Wolf Watch (The Madison Wolves Book 8) Read online

  The ferry docked at a concrete pier. It was, I supposed, very picturesque. Zoe took numerous photos of the pier, contorting herself a few times to shoot from unexpected directions. She seemed to like taking photos from very low, holding the camera just an inch or two from the ground and shooting at a slight upward angle.

  "Everyone shoots from five feet off the ground," she explained. "So I try to find other angles." Then she stepped up to me. "Do you know how to use this?" She gestured to her camera.

  "Point it in the right direction and push the button."

  She sighed. "Go stand over there."

  "Zoe..."

  "I'm not going to take your picture. I'm going to set the camera up, and then we're going to switch. You'll take mine."

  "Oh. All right."

  It took her a minute, but finally she seemed satisfied. "Okay, switch."

  "You don't really expect me to crawl around on the ground for this."

  She laughed. "You can use the screen. Come here and you'll see."

  I walked over. She was kneeling down, holding the camera just above the concrete. I stepped behind her, and I could see that the screen on the back of the camera actually could be rotated, and she was watching the screen to frame the photo. I knelt down and took the camera from her. She moved into place with Lake Superior behind her, then smiled.

  I'd done my share of photography, so I took her photo, then I played with the framing and took several more shots before I began moving around. All in all, I took twenty photos while Zoe stood there, smiling. Finally she thanked me.

  "It looked like you knew what you were doing."

  "I haven't used a camera this fancy before, but I know how to zoom in and out. I don't know about color balance and all that other stuff, though." I paused. "That's the ferry."

  "I've never been on it," she said. She began taking photos of the ferry. "I love digital. Shoot, shoot, shoot. It's so liberating. What's our plan?"

  "We're going to leave the cars at the house in Bayfield and grab kayaks and a snack. We'll go kayaking until dusk then do something about dinner after that."

  "Fishing?"

  "Probably."

  "And everyone is going to have a steak for dinner?"

  "It depends upon what we catch. Quite possibly."

  She nodded. "So dinner will be grilled?"

  "Yes, but we have a full kitchen if you need it."

  "I brought things to grill, and I won't feel poisoned if some of my food inadvertently touches your disgusting hamburgers." But she smiled when she said it. "I'll need a few minutes for preparation."

  "One thing. Around Michaela, don't talk about the house in Bayfield. Don't even mention it. Not a peep."

  "Another story?"

  "Yeah, for another time."

  Michaela had never forgiven me for taking her house during the first ransom night. I didn't blame her, either. We had moved past it, more or less, but I knew it still ate at her, even several years later. I had talked to Lara about it, but we agreed there was no way I could give it back to her. I never should have taken it, but what was done was done.

  The thoroughly photographed ferry arrived, disgorging a small number of automobiles and passengers. Ten minutes later, we were fully loaded, with Zoe and I taking a space at the railing. Michaela and Lara stepped up next to us with the rest of the wolves taking up protective positions around us.

  We had a lovely conversation as we crossed the bay to the mainland.

  * * * *

  Benny was the only human we'd kayaked with. No one was sure what to expect from Zoe, but we all knew it would be a slower trip than we were accustomed.

  Zoe had kayaked before, but Michaela insisted on a holding a safety seminar, anyway. We left her cameras on shore for that, although Michaela frowned at them.

  "I have watertight liners," Zoe said. "But I don't want to test them unnecessarily. Um. No one's going to screw around with me, are you? I can't afford to replace these cameras, so if I can expect hazing or something, I'd rather we left them up at the house. I can handle the hazing as long as there isn't an economic impact to me."

  "Your cameras are safe," Lara declared.

  Over the years, the number of kayaks owned by the pack had grown significantly. The garage at the house was full, although Lara and Michaela kept theirs at Benny's boathouse. Still, everyone was in her own kayak with Zoe in one borrowed from Monique Simpson.

  Zoe handled the safety clinic just fine, although I was struck by the physical differences between her and the rest of us. I really, really wasn't accustomed to humans, but it wasn't normally driven home so well.

