High Desert Barbecue Read Online Free PDF

younger, they’ll need diapers and a changing table in the van.”
    “ They’re college kids,” Van Kamp explained. “The station saves money—”
    “ Never mind that,” the BLM official said. “What’s this ‘mammalian dominance’ crap? I thought you were going to can the weirdness and stay on-message.”
    “ Stuff it, you little bureaucrat. If it wasn’t for me, you’d never have had the balls—”
    W hile the prophet and the BLM official argued, Van Kamp and his Park Service counterpart peeped through the blinds to see the television crew loading their equipment into a van prominently marked with the local TV station’s logo. Free from fear of discovery, they wrestled the room’s two windows open and gasped for fresh air.
    R evived, Van Kamp turned to face the room. “Enough. All Greenfield was supposed to do was set the tone. How he does that is his business.” He turned back to the window for a quick breath, then faced the room once again. “With Williams burned out, people are already on edge. Greenfield’s little performance will scare the shit out of them.”
    “ So the next step—” the BLM official began.
    “ The next step is the next fire. My office has already put out an alert about a small blaze west of Flagstaff. That gave us a reason to seal the roads out there. I’ve assigned a trusted crew to make sure there is a fire. In no time at all, the highway will be clogged with panicked families looking for a soft, safe hidey-hole far from the dangerous forest.”
    H is eyes burning into his colleagues, Greenfield nodded his head and spoke.
    “ And all of this beautiful country around us will return to the wilderness it was meant to be, untroubled by wrongful incursions.” After a pause, he added, “Except for the damned mammals.”
    “ And the people assigned to protect that vulnerable wilderness are likely to get a lot more money and power than they’ve had in the past,” Van Kamp added.
    G reenfield, Van Kamp, the BLM official and the Park Service man all glanced at each other, then smiled. Visions, respectively, of a human-free utopia and of supplementary budgets danced in their heads.
    F inally, the Park Service man spoke.
    “ Can we please turn on the air conditioner?” His voice betrayed a slight whine.
    V an Kamp and the BLM official nodded in relief, each happy to not be the one who broke first.
    G reenfield looked at them all in disgust.
    “ Wimps.”
     

Chapter 10
     
     
    T he restaurant at the Weatherford Hotel was unusually crowded for a weekday lunchtime. Three families shuffled around the small, history-laden lobby, glancing at photographs of Flagstaff in its timber-driven heyday and waiting for tables.
    S cott caught the manager’s eye.
    “ What’s going on, Ron? Some kind of university event?”
    S hort and slim, with dark hair graying at the temples, Ron shook his head.
    “ Lani, Scott, good to see you guys.” Then he leaned in close and spoke in a barely audible whisper.
    “ They’re mostly Williams people. The Red Cross has them camped out in the high school gyms, and they’re wandering through town looking for something to do.”
    R on backed up and grabbed two menus.
    “ Hang on. I’ll get you guys a table.” He disappeared into the main dining room.
    “ Is he actually setting up another table for us,” Lani asked.
    “ I think so. Hey, he has a major crush on you. It comes in handy.”
    “ You don’t know that,” Lani answered. But she blushed.
    “ I have a pretty good idea. It’s OK. I take it as a compliment to you—and to my taste in picking you.”
    “ Oh, so you picked me .”
    “ Or maybe it was the other way around. Which would only go to show that you have excellent taste yourself.”
    “ Speaking of taste … Today’s meal is on me. Let’s call it a freedom-from-employment lunch.”
    “ Well … sure. How can I turn down a celebration of imminent destitution?”
    R on reappeared with the menus in his hand.
    “ Come on