifteen and twenty people in the long run." Tor grinned as he headed for the door.

"Just do what you're told, you insolent whelp!" his mom called after him, but Tor had heard her say that often enough to know that she'd said it with a grin on her face.

Tor spent a few seconds checking the coals in the big barbeque, making sure they were all well lit.  After that he walked out to the barn and arrived just in time to help finish the chores, then helped carry the milk back to the house to be separated.  During that time he mentioned the lawyer's idea of emancipation and brought up the question of insurance.

"Forget about that emancipation crap, you wouldn't really be any more independent than you are now and like your mom said, we couldn't help you out as easily if you had a problem!  Your mom and I don't place too many hurdles in the way of our children doing what they want to do.  In fact, we help them out if we can," his dad snapped.  "I think that lawyer is just looking to pad his bill for no good reason.  As for the other, I've already arranged for the insurance on this farm to be extended to cover your ranch.  It's just the basics mind you, but that's all I've ever carried here.  If you want to be perfectly legal about it, you can pay me the cost of the addition to the premium and we'll add your name to the document in some way."

"Thanks, Dad."

"No problem, Tor.  I'll be honest though, I'm a bit pissed about that lawyer yammering at your mom over that emancipation crap.  I'll be damned if I'm going to let one of my sons hang out in the wind just because of some stupid lawyer's avarice.  I've got half an idea to go in there and give that so-and-so a piece of my mind for worrying your mother over something so stupid."

"Well, Mom was mentioning something about the relative value of the properties, so maybe he was talking to an accountant or a tax man about it."

"Hah, the stupid ass doesn't know his head from a hole in the ground.  By adding your property to the family roster we've actually decreased our tax liabilities.  Why the hell do you think Nils hung onto that homestead like he did and then fought with Hanna over getting that new fancy cabin at first?  The cabin is going to cost them more in taxes than your whole ranch is going to cost you."

"WHAT?"

"Well, look at it once.  You have a couple thousand acres of marginal land that barely turns a profit, so it's classed as a subsistence farm.  Nils and Hanna have a ten-acre plot of the best land there, which has a great view and a very fancy house, but not much else.  Their place is a hobby farm at best and in actual fact, it's a holiday cabin.  Hobby farms are taxed at quite a high rate and holiday cabins?  Why the sky is the limit." Tor's dad chuckled.  "Now don't get me wrong.  Nils wouldn't have gotten involved if he didn't want to and from the way he's reacting, I'd say he really likes the place.  Besides, even as a holiday home it's miles from anywhere, so the retail value of it is quite low in comparison to something like lakefront property, which means the taxation rate won't really be all that high.  And on top of that you are his favourite nephew, without a doubt, so being involved there lets him keep an eye on you without interfering too heavily in your life.  No one has ever said that Nils wasn't a crafty old coot who could turn a situation that others would think of as a disaster into an opportunity.  Which is what he seems to have done in this situation, but at the same time he's making your Aunt Hanna happy."

"I guess," Tor paused, then grinned.  "Actually I suppose he did just that, didn't he?  That homestead and lease were becoming a pain in the butt to him, so he and Aunt Hanna traded them for a fancy home away from home and at the same time they dragged me into the deal.  As a result I ended up with a ranch for almost no cost.  Not only that, but Uncle Nils gets to keep an eye on me and offer advice if needed, without having to work hard himself.  The smart old bugger!"

"Actually I think you hit the nail on the head." Tor's dad grinned as well.  "He knows you love horses, so now you have a place to turn into a horse ranch, and you can develop it in any way you want.  Meanwhile he can stand by with an eye open to help prevent you from running into any costly pitfalls.  For him it will be just about as much fun as he'd have if he was doing the work and making the improvements himself, but without all the effort or exasperation."

"Well, I don't mind his advice at all, especially since he's made a success of raising and selling horses, so he would have been one of my mentors anyway.  Of course you're still my number one source of advice, so don't for a minute feel that you'll be left out.  I imagine I'm going to have a million and one questions to ask you."

"Well, I doubt if either of us will have all the answers, but you can count on your family to help out when we can."

"Thanks again, Dad." Tor grinned as they headed up the back steps into the house.

Only moments later Tor was sent back out to call the electricians so they could wash up and eat with the family.  On the way back to the house he saw his aunt and uncle drive in, both with extra people in their vehicles. Then behind those two cars he saw Jax and Keisha arriving in their car, so he took a deep breath and steadied himself.  Somehow he knew this evening was going to be involved, a premonition perhaps?  Whatever it was he wasn't going to worry about it yet.

When Tor saw Dori and her cousins get out of the car he frowned slightly because once more he had to wonder who Dori reminded him of, perhaps someone famous, an actress maybe?  Then he suddenly realized that he knew who she resembled.  Dori looked slightly like Etta James, the jazz and blues singer, only Dori wasn't as chubby and she was taller, but most of all, she didn't wear a fake blonde wig.  Not only that, but Dori's eyes had that slightly Oriental look making her look exotic - no actually the combination of blended ethnic features made her astoundingly appealing to Tor.  In his eyes Dori was just plain beautiful.

Meanwhile Tor's eyes were briefly drawn to the other young, dark-skinned gal getting out of the car.  Dori's cousin resembled another singer, since she could almost have doubled for Whitney Houston, but with long, straight, black hair. And wow was that gal tall, she towered over Dori and her younger brother, in fact she was probably taller than Tor, which was a slight surprise for him.

Suddenly his attempts to watch the newcomers was dashed as Dori ran toward him and practically leaped into his arms, then almost smothered him with an enthusiastic hug and kiss.