  After that, we collected Zoe's gear and paddled the waterfront for twenty minutes. All the wolves were on duty, even Scarlett, and I realized Michaela considered herself on duty, too, in her own, foxy way.

  She spent the time talking to Zoe, pulling a lot more information from her than I had. At one point, I glanced at Lara, who smiled at me.

  I was a better interrogator than Michaela when I could be direct, but she was far, far better when we needed a sneak.

  And so we learned a great deal about Zoe, not a single bit of it useful in answering the question: why was she stalking me?

  Paddling itself was, well, relaxed. We had to keep to Zoe's pace. Not only was she the least experience amongst us, but also she was only a human. And while she was fit for a human, she wasn't athletic. But looking around, I realized no one minded. It was a nice day to be on the water, and slowly, I relaxed. A little.

  Finally Michaela said, "I wanted to go south today, but it's a little breezy, so I think north is better. We'll remain more sheltered." She pointed in the right direction, and as a group we left the harbor and moved into choppier water of the bay.

  Zoe took everything in stride, and I realized she sat her boat just fine.

  We paddled gently for about a mile before Michaela pulled out a fishing rod. She paddled four strong strokes, then glided to mess with her rod. Four more strokes, then glide. And then she rigged her rod with the line dragging behind her.

  "How will you know if you get a bite?" Zoe asked.

  "The reel will start screaming as the fish draws on the line," Michaela replied. And just then, the reel gave a tiny shriek, just for a moment."

  "You have a fish already?"

  "No, that was just a little blip from a wave. If I get a bite, it will do that but not stop."

  Lara didn't mind fishing, but she wasn't a fanatic like Michaela could be. She had a rod with her, but unless we stopped somewhere, she probably wouldn't use it. But Angel caught my eye when Zoe wasn't looking, then looked pointedly at Michaela, tapped her own rod, and shrugged.

  I nodded permission. A moment later, she and Scarlett were rigging their own rods. They weren't as polished as Michaela was, and they dropped behind, but it would take them only seconds to catch up.

  I waited for it.

  "As an environmentalist, doesn't this bother you?" Zoe gestured to the rod with her paddle.

  "To be honest, the airplanes bother me a lot more," Michaela said. "Or they used to until Lara gave me a very lovely anniversary present last year."

  "Oh?"

  "You'll see it later," Michaela said. "She bought me a wind turbine."

  "Like a two-kilowatt generator?"

  Michaela grinned. "Half megawatt. We are now a net energy exporter. Up here, we don't get anywhere near a half megawatt out of it, not sustained. But she formed a company, funded it, and had the turbine installed and operating before I knew it. We even fought about it, because I started bitching that we hadn't been up here in months. Boy, did I feel like a complete shrew when she showed me. Then, once it was operational, she handed the entire company to me. We have no debt, and it generates income. It will take years, but as soon as we have enough cash, I get to buy another one."

  "That's..." Zoe paused. "That's a hell of an anniversary gift."

  Michaela looked over at Lara. They weren't close enough to touch, but their look, even after
these years, was clear.

  "My wife treats me exceedingly well," Michaela said. "We're also watching efforts to build environmentally sustainable aircraft, and Lara promises to invest if any emerging technology looks promising, but so far the choices either seem half-cocked or are already well funded by some very deep pockets."

  "The petroleum industry has everyone convinced carbon is the only feasible fuel," Zoe replied.

  "We could readily produce hydrogen from wind-generated electricity," Michaela said. "But the energy density isn't there. The physics doesn't work for batteries, either. Yeah, you can fly with either of those, but you won't get the performance we need. You saw the issues today."

  "There are ways to produce kerosene from electricity," Zoe pointed out.

  "Yeah. We're watching those. I'm a biologist more than a chemist, so I'm excited about some of the bacteria-based research, but if those solutions pan out, they'll make more sense in the deserts of the American southwest than up here in Wisconsin."

  The two of them talked back and forth, quickly leaving the rest of us behind, but then Zoe turned the conversation. "But that doesn't actually address my original question." She gestured to the fishing rod.

