Wilderness Pursuit. Michelle Karl
the fact is that your construction site is now a crime scene, and I’m wondering if you have any idea why.”
Ed folded his hands on the desk and sucked his teeth. “Absolutely not. I won’t deny that any pipeline project in Canada will attract opposition at the start, but Gaida Industries always follows protocol to reduce any potential...issues. We conduct the requisite surveys and background checks on the land.”
“Hence the hiring of Ms. Park, here.” Sam locked eyes with Kara, unsurprised to see frustration reflected there.
Ed’s gaze swung to Kara. “Why, yes, of course. We’re required by law to have archaeological surveys done on the land. It’s highly doubtful that there’s anything there, but you know how it is, bureaucratic nonsense—”
“I found possible markers of a burial, and I’m quite certain I saw a phalange in-situ.” Kara’s voice took on a matter-of-fact tone. Sam watched her take a deep breath and exhale, her shoulders visibly lowering as she engaged her professional side. “Officer Thrace is here to talk to you about the attack, yes, but I’m here to speak about the site. When Mike and I arrived, the site was...not right. It looked like the dirt had been disturbed and then haphazardly tamped down, like someone did a rushed survey of the top layers of soil and then dumped everything back into place. And what’s worse is that I’m certain I saw evidence of remains in the disturbed soil, like I said. I took several photographs to show you, but my camera disappeared during the attack.”
Ed frowned at her. “Remains? You mean bones?”
“Yes, but also the type of soil, lithic flakes...we’re going to need to hire private security to monitor the site, or at least install some kind of motion detection system, because—”
“You’re sure the bones weren’t from a squirrel? Or a rabbit? It’s highly unlikely otherwise.”
Kara coughed, and Sam resisted the urge to tap her arm in support. She could deal with it on her own. “You know that the land in this area is traditional First Nations territory, right? It’s highly likely that there would be artifacts on any given plot of land, as well as potential ancient burial sites. Surely your company is aware of that. This isn’t your first pipeline project.”
Ed nodded, and Sam almost relaxed at the man’s easy agreement—but it lasted only a moment before the man’s gaze snapped up and he leaned forward in his chair. “That would be rather convenient for you, wouldn’t it.” It wasn’t a question, but Sam didn’t understand why not. Kara stiffened beside him, but remained silent.
“What does he mean?” Sam asked her, but she shook her head, tight-lipped. “What do you mean, sir?”
Ed smirked at Sam. “Officer, I’m trying to run a legitimate business here. You understand, I’m sure. And you must also understand that as a businessman in an industry that’s often perceived as being financially sound, that occasionally there are individuals who try to take advantage of our success. Who might fabricate complaints or situations that benefit themselves in an effort to tip our pots in their direction, so to speak.”
“Don’t give me a verbal runaround, Mr. Tigh. If you’re accusing Ms. Park of something, I’m going to ask you to come right out and say it.”
Ed’s smirk vanished, replaced by a deep frown. “Fine. But I think you should ask Ms. Park what happens when an archaeologist finds a First Nations burial on a construction site.”
Sam swung his attention to Kara. She matched his gaze but kept her voice steady, despite the mounting anger he saw there. “Work stops until the burial is dealt with. A First Nations burial belongs to the deceased individual’s family, and the company’s project is put on hold indefinitely until we can determine their origin, contact the appropriate descendants and find a respectful way to move the remains. Initial investigations have to be conducted first to ensure that it is, in fact, an ancient burial and not recent.”
“Family? You’re going to find the family of a body from thousands of years ago?” Ed snorted in disbelief.
Kara kept her voice level, though Sam wouldn’t have been surprised to see steam rising from her pores. “Thousands, maybe. Hundreds, more likely. There are tests we can run in the lab, which are then matched with historical record regarding habitation in the area. We can also speak with First Nations chiefs to check tribal records kept in those particular communities. Trust me when I say that we have numerous respectful ways of determining ethnicity, origin and, in many cases, lineage of the deceased.”
“That sounds perfectly reasonable.” Sam shrugged. “I don’t see the problem here. Work stops until that all gets figured out and then construction resumes. There’s nothing unusual about the occasional necessary work stoppage.”
“No, Sam. When I say work stops, I mean it stops. The construction company has to step back, and since we’re dealing with government policy and sensitive First Nations issues, sometimes these situations can take months to resolve.”
“Months?” Sam felt his eyebrows leap upward. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when government is involved.”
Kara looked down at her hands and then back up at him. “And on rare or more difficult cases, years.”
Ed slammed the palm of his hand down on the desk. “And there it is, folks. Years. And the only people out there working and getting paid, while my company hemorrhages money, are those so-called ‘expert’ archaeologists in the field. I know how you people work. I know you jump from contract to contract. I guess it’d be nice to have a steady paycheck for a few years, wouldn’t it? All you need to do is find one little bone and claim it’s human—”
Sam had heard enough. “Mr. Tigh.” He risked a brief glance at Kara, whose eyes had turned red around the edges, her jaw tight. He thought he saw the subtle quiver of a woman enraged, and he didn’t blame her one bit. “That’s a very serious accusation you’re leveling at Ms. Park. Do you have evidence to support this claim? A reason to believe that she might sabotage your company’s work for her team’s gain, beyond hearsay?”
Kara’s gaze snapped to him. “I would never plant archaeological evidence, Sam. That would be career suicide, and completely unethical in too many ways to list right now. I can understand your concern for your company’s bottom line, Mr. Tigh, but I assure you I’m only here to do my job—”
“A week early, Ms. Park! Just enough time to get everything set up so that when your team arrives and you head out to dig, lo and behold—”
“Mr. Tigh.” Sam stood, his chair scraping back with a harsh screech. “I’m going to escort Ms. Park from the premises, and while I do so, I urge you to consider the implications of what you’re saying and how you’re going to back up this claim. Before I go, however, there’s still the matter of the attack out at the site today. I need to ask if you can think of any reason why someone might harm Mr. Helfer and Ms. Park. Have you received any messages, phone calls, emails, anything you can think of that might be relevant?”
Ed scowled as he stood to match Sam, pulling his shoulders back and puffing out his chest. “Absolutely not. Our public relations team has kept pace with negative press and successfully tamped down on any dissent regarding a pipeline in this area. Are you even certain these two were attacked? Because from my side of the desk, Ms. Park is the one standing here while my foreman is receiving medical assistance, so for all I know—”
“I suggest you stop speaking immediately,” Sam said. “Before you say something you regret.” He nodded to Kara. She stood and headed for the door. “And yes, they were attacked. You have the eyewitness statement of a law enforcement professional who’s standing right in front of you, who happened on the scene just in time. Things could have been much worse than they are—though I suppose we’ll need to hear back about your foreman’s condition before we can be sure of that. Mr. Tigh, I understand that you want to do right by your company, but you’ll make no friends with law enforcement in this area if you insist on making baseless accusations. I’d like to think we can work together to ensure that no one else is harmed on your