"Hey, Lover, it's a great day.  My aunt and uncle have new jobs and we even found them a house to rent, until they find one to buy.  My whole darn family is gonna move here." Dori 'sent' as she tried to check his tonsils with her tongue.  "I missed you while I was with Aunt Hanna though."

"Oh, so she's become your Aunt Hanna now, has she?" Tor teased.

"Sorta." Dori broke the kiss with a giggle. "Now you've got some people to meet."

With that she grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the group of people who were all surrounding Jax and Keisha.

"Tor, meet my Uncle Abe and Aunt Matty, and my cousins, Tyeshia and Marty.  Everybody, this is my boyfriend, Tor.  He plays hockey, trains horses and owns a ranch, but more important I plan on marrying him one day, so you better treat him like family!" Dori giggled loudly.  "That means keep your hands off, Tye, he's mine and Marty, watch out how you play around with him, you may be big, but he's tougher than you."

"Oh, I know who he is!  I've seen him on TV, playing ice-hockey scorin' a goal, then gettin drawn inta a fight an' deckin' a guy bigger'n him, an' probably bigger'n me too.  That TV fella who is all mouth an' wears crazy duds said he was the best o' the best, maybe better'n Gretzky, so I think you done good by pickin' him fer a guy, Cuz," said a very muscular looking, but quite young, black kid who held out a hand toward Tor. "I'm Martin Larocque, but I prefer to be called Marty and because of Wayne Gretzky an' you, I learned to ice skate an' play ice-hockey . . . well a bit.  I'm not as good on skates as you yet, but I'm getting there.  When I started I had a hard time standing up, but as soon as I figured out the difference between ice skates and roller skates I was away to the races.  I even learned how to skate backwards last year because my coach had me playing defense sometimes."

"Hi, Marty, you play hockey?  And you come from Los Angeles?  I didn't think they'd have youth hockey there already, but more of interest to me right now, how old are you?" Tor asked.

"Fifteen, why?"

"Meet my dad, Ollie Eklund.  He'll be your new hockey coach, if you make the team.  I'll be playing goal on the team with kids of  your age this year, and standing over there by the picnic table is Billy Barker, who'll be on the team as well.  We'll have to see if we can get some time to work with you before the season starts though so you can have a good chance to make the team." Tor grinned as he saw Marty's eyes light up.  "With your size, and if you can catch on to the way we play fairly quickly, we just might have a place for you on the team.  What do you think, Dad?"

"Hello, Marty," Tor's dad greeted the oversized boy.  "I'm very glad to meet you, since you're almost as big as Tor and I need a couple of bigger guys on the team this year.  You haven't been using any steroids, have you?  That's a really big no-no around here, and I hate to insult you by even asking, but you are quite muscular for your age."

"No drugs at all, other'n aspirin an' stuff like that.  I bulked up by liftin' weights an' workin' out in order t' play football, but ice-hockey is more fun an' a lot faster.  I'm usta roller-skatin' too, so learnin' to ice-skate weren't all that hard."

"Well, just one piece of advice, drop the word 'ice' when you talk about skating or hockey up here in BC.  Otherwise folks are going to look at you funny." Ollie grinned.  "Come on, I'll introduce you to one of the other local hockey players and later on, you may get a chance to meet the second coach of the team.  His day job is with the RCMP though, so sometimes he gets tied up and has to miss a game or two.  We won't plan on bothering him tonight though, because he'll be here about something concerning Tor, as well as Tor's aunt Hanna and uncle Nils."

As Marty and his dad walked off, talking about hockey, Dori steered Tor back to talk to her cousin Tyeshia.  Only just then Dag drove in, and when Dag stepped out of his truck, Tyeshia's attention switched to him.

"Who's the big guy that just got here?" Tyeshia  demanded.

"That's my brother, Dag, the local veterinarian." Tor answered.

"He married?"

"Nope, do you want to be introduced?" Tor grinned.

"Hell, yeah!  He's bigger'n me an' looks like a hunk to boot."

So Tor introduced both Dori and Tyeshia to Dag, carefully making certain Dag knew Dori was his girl friend and that Tyeshia was not only new to town, but single.  Minutes later Dori and Tor were alone as Dag and Tyeshia walked off together, but just then Jax and his brother, Abe, came over to see Tor.

"I was tellin' Abe about your car, Tor.  Wouldja mind showin' it to him?" Jax asked.

Dori rolled her eyes and grabbed Tor's hand as he agreed to show off the old coupe. They hadn't been in the little garage more than a few minutes before someone rang the triangle on the back porch to let everyone know that the burgers were ready though.  By the time they got to the barbeque, Björn and Kai had arrived as well, then to complicate things further Officer McDonald drove in. 

Since his Uncle Nils and Aunt Hanna had their plates stacked with burgers and other goodies, Tor excused himself to Dori, her uncle and her dad, then steered Officer McDonald into line to grab a burger.

"I'm starving, so if you want to talk to me, join us for something to eat.  That way we can get my uncle and aunt off to the side and talk while we're eating," he said firmly.

"I shouldn't really be eating with you folks right now, but I suppose it won't hurt anything."

"Good!" Tor said shortly.  "Dori, this has to do with that creep in town, so I'm sorry, but I'll be involved for a while."

"Not a problem, Lover.  I knew what was coming when the cop showed up, so I was ready to be disappointed."

"Thanks, Dori Dumplin.  I'll make it up to you later," he sent as a tease.

"You're gonna pay for that!" she snapped right back.

About then Tor wasn't able to respond though, because Officer McDonald was asking him a question, not about Burns, but about his opinion of the hockey team's upcoming year.  That question served its purpose though, it allowed Tor to settle down and think calmly, so by the time the subject was brought up, he was able to comment about Burns quite clearly.  He couldn't tell them all that he knew from his 'telepathic eavesdropping' though.  Still he felt he was able to convey an accurate description of the look on Burns' face as he stared at that little girl in the café.  More than that though he was able to describe Burns attitude and manner, portraying him as a little man, who had a dangerous inferiority complex.  He watched as Uncle Nils quietly nodded his head, agreeing with everything Tor said.

