Warriors for Wildlife is a serial novel, with a new episode published each week. Start from the beginning with the prologue and contents, or jump right into Episode One. If you are enjoying this project, I encourage you to purchase the prequel War on Wildlife trilogy!
Episode Ten - Adding to the Fold
Confronted with an untenable situation, Caleb asked Pam,“What are your dreams for the future?”
“I don’t know, I guess everything I had planned walked out the door in South Dakota. I thought maybe I’d just find the next rally and go to it.”
“With no money?”
“I figured I’d do some waitressing or something to raise a little cash.”
“Have you ever thought of living in Colorado?”
“Colorado would be amazing, but I’m pretty sure there’s no future for me there.”
“Why is that?”
“Colorado is for the rich and famous... as you can see, I’m not that.”
Caleb took a seat on a nearby rock, and beckoned for Pam to do the same. “Let me make a phone call.”
Pam sat down across from him as he typed in Angie’s number.
She answered, “Hey Caleb, how’s the trial going?”
“It didn’t go as we hoped, but it wasn’t unexpected. They just gave him a slap on the wrist and some probation time.”
“That’s sad, now it will just happen again.”
“Yeah, but at least a precedent was set. The defense was arguing that wildlife has no rights at all, and that hunters can treat them any way they want to.”
“So what’s the precedent?”
“”Because this was a felony conviction, it has been established at the federal level that wildlife has the right to humane treatment.”
“Well that’s something I guess. Are you heading home?”
“Well, that’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“You aren’t staying are you?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s a long story, but it turns out my new friend Pam has nowhere to go, and I was wondering if your company might be able to use a pretty Native American girl.”
Angie laughed, “You picked up a stray.”
“Well not intentionally...”
“What’s the story?”
When I first got to the campground, she walked over and invited me to join a group of advocates. I gave her a ride back to the campground after the hearing, and we found that the ranchers had driven their trucks through and destroyed the advocates’ camp. So anyway, that led to another discussion, and the short version is she is now homeless with nowhere to go.
“Can I talk to her?”
“Sure, I’ll put her on.”
Caleb handed Pam the phone and said, “Angie wants to talk to you, I’m going to hit the restroom.”
Pam took the phone and Caleb headed for the restroom. As he made the return trip, he could hear them talking and laughing, which he considered to be a good sign.
“Are you still talking to Angie?” he asked.
Pam looked at Caleb, her eyes dancing with happiness. “No, I’m talking to Jessie now. She’s telling me all about their company and is going to teach me to be a model.”
“Caleb’s back,” she mentioned to Jessica.
She handed the phone back to Caleb and said, “Angie wants to talk to you.”
Caleb reached for the phone. “Hey, what did I miss?”
“Well, the good news is, I think we can put her to work.”
“What’s the bad news?”
“Jessie’s husband filed for divorce.”
“Oh shit, what did he do, find someone else on one of his road trips?”
“That’s about it. So it looks like she’ll be moving in, at least for a while.”
Caleb laughingly replied, “The more the merrier, I guess.”
“Yeah, we’ll figure it out.”
“Okay, I guess we’re on our way then.”
“Okay, see you in a couple hours. Oh wait, check this out!”
“What?”
“There were a couple of gang members hanging out again and asking about us. I guess one went out to smoke and just vanished. Then the other guy went out to check on him and he disappeared too. They found their car in the parking lot, but no sign of the two men.”
With a knowing smirk, Caleb replied, “Sounds like a ghost got them.”
Angie paused, briefly confused by Caleb’s reference to the spiritual world. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Okay, well, keep your eyes peeled and I’ll see you in a couple hours.”
Pam asked Caleb, “So what was that all about? Something about a ghost?”
“Oh, nothing. We’ve just been having a little gang activity in our area, but it’s under control.”
It was growing dark when Caleb steered his truck into the driveway at home. Angie heard him arrive and walked out into the driveway after turning on the porch light. Caleb climbed out of the vehicle and gave her a tight hug before introducing Pam. “Angie, this is Pam. Pam, my wife, Angie.”
“Hi Pam, it’s nice to meet you! Grab your stuff and come on inside.”
“Pam smiled and said thank you. It’s nice to meet you too.”
Michelle was the next to greet Caleb and wanted to know every detail about Caleb’s adventure. “What happened up there? Angie tells me that you had an incident of some kind.”
“Well, technically I didn’t have an incident. Ranchers destroyed the campground where Pam was staying, and scattered all the activists’ belongings.”
Michelle cocked her head and asked, “She isn’t here to replace me is she?”
“Oh, of course not sweetie. You and me are a team. Always have been and always will be.”
“I know, just don’t leave me at home anymore.”
“I won’t. I promise. Besides, It looks like Angie is going to put Pam to work, so maybe you will be off the fashion hook.”
“That would be awesome! Where is she going to sleep?”
“I don’t know. I imagine Angie will fix her up something in the basement. It’s not supposed to be permanent.”
“Okay, I guess I’m just feeling a little bit threatened.”
“Awww... Sweetheart, you are family. Don’t ever forget that.”
“Thank you Caleb. I know, but Jessie is moving in, and now Pam.”
“You know, you and me have known each other from the very beginning. We have special bond.”
“I know. I guess I just needed to hear it again. So what’s our next adventure?”
“I don’t know. Sounds like we have some gangsters to deal with, here in town, and out west.”
“Yeah. Did Angie tell you about the two guys?”
“She did.”
“Do you know anything about it?” she asked.
“Well, since you’re my wing girl, you have to keep this between you and me. John, the guy who helped me rescue you, has resources from our time in the Special Forces. Anyway, one of his operatives goes by Ghost. He was given that name due to a unique talent for making problem people disappear without a trace.”
“I knew you were up to something like that. You could have taken me along with you out west to meet him.”
“I know, but I wasn’t sure at the time what I was getting into.”
“Okay. But from now on I don’t want to be left out. It hurt.”
“Deal,” replied Caleb. “Let’s go inside. I’ll introduce you to Pam.”
“Okay.”
Angie was already opening a bottle of wine to break the tension caused by a new member of the household, and Jessica was retrieving five glasses from the cabinet.
“We fixed Pam up with some new clothes, and she is taking a shower. When she gets out, we’re going to celebrate with a glass of wine.”
“Sounds good to me,” replied Caleb. “But… I really could use a shower myself.”
“Well, you can wait. We’re going to have a glass of wine first.” ordered Angie.
Angie poured five glasses as Pam stepped out of the bathroom, her long black hair drying, wrapped loosely in a towel around her head. She looked refreshed in cut-off denim shorts and the new summer blouse Angie had given her. When she saw the group waiting with the wine glasses, she exclaimed, “Oh, you all didn’t have to wait for me!”
Angie smiled. “You are the guest of honor.”
Caleb smiled, amazed at the grace and kindness shown by his wife for a complete stranger.
Jessica handed her a glass and made a toast. “To our new partner!”
Five glasses clinked, and everyone took a long swig of the golden nectar. Angie soon engaged Pam in conversation, hoping to learn more about her past in order to understand her better.
Episode Nine «««< >»»» Episode Eleven
