To the Wild Country

Chapter Two.

Pam was startled from reviewing a briefing by a pounding on Ralph's front door. She looked through the gauzy curtain of the living room picture window, and saw the outline of Bill's latest government-issued Dodge Diplomat.

"Open up, FBI! This is a bust!" came Bill's happy exclamation from the porch.

Pam laughed and ran to the door, and saw Bill standing there, hands full and a big Sunday paper tucked under his arm.

"That's so old, Bill! You're going to make Ralph's neighbors think this is a den of iniquity if you keep that up."

"Here, take this," he said, handing her a box of doughnuts. He followed her in, his other hand holding up a cardboard tray with big cups of coffee.

Pam quickly set the doughnuts down and took the coffees from Bill, and he flung the thick newspaper on the couch.

"Well, you keep leaving your little Beetle out there alla time. They already think it's a den of iniquity, Counselor! Don't you have a home?"

"Shush, you're not my brother," she said, looking over the three coffees. Or were they coffee? She smelled chocolate of all things. "What'd you bring, hot chocolate? In the middle of Summer?"

Bill laughed and went to the tray, removing a cup to hand to Pam then taking one for himself. "Naw, these are MOCHAS, Counselor! Practically straight from Seattle. One of my coworkers came back after spending a month there, on a case, and told us about mocha lattes, as he called them. Taste it, you'll love it!"

Bill watched Pam as she carefully blew on the hot beverage, and their eyes locked as she took a tentative sip. He wasn't disappointed when he saw her eyes open wide with pleasure, the smile moving across her face.

"This is FANTASTIC, Bill!" She took another sip, still careful of the heat, and another. She couldn't stop, it was so delicious.

She watched him take a long draught on his own mocha. "Careful, Bill, these are HOT!"

He swallowed and laughed. "I've got an asbestos-lined mouth now, from all the years drinking bad FBI coffee at the office and on stake-out. This is nothin'."

They both stood in the middle of the living room, not talking; they had this delicious beverage to chug down!

After a few more sips during this shared moment, Bill set his mocha down and reached for the doughnuts. "Here, eat a chocolate doughnut along with it, it's great! I know you dames love chocolate, after all."

Pam huffed into her coffee cup, taking one long sip before grabbing a doughnut. "Dames, Maxwell?"

"Yeah, yeah," came his usual reply.

The two sat on the couch, coffees and doughnuts in hand, when Ralph came out of the bathroom.

"Okay, honey, ready to go. Oh, hey, Bill!"

Bill looked up at him; Ralph was wearing a light summer suit and comfortable shoes, and carrying a travel bag on his shoulder.

"Where're we going?"

"Well, I'M going to Las Vegas, Bill! Don't know where YOU'RE going." He went to his room to get the rest of his luggage.

Bill followed him in, to give him a hand with the two big suitcases. "Oh yeah, that's this week? Hope we don't get any juicy scenarios cropping up this week while you and the suit are gone."

The two men, each with a suitcase, returned to the living room. Bill went to the third mocha and handed it to Ralph, who absently sipped on it.

Before either Bill or Pam could say something, Ralph exclaimed, "What IS this, Bill? Wow!" He took a few more sips of the cooled beverage, as his friend and girlfriend watched, sipping their own cooled mochas.

"That's a mocha latte, Ralph. Buddy of mine at the Bureau introduced 'em to us when he came back from Seattle. We discovered a little shop near the Federal Building that makes 'em! Great, ain't it?"

"It's delicious!"

"Here, eat a doughnut with it." Bill handed him a chocolate cake doughnut, and Ralph sat down to enjoy his quick breakfast.

"Hmmm, wonderful!" he said around his mouthful of food. He motioned to Bill as he washed it down with more mocha. "Bill, speaking of the suit, I'm not taking it with me, it's in its box in my closet. Can't imagine why I'd need it, after all, with a bunch of teachers and administrators."

Bill went to the paper he'd thrown on the couch, picking out the Sports section. "Yeah, sounds like Yawnsville to me!"

"Lemme read that when you're done, Bill. I don't know about Yawnsville. I told Pam this'd be a good chance for us younger teachers to get to use what we learned more recently in college when we get back."

Bill looked up. "Younger teachers? Who's going with you, any cute girls?" He winked at his partner, and jerked his head toward Pam.

Ralph's startled look, and brief flash of anger, wasn't lost on Bill. Ralph glared at his partner before turning to Pam. "Uh, Pam, it's not LIKE that, we're going to WORK!"

Pam's grey eyes sparked as she looked between the two men. Bill had a good point, that she hadn't thought to ask about in their Friday night bedtime conversation: younger teachers?

"Just WHO is going with you, Ralph?" she demanded.

"Pam, it's a big mix. The admin wanted a variety, we've got old, young, men, women, you know. It's no big deal, really it's not!"

She glared at him a moment longer, then shrugged. Nothing you can do now any way, Pam, she thought.

"All right, all right. I'm going to go with you to the gate, then, to see you off. Come on, you two he-men get the suitcases and I'll get your shoulder bag, Ralph, and the mochas."