  "If you discount the cost of the trip up here, which we would do regardless of the fishing, that rod represents a more environmentally sustainable supply of protein than your soybeans."

  The two launched into a debate, although they remained remarkably calm for it.

  "Look, Zoe," said Michaela. "There are two facts. One. I am every bit the predator as a wolf or fox running free in the forest."

  "But-"

  "And two, I do not represent overpopulation. I am the only surviving member of my family. My extended family, by the way. I have no living relatives. Lara and I have two children. So from four grandparents, we have two children. And if we go backwards further in my family, I could argue that if I wished to exactly replace the lost population, we should have eight or ten or twelve children, but of course, we won't."

  "But-"

  "Your entire argument is based on a need to tighten our belts due to overpopulation. But you are fighting the wrong fight."

  "I am not!"

  "You certainly are. You are trying to tell people how to eat in preparation for an expected global population peak of around nine billion. What you should be doing is telling the world to stop having so many children."

  "But-"

  "But... You can reach people here. You can tell us to tighten our belts, to switch to more sustainable food production choices. You probably argue that we're going to need to do so eventually, but I believe you are mistaken."

  "Oh?"

  "Your assumption is based on the predicate that we're running out of the oil that has driven the world's economy for the last hundred years."

  "And you don't agree?"

  "Oh, no. We're definitely running out of oil, and all the fracking in the world isn't going to change that. But I believe in human ingenuity. Oil is going to be replaced by solar and wind. It is inevitable. If we can hold the line on population growth, then Wisconsin will be a net exporter of food indefinitely, assuming climate change doesn't mess with that."

  Around us, all the wolves were listening intently, and I think everyone was cheering for Michaela. I knew I was.

  Just then, Michaela's reel began to scream. "Excuse me," she said calmly. "I hear dinner calling." She calmly cradled her paddle across her lap and picked up the rod. From the sound, I thought perhaps it was a large trout. Angel and Scarlett brought in their lines, and the rest of us moved away from her, giving her the room she would need to land the fish.

  She worked it for a while, and I knew it was a good fish. Zoe moved over to me, her lips tight, but she didn't say anything.

  "Problem?" I asked her.

  "She doesn't understand."

  I laughed, and Zoe's eyes flashed at me.

  "Do not laugh at me."

  "She's a biologist, Zoe. She knows this lake like the back of her hand. She probably knows the ecology of this portion of the lake as well as anyone alive. She understands. She just believes the problem isn't people doing sustenance fishing. The problem is overpopulation. I bet you can agree, if you didn't have your back up."

  That shut her up for only a moment. "Of course, you're on her side."

  "Elisabeth," Michaela called out. "I don't need you to fight my fight for me."

  "She heard us?"

  "She hears everything," I replied.

  Michaela finally landed her fish -- it was indeed a good-sized trout. "Who is hauling my fish?" she asked, holding it up.

  "Angel," Lara said immediately. Angel was already paddling up. Michaela attached the fish to a stringer and when Angel drew close, attached the stringer to the back of Angel's boat.

  Michaela washed her hands in the lake and turned to Zoe. "How angry are you?"

  "I'm not angry," Zoe said. She glanced at the back of Angel's boat. "That fish feels pain."

  "Does that statement mean you're conceding the discussion earlier? You agree the real problem is overpopulation?"

  "You stated you believe your fishing rod is more sustainable than a vegan lifestyle."

  "Yes."

  "You also suggested you believe your wind turbine represents the long term viability of sustained farming."

  "Coupled with more research, yes."

  "Then perhaps you agree that my soybeans are perfectly sustainable," Zoe suggested, sounding triumphant.

  "Of course they are, if we can put a stop to overpopulation. So?"

  "Then you don't need to fish."

  "Ah. But your soybeans aren't necessarily better than my fish. Indeed, my fish required far less effort than a similar number of calories from your soybeans." She dipped her paddle in the water, getting all of us moving, and a moment later, her line was back in the water.