Then Aunt Hanna began to talk about the way Burns had spoken to them.  The way he'd talked down to everyone and how he'd described the people at the ranch, almost as if he was describing second grade citizens.  Then she emphasised the fact that Burns had treated her and the real-estate agent in a condescending manner, almost as if he felt that since they were women, they didn't matter.  If anything her words were even more condemning than Tor's had been.  She had some additional information that Tor hadn't known about though.  She mentioned Burns' home address and phone number in both Seattle and Los Angeles, so Officer McDonald made note of those.

Uncle Nils comments were more about the desperation Burns had shown concerning the idea of having a secretive hideout in a place people couldn't reach easily.  Then he smiled slyly and just happened to mention the name of the local Native Chief over on Vancouver Island.  He even explained that several members of the local tribe hunted in wild horse valley, treating the area as if it was part of their territory.

Unfortunately Officer McDonald wasn't able to say too much on the subject of Burns, but then Tor hadn't expected that he would.  He did ask if it would be okay for a couple of officers to visit the ranch and inspect both it and the fancy cabin.  Tor gave his permission and so did both Nils and Hanna, then shortly after that Officer McDonald left.

Dori rejoined Tor only moments after McDonald had left, but after that the rest of the evening was almost a blur to Tor.  So much happened and he talked to so many people that he felt as if he was in a blender, endlessly whirling around and around, with everyone wanting a piece of him.  It was much later, while he and Dori cuddled together in bed that he was able to calm down, look back on the evening and sort out some of the main points of what he'd noticed.

Marty and Billy had been deep in conversation about hockey while they ate, but when Billy had to go back to work, Marty had offered to help, then went along with him.

Peter Albright, the new veterinarian, had arrived late, but Alva had cooked him a burger and prepped him a plate of food, then had joined him at the table as he ate.  Tor only noticed because he hadn't realized that they had become so friendly toward each other, but he definitely approved of their friendship.  Pete was a great guy and a darn good vet.

Meanwhile Tyeshia and Dag had spent the whole evening together.  That pairing was an interesting contrast.  She was very thin, but quite dark skinned and had jet-black hair, while he was quite husky, but with fair skin and blonde hair.  At least they were almost equally matched for height, since both of them were well over six feet tall.

At one point Jax came over to Tor and asked if instead of the coupe he might want to build a pickup body on the new frame, now that he owned a ranch.  Tor had just shaken his head and said no, but he had thanked Jax for the offer.

Both Björn and Kai had come to him and apologised for being drunk and stupid earlier in the year.  Tor had thanked them for that, but told them that more important than their apology, neither of them were drinking heavily during the party and he appreciated that.

Aunt Hanna and Uncle Nils had spent the evening talking to Dori's Aunt Matty and Uncle Abe, probably about their new jobs, or perhaps about housing, but Tor hadn't asked.  Meanwhile Tor's Mom and Dad had spent most of the evening talking quietly to Jax and Keisha, but both he and Dori had steered clear of that conversation as well.

As it happened Tor remembered the final conversation of the evening in detail, since it happened later on, probably about nine o'clock. Just before the party was breaking up, Keisha, Aunt Hanna and Tor's mom had gotten together for a while.  He hadn't been certain what was going on, then a few minutes later his mom and Keisha approached, each waving a list, but at least they had smiles on their faces.

"We talked to Hanna about Tor's new cabin on the ranch." Tor's mom winked at them. "Since we imagine you two are virtually going to set up house with each other for the month, we thought we'd offer some advice on what you each need to take with you."

"Are you telling me that I can go there and stay with Tor?" Dori asked in astonishment.

"We decided not to fight it, since you two are acting like you're joined at the hip already." Keisha frowned, then winked broadly at Dori.  "Since you two have been sleeping together, but not much else, we thought we'd see how you kids made out living together on your own.  You're not working now, Dori, and since Matty and Abe have new jobs starting on the first of September, your cousins are going to go back to California to pack up, sell out, then move up here.  You'd be driving your father and I crazy about going to visit Tor anyway, so we gave in.  We decided in the long run we'd let you sink or swim, or to put it another way we think you'll either fight or become a couple.  Either way it will be better for everyone if it happens before school starts."

"Wow, thank you, Mom,  you too, Mrs. Eklund." Dori said, almost in tears.

"Well, your father and Tor's father aren't really in favour of what we decided, but as Tor calmly told me earlier, since he owns a ranch now he can afford to keep a woman." Tor's mom said quietly.  "However, there is one glitch in Tor's plans, since he asked me to buy a supply of condoms, just in case.  Only your mother tells me you're allergic to latex, so either you didn't tell him that, or he forgot."

"Un huh, I am and I told him, so he must have forgot." Dori chewed her bottom lip.  "I told him that I'm on the pill though and have been for years."

"Yes, but birth control pills are not fool proof.  They do fail at times."

"I'm not worried." Dori said firmly.  "Besides, we have another reason, a private reason for being good little kids.  I'll be honest though, I'm pretty sure if we're alone in a place we can call our own that reason might not hold out for long."

Tor's mom sighed heavily then.  "Well, I wasn't much older than you are now when Ollie and I first made love and Keisha tells me the same thing about her and Jax.  It's just that things are different now.  In some ways they're better and in some ways they're more difficult.