Bill handed her his newspaper. "Here, carry this too. I can read it on the way and Ralph can take the Sports section with him on the plane."

"You're coming with us to the airport, Bill?" Ralph asked as the two led the way out. Pam took up the rear, pulling the door behind her and locking it with the key Ralph had given her.

"Sure, why not? Nothin' else to do this morning."

On the long drive to LAX, Bill had his nose in his paper, but looked up at the young couple every so often. The unusual silence between Pam and Ralph was quite evident to a man who knew both so well. They weren't engaging in the usual drivel, as Bill often called it teasingly. The tension was almost palpible. Bill had to say something.

"So, Ralph, who do you like in the next Angels game?"

"Well, duh Bill, the Angels, of course!"

"I dunno, Ralph, I would've said that too, but the Seattle Mariners, they're doing pretty well this season. Okay, better than usual, maybe not 'pretty well.' That DH, Edgar Martinez, he's hot this year."

Pam sighed and gazed out the window as the two men went into their Sports-zen mode. She'd heard it all before, the way the two could close out the world. It didn't take long, early in their acquaintance then friendship, to discover a common love: Baseball, and by association all sports. Their droning conversation, at least as she heard it, lasted the rest of the way to LAX.

"Bill, why don't you stay in the car? I'm in a fifteen-minute zone, and didn't wanna leave it here to get towed. The keys are in the ignition if you have to move it."

"Okay, partner, be safe, learn lots, don't fall asleep during what I'm sure will be FASCINATING lectures! Here's the Sports section to entertain you during your long flight."

"Thanks, pard. You be good now while I'm gone this week!"

Bill chuckled as the two walked to the nearest entrance, dragging the luggage behind them. He turned to the regional news, of events up and down the US Pacific coast. He frowned when he noted one headline from the state of Oregon.

It didn't take Pam and Ralph long to reach his gate once they checked his two big cases. There was already a small crowd around the counter, people raising their voices and gesticulating with their hands in agitation.

"That's my party, Pam, I wonder what's wrong," Ralph said, scowling at the mayhem as the two approached.

The young man at the counter was talking to Ralph's fellow teacher, Kathryn Mathers. "I'm sorry, miss, but we can't get you all checked in till all ten of you are here! And we're waiting for one more, a Mr. Hinkley."

"I'm Hinkley," Ralph said, raising his hand to get the man's attention.

The other nine at the counter turned as one, and sighed in relief as Ralph closed the distance.

Kathryn said, "Whew, Ralph, am I glad to see you! We're leaving in 30 minutes, and they wouldn't let us board till the whole party was here!"

The pretty blonde turned and smiled at Pam. "Thanks for getting him to us in time, Miss, uh....?"

"Davidson. Everyone, this is my friend Pam Davidson. She's going to drive my car back home for the week and wanted to see me off."

Pam turned a glare on Ralph, thinking, FRIEND? But she didn't say anything. She knew she was guilty of that herself, introducing Ralph as her "friend" as she'd done before. She turned an even icier glare on Miss Mathers when the young woman stood alongside Ralph, her shoulder rubbing against his own. She nudged him, smiling, her blue eyes twinkling as she looked into his.

Ralph shook himself from her magical gaze, and glanced at Pam. He moved closer to his girlfriend.

"Well, Pam, I guess we're ready to shove off, they've just been waiting for me." He gave her a peck on the cheek and turned to the other teachers, Kathryn following closely behind.

The young man at the counter handed them their boarding passes. Kathryn glanced at hers, then Ralph's, and exclaimed, "Ooh, they've got you and me together, Ralph! Do you mind if I take the window seat? I love to fly and look at the scenery going by."

He smiled at her, "Sure, Kathryn, it's okay."

The ten of them, carry-on bags in hand, walked to the gate. Ralph didn't give a second look to Pam, his entire attention being focused on his co-workers. He'd gone into that "teacher mode" Pam had seen him do before at school functions; he was in his element and was relishing the attention of the laughing, jostling small crowd as they ribbed him for being the last to arrive.

She stood silently as they all disappeared down the jetway. Friend? Window seat? Pretty blonde? It didn't take long, and she was seething from all of the scenarios cropping up in her mind. I've been listening to Maxwell too long, and his damned scenarios, she thought.

By the time she returned to Bill and the station wagon, her legs and feet hurt from stomping in her growing anger and jealousy.

She looked through the open window of the passenger side. "Maxwell, you'd better drive, I'm too pissed to do it."

When he didn't reply, his attention entirely on the paper he was reading, Pam yelled, "BILL! You drive, I'm too mad to!"

He looked up, and Pam was surprised to see his brown eyes flashing in anger. Her entire demeanour changed. "What's wrong, Bill?"

He flicked the newspaper, and in a rough voice said, "THIS, those MORONS in D.C.! Look what they wanna do! And soon, too!"

Under a big bold headline that asked, "Is It Too Late?" the subheader said, "Two Major Development Corporations To Purchase Federal Lands Along The McKenzie River."