  The two of them spent the next hour arguing. I thought Michaela was winning, but it was fun to see someone giving her a run for her money. Angel caught another trout and Michaela and Scarlett both lost a fish each.

  Lara sidled up to me with her kayak. "We should have brought popcorn." She said it for my ears, although she knew Michaela would hear her.

  Michaela flashed Lara a look. "Oh shit," Lara said. "We're both in trouble."

  Then she turned to Zoe and raised a hand. "Truce?"

  "Maybe. What are your terms?"

  "I propose we both think about what the other has said and resume this discussion at some point when it's most likely to annoy Lara and Elisabeth."

  Zoe laughed. "All right. That means no digs or attempts to point out some little fact."

  "Agreed," Michaela said. "And now I propose a wager."

  "Oh? I heard that gambling was frowned upon outside your clan. I'm not a member of your clan."

  "We're willing to gamble with guests," Michaela said. "I propose a kayaking race."

  Zoe eyed her carefully. "You have more experience than I do."

  "You're bigger than I am," Michaela said. "But I wasn't proposing a race between us. I was proposing a race between Lara and Elisabeth. They are reasonably evenly matched, although I believe Lara will win."

  That produced chuckles from the assembled wolves.

  "I would be wagering on Elisabeth, I presume," said Zoe. "And what do you want if you win."

  "If your champion wins," Michaela said, "Lara and I will join you in your dinner of soybeans tonight, forsaking my tasty fish. If you didn't bring enough to share, well, we need to hit the grocery store, anyway. We can stock up. I can't promise they'll have the same foods you brought, but they will have plenty of fruits and vegetables."

  Zoe laughed. "That's fine, but I'm not eating fish if Lara wins."

  "If Lara wins," Michaela said. "Then Elisabeth will be eating soybeans tonight, and..." she smiled. "There will be a bonfire tonight. We frequently tell stories. You will tell a story of my choosing."

  "You're going to tell me what story to tell? Like, Little Red Riding Hood
?"

  "Oh no. This will be a story from your own life," Michaela said. "You will tell the story honestly and in significant detail."

  Lara leaned close to me. "What did you do to piss off Michaela now? You know you're not getting fish tonight."

  "I have no idea," I replied. Michaela flashed us a grin. "Damn it. And I can't back out."

  "Nope," said Lara. "Wonder what story she's going to demand."

  "I could win."

  "Oh please," Lara said. "You know, even if you could win, you'd have to throw it. She's up to something foxy."

  "And my dinner is collateral damage."

  "She might make something you can stand," Lara said. "But I doubt it."

  Zoe was watching us, but she wouldn't be able to hear what we were saying. Unlike the damned fox.

  "Do they get a choice?" Zoe asked.

  "Nope."

  Zoe turned back to Michaela. "I'm not accustomed to these sorts of wagers."

  "If you intend a relationship with my sister-in-law, you need to grow accustomed." Michaela shrugged. "But maybe you just intend to shag a few times and be done with her. You're free to say 'no'."

  "No, no," Zoe said. "I would love to watch a race. I only wish they could take off their wet suits so we could see those muscles in action."

  "I know!" said Michaela. "Aren't they both so juicy?"

  "Totally," said Zoe. "How long of a race?"

  "How about we let them decide?" Michaela said. "Do we have a deal?"

  "We do," Zoe agreed.

  "Scarlett and Angel, go form a midpoint. The race is between the two of them, then around the outside and back this way between Zoe and me."

  "How far, Michaela?"

  "Until Lara hollers you to stop."

  Scarlett and Angel immediately dug their paddles into the water, and we watched them paddle expertly away.

  "How far, sister?" Lara asked.

  I glanced at her. I wasn't sure if we were going to demonstrate our real abilities. "Two hundred yards each way."

  Zoe dipped her own paddle in the water, floating over to me and then coming to a stop next to me. She smiled sweetly at me. "It sounds like I win either way," she said.

  "I should have had a bigger snack," I muttered.

  Lara hollered. Normally she would have howled; it would have carried better. But the girls heard her and came to a stop. They separated about twenty yards then turned to face each other, bobbing in the water.