"Actually as close as you two are, I'm not that worried, in fact I've been somewhat of a bad influence and I've been asking Tor why he wasn't involved with you before now.  Up until now he has just shrugged and walked away, but he seems to have change his mind today.  As well as that I happened to be talking to a lawyer recently and asked him about the legal age of consent.  He told me it was fourteen right now, but that there are several politicians who want to raise that to sixteen.  In other words the ball is in your court and it's your serve.  He even told me straight out that we can't legally stop you from having sex.

"Now, I'm not really prepared to become a grandmother, so I'd rather see you wait until you're through school and perhaps even university, but if it happens, you'll both have our support and that goes for both families."

"Thanks, Mom, but I kinda knew that already."  Tor gave her a quick hug, then hesitated a second before hugging Keisha too, but Dori was doing the same thing in reverse order.

"Actually that wasn't the reason we came over here." Tor's mom smiled at the pair when the various hugs had been exchanged.  "We had a chat with Hanna about how well your new cabin is stocked and she thinks you'll be well off for linens and such.  In other words there is a good supply of sheets, blankets, towels and so on, but she found it strange because there are no soaps, detergents or any supplies of that sort in the place.  The kitchen is well stocked with pots, pans, cutlery and flatware, but has very little in the way of china and glassware, barely enough for four people.  There was a small amount of food in the cupboards, but all of it is either canned or packaged and easily prepared.  The fridge and freezer were clean, empty and even unplugged.

"There are two bedrooms, one you could call a master, but only because the second bedroom is smaller.  Both of them have a double bed, bedside stands, a dresser and a closet.  There is only one bathroom, which is between the bedrooms and has a combination tub and shower, a toilet and a single basin.  The back door at the end of the main hallway opens onto a tiny mud-room, and in a closet off the mud-room there's a stacking washer and drier.  Next door, on the same side of the hallway, there's a tiny office with a small desk, a chair and a filing cabinet, then next to that is a small kitchen.  Hanna called it apartment sized, but it has an upright fridge/freezer combination, an apartment sized stove, a single sink, a microwave and a toaster oven.  Next to the kitchen is, well - not a dining room, but almost a breakfast nook, with a small wooden table and four chairs.  One side of the breakfast nook opens onto the living room, which actually has a nice looking fireplace, a hide-a-bed couch, a pair of recliner easy chairs, a TV and a VCR, as well as a stereo.  Opening off the livingroom there's a front porch entrance, which faces toward the main ranch, not the big log cabin.  Between the two buildings there's a covered walkway off of that mud-room I mentioned, and the other end of that walkway leads to the entrance of the mud-room of the main cabin.  So, even if it was raining you could walk to the other house without getting wet.

"So while the place is completely furnished, in Hanna's words it's decked out in 'vanilla colours and styles, so it has about as much pizzazz as a bus station.'  She said all the floors are tile, except in the bedrooms and the living room which are all done in hotel-grade beige carpet.  The inner walls and ceilings are all done in off-white paint, while the outer walls are varnished logs.  Any pictures on the walls are inexpensive prints in cheap wooden frames.  The windows all have vertical venetian blinds, but the kitchen window has curtains, while the bedroom and living room windows have drapes, again all of those are in beige tints."

"Okay, so what was all that in aid of." Tor asked quietly when his mom paused.

"Well, Hanna and Nils have said that the smaller cabin is yours for as long as you want to use it, but whenever they are there they'd like you to eat with them in the main cabin.  However they won't be there all the time, so you should plan on stocking some food as well as other supplies you might need."

"Well, I was talking to you earlier about that and asked you to help out, because we agreed that Uncle Nils wouldn't want to stop in town tomorrow morning.  At that time you said it was a good idea, so I gave you a cheque to cover the cost.  Since Hanna and Dori aren't coming out until the weekend, I thought you could take Dori along with you too, than you wouldn't buy anything to eat that she hates." Tor grinned and winked at her.  "Have you changed your mind, do you need a bigger cheque, or is something else wrong?"

"Well, I just don't know how far to go with the purchases right now," his mom sighed softly.  "You do know that eventually you're going to need a selection of clothing at your ranch as well as here at home, don't you?  That isn't the immediate problem though.  What I really need to know is what you want us to buy in the way of food and household supplies."

"Okay, today is Wednesday, the 20th of July, and I don't plan to be on the ranch any later than Sunday, August 21st.  That means at the very most we'll only need to have food and other supplies for four and a half weeks.  Now I think Uncle Nils is going to find some reason to come back here fairly soon, probably inside of a week or so, after all the trip home is only about two hours,  three at the outside.  There's a phone there, so he's going to be calling home quite often and if he gets bored down there, or hears of anything important happening here, he'll be on his way back.  Then once he's here, he's going to be curious about what I'm doing, so after a few days he'll be driving back again." Tor grinned.  "You know what he's like, he tries to be involved with anything interesting that happens.  So with something of this sort, he's going to be fluttering back and forth, like a butterfly that can't make up it's mind which flower has the sweetest nectar.  The only way that's going to change is if Aunt Hanna relents, lets him get his hands dirty down at the ranch and gives him the go-ahead to get involved in whatever I happen to be doing."

"Oh, I like the image that brings to mind of Nils, fluttering around like a butterfly,"  Tor's mom chuckled.  "Just imagine the wingspan needed to support about three-hundred pounds of grey-haired Swede."

That brought grins, chuckles and giggles out of all four of them, then Tor's mom sighed and the expression on her face grew serious.

"What your uncle may or may not do isn't something any of us can really guess right now, Tor, but we've decided that the two of you need to be prepared for just about anything.  With that in mind, Keisha and I have each made up a list of personal items that we think you should each have along.  Dori has a couple of days to talk over her list and get together the things on it, but you'll be leaving tomorrow, so you should be packed and ready to go in the morning.  I know you've already packed a lot of things, but I'd be willing to bet there are things on this list that you've missed and just might need."

