Out of Range

"Yes," Joe said, now understanding why E

"Look, I believe in doing things on the up-and-up. I don't like games. I didn't become who I am by fucking around with people. Let me ask you something straight out, Mr. Pickett: Are you one of those people who is against any development?"

"No, I'm not," Joe answered truthfully.

"You're not one of those limp-wristed greenies who oppose anything new?"

"No."

"Okay, then. We can talk."

"You start," Joe said.

"The ground can't be broken until all of the permits are in place and all the state and federal bureaucrats sign off on it. Everybody has at this point, except for one."

"Let me guess," Joe said.

"That's right," E

So you're the one,Joe thought.

"I'm sorry to hear that happened," he said. "No representative of our department should have done that."

E

But it doesn't change the fact that I'm nearly a year behind in construction. Some of the delays were the fault of the Forest Service, but this last one was because of a single drunken, incompetent game wardenwho personally cost me a lot of money and inconvenienced more than a few very important people.

"This is a big deal," E

The top meant the governor, Joe thought.

"The vice president of the United States will be in my house for a reception in two weeks. He's considering building a house in Beargrass after he's out of office. Do you want me to tell him he can't because the local game warden won't sign off on it?"

Oh, Joe thought, thattop. "So what do you want from me?"

"I need to know how soon you can get out here," E

"Did you say 'Good Meat community'?"

"That's what I said."

Joe recalled what Trey had told him about the practice, as well as Pi Stevenson's condemnation of it.

"Well?" E

"Well, what?"

"How soon can you get out here for a tour?"

Joe did a quick calculation. His intention, as of that morning, had been to get into the backcountry to check on the outfitter camps as quickly as possible. He also wanted to visit the medical examiner who had been on the scene of Will Jensen's suicide. Given the urgency of Don E

"How about this afternoon?" Joe said.

"Hot damn," E

Maybe,Joe thought.

EIGHTEEN

To meet with Don E

The concept of Beargrass Village had been launched with a complicated land swap between E

What it boiled down to, Joe saw, was just as E

No wonder Will drank too much,Joe thought, smiling bitterly.

The headquarters for Beargrass Village was a dark, modern, low-slung building built of unpeeled logs and native stone. It was set into the side of a wooded rise so naturally that it would be possible for someone not aware of its existence to drive right past the building, which Joe almost did. Fortunately, he noticed a wink of sunlight off the windshield of a black Lexus SUV in a wood-shrouded parking lot, and turned his pickup toward it. Three other late-model SUVs were in the lot. He knew he had found the right place when he saw Don E

"Welcome to Beargrass," E

Carrying the file, Joe entered and heard the door slide shut behind him. Several men sat at an enormous table in the room. A PowerPoint projector was on a stand, fan humming. Easels were positioned in each corner of the room, as well as a huge diorama of the pla

"Fu

E

"That's trivial," he said in a way intended to end the discussion.

"Probably is," Joe agreed.

The three men at the table all stood to shake Joe's hand and introduce themselves. Jim Johnson was the contractor, a bearish man with a full beard, a barrel chest, and callused hands. Shane Suhn was younger, stylish and fit, and said he was Don E

Joe asked, "Chief of staff?"

Suhn's face hardened and paled. "Personal secretary, then," he said.