The River Burns Read Online Free PDF Page A

You never could keep us straight.”
    â€œWhat did you call me?” she demanded to know.
    â€œYou started it.”
    â€œThey have to off-load,” André explained. “After the passengers cross on their own, then the bus drives over empty. So passengers won’t be on board if the bus falls through the bridge.”
    â€œFuckin’ hell!”
    â€œMr. O’Farrell!”
    â€œCome on, Denny,” Samad whispered. “Don’t piss her off.”
    â€œI know you think Ryan’s your big success story,” Denny rebuked his former teacher, ignoring Samad, “and I’m your big failure, McCracked. You wanted me to be more than just another logger but here I am, logging. Get over it. You have to look at the situation we’re in today. This is what matters now.”
    She appeared nonplussed, yet could not follow his thread.
    â€œYou’re partly responsible,” he accused. “You’re one of them who wants to keep this bridge. And it’s partly because you don’t like loggers. You never want to see our side. The worst thing is, you’re spearheading—that’s the word—you’re spearheading the people who want to keep this bridge. Look! We can’t cross and now the whole morning’s shot.”
    â€œYou can go around, Mr. O’Farrell.”
    â€œWe don’t have a choice now, do we? Is that what you want? But think . Try to get hold of this. The detour adds an extra nineteen kilometres per trip, one way. Never mind our time, do you know what that costs at the end of a day, just in fuel? Eleven trucks. Thirty-eight clicks round-trip. Make it four round-trips a day, five on a good day but you can forget about five now. Do the math. You taught it.”
    â€œYou were good in math yourself.”
    â€œNo, McCracked. That was my brother. Ryan. I’m Denny.”
    â€œDenny,” she said, as though to nail that down for good.
    â€œI’ve done the math. It’s over sixteen hundred clicks a day. Do you know how much fuel that is, how much money, not to mention the drivers’ time? And don’t talk to me about the company. These are our trucks. We pay the mortgage on them. We pay the fuel bill. Not the company. The company pays us by the load, not the time, so they don’t care how long it takes any more than you do, just so long as the logs get moved.”
    â€œI’m not going to stand here and argue with you, Mr. O’Farrell.”
    â€œCan’t even remember my name.”
    â€œYou disparage mine. Why should I speak yours?”
    â€œHey, Crackers, did you hear about the meeting coming up? You’ll have to stand and argue with me then.”
    â€œThat’s fine. There’s a proper forum for every discussion, Mr. O’Farrell.”
    â€œJust don’t get your hopes up. Things can go wrong.”
    â€œDenny,” André said, catching him before he said too much, and Denny relented. The problem with a secret plan was keeping it secret.
    â€œWe better get turned around,” Samad said, as though he wanted the conversation to conclude as well. “It’ll take forever.”
    â€œMight as well,” Denny agreed. “The old folks won’t cross anytime soon.”
    Those who were spry and sprightly were now stopped to admire the view.
    â€œIf they do,” André said, “we’ll just run them down.”
    â€œI heard that,” Mrs. McCracken said.
    â€œYou hear everything,” Denny said.
    â€œI do,” she said. “I remember everything, too. Except maybe names.”
    â€œGuess what?” he said as he started towards his truck. “So do I.”
    Denny didn’t know why he said that or what it was supposed to mean. He was mad at himself as he knew it sounded stupid. He strode back to his rig. Now he needed to make up for lost time with speed. He’d drive angry. Probably get a ticket for his trouble when he was