As a result of that list he'd be adding some clothing that wasn't meant for working situations.  Then since Aunt Hanna had mentioned that there was a hot spring on the property, his mom suggested a bathing suit, just in case there was swimming hole there.  A couple of baseball caps and two different weight jackets were the last things he'd packed to bring along, then he decided anything more was going to be overkill.  He hadn't planned on packing any fancy duds or even a cowboy hat, not right away, not since he didn't want the people on the ranch to think that he might be anything like Harold Burns.  His mom appeared to have disagreed and wanted him to take along what she called a decent riding outfit, hat, vest, colourful shirt, string tie, blue jeans and riding boots.  It was the last two things on the list that caused him to frown though.  His mom wanted him to take along his rifle and his new shotgun.

"You want me to take a rifle and a shotgun?" he asked in astonishment.

"Wake up, Tor!" she snapped.  "Your new ranch is isolated.  It sits on a mountainside, has no near neighbours, faces onto a river and is only a few miles from a provincial park.  You're moving into bear country, probably cougar and wolf country too.  I will bet you dollars to donuts that the people who live there now keep guns handy just to be sure they can protect the livestock.  I would much rather see you safe than sorry, so I think you should have them along just in case you need them."

In the long run he hadn't argued and when he and Dori went upstairs, he'd packed them into the case he'd built to carry his rifles when he'd travelled over to the island the year before.  Then he set the gun-case and a suitcase full of his fancier duds beside his duffle bag so everything was ready to go in the morning.

"I think your two cousins took the whole family by surprise," he whispered as Dori snuggled.

"I think Tye is in lust over your big brother," Dori giggled.  "He's big and on top of that he's extremely smart, besides he doesn't seem to be put off by her colour."

"Yeah, they seem to have hit it off fairly well."

"Fairly well?" Dori snickered.  "That's putting it mildly.  They have a date for tomorrow night, if she's still in town, but Uncle Abe is talking about leaving for California real soon, so that might not happen.  When he heard that, Dag just smiled, then told her he'd still be around when she got back so they could go out then.  I thought she was gonna cream her drawers."

"I never saw that," Tor sighed softly. "I was thinking about Mom's list about the time Dag left though, so I suppose I wasn't paying attention.  By the way, what happened to your other cousin, what was his name, Marty?"

"Oh, Marty left with Billy, the electrician's kid.  Billy invited him to spend the night and said they were going to get some guys together to play street hockey.  Those two hit it off really well too, but not the same way of course.  The two of them are both nuts about sports," Dori sighed softly.  "I'm glad Marty is making friends and that your friend accepted him so easily.  My cousins have both been through some colour issues down in L.A."

"Yeah, well around here they might still get some of that, as you well know, but I doubt if it will be bad.  To most folks around here actions mean a lot more than skin colour and those that do raise a fuss are a fringe element," Tor leaned over and kissed her nose.  "I know Dag plays hockey with a couple of black guys on the university team in Guelph, so that's why I was willing to introduce Tye to him so quickly.  Now Björn might be a little more reluctant, but that's because he used to run with a different group, only Kai is gradually knocking that crap out of him.  Now I have to get up early tomorrow, so . . ."

"Well, I suppose I can wait a couple of more days," she teased as she shifted to lean over him.  "It's kind of a shame though, since you and I are the only people using any of the beds on this floor of the house tonight and we finally have some privacy."

"We are?  What about Alva, is she working tonight or is something else going on?"

"Yes, she's working tonight, but your big sister has a boyfriend and they both left shortly after eating so they could have some private time together before she goes in to work at midnight."

"Are you telling me that she and Peter are a couple?"

"Yep, and I think it's getting serious."

"Holy crap, that was quick, but I think they make a good pair."

"So does your mom." Dori giggled.  "Now since you need to get up early tomorrow, I think you have two choices, either kiss me good night, or else . . ."

"Tease!" he grinned, then drew her into a kiss and cuddle before saying a quiet; "Good night, sexy."


It seemed to Tor that he had hardly closed his eyes before he awakened to morning light coming in his window and heard quiet sounds downstairs.  After gently disengaging himself from Dori's arms, he made sure the covers were tucked around her, then rushed off to the bathroom.  In only a few minutes he was heading downstairs, planning to help his dad with the morning chores, but got told that his Uncle Nils had called and was already on his way over to pick him up.  In fact he hardly had time for a quick breakfast before he had to run back upstairs and kiss Dori goodbye before they loaded his gear into the trailer behind Uncle Nils' Land Rover.  After a quick hug from his Mom and a handshake from his dad, he joined his uncle in the cab of the Land Rover and they were off to take possession of their new properties.

Uncle Nils was in a quiet mood for once and intent on making time, so he was concentrating on the road and his driving.  That suited Tor just fine, so they were only a few miles from the ranch before they really had much of a conversation, which Uncle Nils instigated.

"Aye vas in such a hurry dis mornin' 'cause de crew vill be startin' vurk on da road oup to da ranch today," he said quietly. "Aye tink dat is dheir trucks aheadt uf us now."

"Could be, I can make out a couple of flatbeds, with a bulldozer on one and a track-hoe on the other." Tor commented.  "They're moving slow, but this road is too dang dusty to get too close in case they have to stop suddenly or something."

"Yah, Aye see dat.  Oh, vait a minute, dhey are pullin' ohfer undt da vun driver is vayfin' me past."

"Yeah, darn nice of them.  It might be an idea if you give each one a little toot on the horn and I'll wave to each of them as we go by, just to say thanks."

"Yah, goodt idea, Tor."

As they passed, Tor gave each of the drivers a smile, a wave and a thumbs up sign and his uncle's horn toot was met by the sound of a pair of air horns.  Those were loud enough to make Uncle Nils jump slightly and Tor to grin, then chuckle, which is when he glanced back and saw the black and white RCMP car following them past the two trucks.

"I see there are cops right behind us, which is probably why those truckers were so nice," he chortled.

"Yah, Aye yust noticedt dem myseluf," Nills barked out a short laugh.  "Funny how goodt a man vill drife undt how nice he vill be to udder drifers vhen he hass a cop behindt him, hey?"

"Yep," Tor nodded and laughed.  "I'll bet those toots on the air horns were as much of a warning to the others of the crew that there were cops coming, as they were for our thank you, maybe more."

"Yah, couldt be."

It was only a few minutes before they were pulling off the road at a small sign marking the private road to Tula Ranch.  Then Uncle Nils pulled to a stop behind a jeep, a pair of dump trucks and pickup with a canopy on the back.

"Aye needt to talk vit dhese men first, dhen vee vill go on oup to da ranch. You might vant to explain to yer friend da cop vhat iss goin' on." Nils explained.

So Tor went back and explained to Officer McDonald about the new 'all weather' road that they were having built.  He was still standing there as another RCMP unit pulled up behind the first one, only this one was a pickup truck with a modified camper body.

"Before you ask about it, Tor, that pickup behind us is an investigative unit on loan from the Kamloops squad.  We asked for a loan of the men, and they wanted to bring all their toys along, just in case.  You see they were involved in the search when little Karen Jensen disappeared last year and they've been following up even the most meagre hint or clue about that case ever since."

"I can understand that, in fact if I was in their shoes, I'd be doing the very same thing."

"Yeah!  I know!  Remember me, I'm the guy who patted you on the back for catching that guy wanted on a Canada wide warrant just after you moved here.  Only a short time later though, I darn near arrested you for shooting back at a sniper who tried to kill both of us.  Not only that, but I've coached you on the hockey team, so I think I know exactly what you'd do - the exact same thing the guys in that pickup truck are doing, only you might be even more dedicated.

"I'm almost afraid that we might find something here and you'll learn about it, because you're like a bulldog with the memory of an elephant.  If we did find anything that tied Burns to a kidnapping, you'd be after him like a hound on the trail of a rabbit and you're too young to get involved in a hunt of that sort.  You're still a kid, so if we do find anything do me a favour and for once in your life, act your age."

Tor looked at Officer McDonald and didn't know what to say, but he was saved from saying anything by Uncle Nils' voice.

"Tor, vee needt to go.  Vee nedt to get oudt uf da vay so dey can get in here vit da big trucks." Nils called

The gravel road headed up into the hills and was little more than a poorly graded trail, so Tor could certainly see why a better road was needed.  That trail led up a gully cut by a small stream, climbing steep grades and zigzagging around various obstacles.  They forded the bed of the stream at several points and even drove into the stream, then turned upstream and drove in the water as it rushed over solid rock for fifty yards or so.  It was definitely not a road meant to accommodate the suspension and drive train of a normal car - even the old Land Rover they were using had problems negotiating the route in several places.  So Tor and Nils both kept an eye on the police vehicles most of the way, just to be sure they were able to follow the Land Rover.

That rugged entrance road was only one aspect of the many barriers which isolated the Tula River Ranch from outside civilization though.  Besides that barely passable road, the other obstacles to access were natural, provided by the rugged geography of the surrounding area.  The ranch had been built on a plateau or terrace of gently sloping arable land, a geological anomaly in an area of steep grades and rugged cliffs.  It perched above a sheer cliff, which bordered a ragging river, that curved in a huge bow around lower edge of the terrace.  The upper end of the area, as well as the third and fourth sides of the ranch, were isolated by the jagged slopes of 'shattered lava' outflows which isolated the gentle rolling slopes of the plateau from the surrounding cliffs.  Seen from above, the ranch was a truncated triangle with the base of the triangle joined to a matching half circle.  Almost two miles wide at the base, and somewhat further from base to truncated tip, it was similar in shape to the outline of a stubby ice cream cone with the tip of the cone removed.

Tor's first impression of the ranch itself wasn't exactly favourable as the old Land Rover finally surmounted the last steep grade and came to a pole fence and gate that enclosed the area.  Just beyond the fence the gravel road split, with a two-rut track turning uphill and a dirt 'road' crossing the open area, heading toward the ranch buildings which were downslope and on their left.  Tor could see at least two houses, several barns, a few outbuildings and a series of corrals, but it all appeared somewhat decrepit and in need of care.  The weathered greyish-silver colour of the exposed wood of most of those buildings betrayed the fact that they had never seen a coat of paint since they had been built.

Then as he walked forward to open the gate, he had a chance to notice several small groups of horses and cattle fenced inside a series of long, narrow areas and each area seemed to hold a different breed of animals.  The sound of a old two-lung John Deere drew his attention to a distant field, where someone was driving the ancient tractor and baling hay with an equally ancient square baler.  He was shaking his head as he climbed back in the vehicle after signalling to the police to close the gate behind them and getting a wave from Officer McDonald.

"This place is nuts!" he commented as he gestured toward the small pens and pastures.  "What in the blazes is going on here?  It sure doesn't look like it's set up to be easy to look after or profitable to run."

"Vell, before da moofie man ownedt it, da guy vhat hadt da place ver a perfesser, er someting uf dat sordt undt Aye don't tink he ver lookin fer a profit," his uncle said quietly as he turned and followed the trail leading parallel to the fence.  "He efun spendt a bundle undt hadt a chenerator bilt on da top endt uf da stream ve vas followin on da vay up here, dhen he run in pipes ta da fieldts ta irrygate dhem.  Aye tink he vas tryin vit diffrent breeds o' plandts undt anymals ta see vich vun vas da best fer here undt it vaz more uf a hobby fer him dhan it vas a bissness.  Vhen da oldt perfesser diedt, da moofie feller bott da place, undt he dint change nuttin septin da house in da two yars vhat he ownedt da ranch.  Da perfesser ownedt da place fer aboudt tirty yars undt before him it ver ownedt by some Doukobhor Rooshans.  Dem Rooshans ver da fellers vhat first comedt undt bought da land frum da guverment in da nineteen-tventies, den vurked here as vun big famly.  Ay don't know vhy dey soldt it er much else, but dere iss two men vurkin here vhat might know more boudt da place."

Tor just shook his head, then chuckled.

"Vhat iss so fonny?" his uncle asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking that this is almost as isolated as the valley over on the Island was.  I mean we're just as far from town and it's almost as hard to get here as the other place was.  The only real difference here is that there are a few people, a few buildings, the horses aren't wild and there are a few fields here, so it's more open."

"Hah! Yust vait ontil you see our liddle ache-rich undt da house Hanna undt me haf here.  Dat Yankee moofie man hadt it bilt oop oudt uf logs undt brought in da pieces by hellycopter.  Da place iss purdty fancy.  Efun da liddtle cabin vhat Hanna iss gifen to you undt Dori is purdty nice.  Aye guess you vill see it all now too sinct vee haf dhese cops here, yah?"

"Yep, I guess, they want us to wait a while before bringing our stuff inside, at least until they've gone over the place and checked it out."

They talked that over as they drove through a small copse of trees and then toward the log house and all Tor could do, was stare in astonishment.  There were actually two houses, one was huge with a full width front porch and a second floor balcony, while the other was a much smaller and simpler single-story building.  The second building was set back from the first, leaving a parking area for cars before the smaller house and beside the main structure.  However the two buildings were at least thirty feet apart, but connected by a roofed walkway with latticework walls.

"Holy cow!" Tor gasped.  "It's gonna take those four cops all day to go through those two buildings."

He was wrong, since it only took them six hours, but Tor was certain that they had finished early because he and Uncle Nils helped them with some of the labour intensive jobs.  For instance all the floors in the main house were hardwood, except in the kitchen and bathrooms, but almost all of the hardwood floors were protected by huge oriental rugs. As you can well imagine, the police wanted all those rugs rolled up to check under them for trapdoors or things of that sort.  Of course that meant moving whatever furniture was sitting on each rug before it could be rolled up and moved out of the way.  Then afterward everything had to be put back in its place again.

Not only that, but each room was checked throughly from top to bottom. The cops even used tape measures to make sure all the dimensions were correct and to assure themselves that there were no hidden rooms or passages.  The attic was checked out and so were the closets and cupboards.  They even went outside and looked over the footings for possible openings even though they'd found drawings that showed the building was sitting on a concrete slab.

It was well into the afternoon before they checked over the last room on the second floor of the main house, but although they had been very thorough they hadn't found any sign of any sort of illegal activity.  It only took half an hour to check out the walkway and then the much smaller cabin, then they finally called a halt to their search.  Perhaps because the cops felt they had wasted most of Tor and his uncle's day, they offered to help them bring their clothing and supplies inside before leaving.

What Tor had brought along only took him and another officer a few minutes to move into the little house, then they joined the others in moving his aunt and uncle's possessions into the bigger building.  While they were unpacking kitchen supplies, one of the officers from Kamloops dropped a pickle jar on the edge of the sink and it shattered, splashing across the kitchen counter and the floor.

"Oh man!  I'm sorry, Tor.  Don't worry though, I'll clean it up.  I saw a mop and a bucket, as well as a box of cleaning rags in the utility room," the cop announced and rushed off, so Tor carried on putting cans and bottles in the cupboard.

Seconds later he heard a strangled sound and looked up to see the cop holding a piece of red cloth in his hand.  His face was pale as a ghost as he stared at what he was holding.  Tor glanced over the guy's shoulder and saw a label sewn into the inside of that piece of red cloth where he could read the letters; 'K A R E N  J.'

"Her mother said she was wearing a brand new, bright red, summer coat that she was going to use for school in the fall," the cop whispered quietly.

Tor's memory kicked in then and he recalled Officer McDonald's words from that morning; "they were involved in the search when little Karen Jensen disappeared last year . . ."


Officer McDonald didn't look very happy, since by finding that scrap of cloth, the RCMP officers from Kamloops had reason to take over the lead in the Harold Burns investigation.  Tor could see it in his eyes and read it in his face, he didn't have to listen to the man's thoughts.  Still he wandered over near McDonald and sighed softly to gain the man's attention, then shook his head, before looking at his friend.

"I suppose you and I are gonna have to back off and let these guys do their thing now, huh?" he asked very quietly.  "Before you run off though, I have to say thanks for passing on my hunch that Burns was a slimy bastard who was up to something."

"Well, the missing child case didn't happen in my jurisdiction, so I don't really have any reason to be heavily involved now, but I'll still be the lead on the Burns case.  That means you may see me here again because I'll definitely be keeping an eye on what happens and listening to hear what they find.  As for the thanks, forget it.  I should be the one who is thanking you.  You seem to have a knack for seeing things others don't notice, as you've demonstrated several times in the past, both in normal life and as a hockey player.  As a result, when you point something out, I take notice."

"Yeah, maybe, but there's still crap I heard Burns say that I just can't seem to remember fully and it's driving me nuts, so . . . Hey, wait a minute.  That scrap of cloth was off the little girl's coat, wasn't it."

"Yeah, we think so, but why do you ask about that?"

"Well, back in the restaurant, when Burns was staring at little Evie, he muttered something that just didn't make sense to me in any way at the time, but maybe it ties in somehow.  I think it was something about the coat she was wearing, but even that seems to be nonsense.  I keep thinking that what he said was 'quality coat' or 'quantity coat' or something like that, but that's just stupid.  Why in heck would he be interested in her coat?"

"What he said wasn't the word 'Quantico' by any chance, was it?"

"You know that sounds right, but what the blazes is a quantico?  Is it some sort of Mexican food or something?"

"No, Quantico is the East Coast base of the US Marines and you may have just given the RCMP a major headache by recalling that one word."

"Why?"

"Because this is one case that will have to be passed up the line and it may get CSIS and the Canadian Armed Services involved."

"Okay, I guess I'm dumb, but what in heck is cease-us?"

"C-S-I-S is an acronym for Canadian Security & Intelligence Service which is a somewhat secretive bureau of the government of Canada.  Their main function is to deal with international spy networks or international incidents of almost any kind, if they involve Canada in any way.  In this case CSIS has a far better chance of finding out if Burns is somehow involved with the US Marines than the RCMP does." Officer McDonald paused then and turned to face Tor, put a hand on each of his shoulders and stared him in the eye.  "Now, I have a huge favour to ask of you, Tor."

"This sounds serious."

"It is, I want you to keep the word 'Quantico' to yourself, at least for now.  Even mentioning it to the wrong person could cause problems for our investigation, because if it does concern the U-S Marines, so the handling of the situation is likely to become a diplomatic nightmare."

"Well, I don't get it, why would the US Marines be involved in the first place?"

"I wouldn't know for sure, but I remember reading about some crazy professor in the US saying that they were going to lose the cold war to Russia if they didn't get involved with checking out ESP.  Maybe the little girl that was kidnapped had dreams about the future or something, because if any of the US armed services would be involved with that it would be the Marines - well, either them or the Air Force."

"Oh, great another Roswell, Area 51, flying saucer idea huh?"  Tor snorted.  "I don't know how others go about seeing the future or things like that, but I'll be honest, I can see my future, right out that window and on that ranch.  Only right now, it looks to me like this Harold Burns fiasco and your cops rampaging all over around here are gonna screw it up for me."

"What?  Why would you think that?"

"Well to start with I wanted to make a decent impression on the people who have worked here for years, but instead when I show up for the first time there are cops crawling all over the place.  Now that they did find something, I imagine it's going to get even worse.  I'll bet the guys from Kamloops will be here for days, snooping into everything, bugging everyone and interfering with every job on the ranch, which is going to annoy people and I'm the guy who brought you guys here."

"I doubt if the local RCMP will be much of a problem," McDonald sighed softly.  "I won't say the same for the bunch from Ontario, because if CSIS gets involved you'll be dealing with a rather hardass bunch of individuals."

"Oh frigging wonderful!" Tor snapped.  "Warn me if you hear that they are coming, would you?"

"Whatever for?"

"So I'll know when to run into a doorframe, get a concussion and suffer from total loss of memory of anything that happened in the last few days.  I'll become the dumb farm kid any darn Down-Easter expects to meet out here in the boondocks of BC."

"Hey, I'm from Ontario myself, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but you've lived out here long enough that this country has knocked off the sharp corners and filed down most of that stupid Easterner attitude of superiority." Tor shrugged.  "You know darn well that if I get pushed, I get stubborn and if I'm pushed hard enough, I'll even push back."

"Tor, don't get your back up with anyone from CSIS.  Those guys play for keeps."

"Yeah, well if you get the chance, warn them to treat me and anyone on this ranch civilly and not to act like assholes, then we'll return the favour and cooperate.  But, you know how protective I am of my friends and family, so tell those people that I consider every person on this ranch to be just as close as any personal friend or family member.  If some officious asshole comes out here and starts to create shit for anyone living on this place, I'll find the right brand of toilet paper and find a way to wipe his ass clean.  This is my ranch now.  I own it, so I'll protect it and the people on it, come hell or high water." Tor took a deep breath and stared Officer McDonald in the eye.  "If we're treated civilly, I will cooperate and I'll ask the people here on the ranch to cooperate, but if there is any hint of a threat or any coercion, of any kind, I'll hire a lawyer and have him standing by to protect us.  If that isn't enough, I'll go the political route, then if the politicians can't do anything, I'll go to the press."

"Tor, you're only fifteen years old.  What could you possibly do to a government agent?"

"Officer McDonald, have you met my brothers, my sister, my mother, my father, my aunt, my uncle or my cousins?  Don't ask what I can do, ask what my family can do, because we believe in helping each other." Tor turned and gestured over his shoulder at his uncle.  "Why don't you go ask Uncle Nils what will happen if some dork comes in here and starts to threaten or bully him?  See if his answer is any different than mine.  Now if you'll excuse me, I've spent my whole day here helping you while just outside that door and across that fence I have almost two thousand acres of land that belongs to me and needs my attention."

With that Tor turned on his heel and walked out the door and over to the smaller cabin.  Once he was there, he changed his runners for work boots, grabbed a pair of gloves to stick in his pocket and a baseball cap to wear on his head, then stomped off toward the sound of the old tractor and baler.  He'd spent most of the day being bored and really hadn't worked very hard, so he wanted some exercise.  Tossing a few hay bales around sounded like a good way to get it.  Besides, most farm folk would welcome anyone who was willing to pitch in on a job of that sort and he felt it would be a good way to introduce himself to the people who worked on the ranch.

After all, it was probably about as far as possible from anything that twit Burns would have done if he was faced with the same situation.  Right now, that sounded like a good reason all by itself.

Chapter 22