The dentist office was state of the art and he sensed being the sole practitioner in Hunting allowed for the extravagance. Barbara came out to the waiting room, surprise written all over her face, and asked if everything was alright.

"There's a few things I'd like to look into so I wondered if your offer of a place to crash was still open."

"Of course! Absolutely! I'll get my keys and you can let yourself in."

A couple of the office girls ducked their heads when he looked their way; a sure sign of eavesdropping.

Barbara came back with the keys and looked inquiringly at Nick

"Did you learn something?"

"We can discuss it when you get home . . . oh, and the hospital will be sending you a copy of the ME's report."

"Oh, Nick I can't tell you--"

"Then don't. We're family. I'll catch you later." He winked at the two girls as he left bringing giggles and blushes to both faces.

********

Braxton Kerr had listened carefully to the reports from Brian Teesdale and the Westhaven lab manager; the latter he had instructed to have someone follow Mr. Roth back to Hunting or wherever else he went. He then placed a call to Tom Thatcher and demanded to know everything about Roth and his cousin.

BK Developments was too close to its goal to have some wise acre screw everything up. He left his house and walked to the barn to find his foreman.

********

The pound of coffee had cost him nearly six dollars and he figured he wouldn't be buying much of that again when he got home. When he let himself in he heard the phone ringing and found the phone just in time to apologize to the caller.

"This is Barbara Sanders number?"

"Yes, I'm her cousin. I'm spending a few days with her. Barb's still at work, can I take a message?"

"Could you tell her Christine called and I'll be home after eight tonight."

"Got it. Christine, after eight."

The first thing he decided he needed to do was think about fresh clothes for the next little while. He gave himself a tour of the home, pausing to remember childhood events in different areas. His grandmother's bedroom looked untouched with the four poster all made up and her signature pillows spread across the headboard.

The photographs that stood around on tables and hung vacantly on the walls brought more memories flooding back. He pushed on and came to Richard's room, finding it quite Spartan by comparison to the others. Shelves lined with books on water, naturally, geographic studies and some on the history of the area.

There was a desk with a brown Bakelite Motorola radio and a pen and ink stand with two black pens. There was a desk pad made of leather with corners to tuck papers so they didn't get moved about. Nick pulled open a drawer and found trays of paperclips, rubber bands and a half used roll of life savers.

He would do a more focused search with Barbara later. The closet held several pairs of pants, two dress shirts and three button down plaid casual shirts. On the back of the door was a tie rack loaded with ties and belts and curiously, a souvenir U.S. army bayonet hung on a hook alongside. On the floor, dress shoes and a pair of black running shoes.

Satisfied the sizes would be close enough, he would wait and see what she said before helping himself. Nick went back down to the sitting room and made space on a little table by the window to lay out a pad, an ashtray, his cigarettes and lighter and some cookies he found in a jar on the kitchen counter.

He checked the road in front of the house. No sign of the car that had followed him from Westhaven. He knew it wasn't imagination, the car had still been behind him even after he stopped at the diner.

Write it all down and study what you wrote. He picked up a pencil and began.

********

"Been a long time since I cooked for anyone."

"It showed."

Barbara turned from the sink, stunned.

"I'm kidding, it was great. When you live off diners and pizza it's a real treat to eat home cooking."

They finished drying the few dishes and took a glass of wine each to the study. Nick had asked about the clothes and she thought the idea great, it would save her carting more to the second hand store.

"You mentioned I would be getting a report from the hospital?"

"That reminds me. A Christine called for you. She said--"

"That's just my hairdresser calling about my appointment. Not important."

"The police report then. A Mr. Brian Teesdale at Westhaven hospital was very accommodating. This is nice wine."

"It's a French Merlot you can get it--"

"Yeah, thanks anyway. The coffee was expensive enough."

She laughed. "Did you learn anything else?"

Nick took out his pad and flipped a few pages. "The guy I spoke to at the lab said Richard had been doing a lot of extra testing recently. He didn't think anything of it; different times of year brought different conditions in the wells. But I found books in Richard's room where he had scribbled comments in the margins about contamination levels and it looks like he was suspicious of the reasons."

"What do you mean suspicious?" Barbara sat forward, looking at his pad.

Nick flipped another page. "I don't have a clue as to what this means but it sounds concerning just reading the figures. In the last three years nitrate level readings in the aquifer rose by 374 per cent. That raised the contaminate level nearly four parts per million over the maximum safety standard of ten parts per million. Pretty much Greek to me."

"Richard never mentioned he was concerned about the wells around here."

"Maybe he didn't want to start a panic. His book also said that pregnant women, seniors, babies or anyone with weakened immune systems should not be drinking that water."

"Nick, that's dreadful!"

"You never heard anything about this?"

"No. Nothing."

"I want to speak to a few neighbours. You know any that fall into that category I mentioned?"

'I only know the Clarksons next property west; they're probably in their late sixties."

"What about changes in Hunting or nearby?"

"Changes?"

"Industry. Mining. Farming?"

She made a wry smile. "Can't think of what anyone would mine for up here." Her brow furrowed. "But you know, about four or five years ago a company began developing a dairy farm expansion between here and Westhaven."

"I didn't see any dairy farm when I drove up there."

"You wouldn't. It's about half a mile south of here where the river winds back on itself and empties into Echo lake. A lot of bush between here and there."

Nick made some notes and then put his pad away.

"I spoke to a woman in a diner on the way back. Apparently Richard looked after the diner well and she mentioned his concern about pollutants in the water. This appears to be more than just a small local problem."

"Nick, I had no idea . . ."

"Enough mystery gab. Can we get a drink to go outside and enjoy this evening weather?"

********

Emmet Clarkson wore a thatch of white hair, was almost as round as tall and jovial. Nick listened politely as Emmet praised Richard and his dedication and how their families had been close, although Nick couldn't recall him from childhood at all.

He did learn that Richard had advised and helped install a very expensive filtering system because Maude, his wife, suffered from emphysema and she took ill easily. Richard had never elaborated on his advice.

********

The Hunting library was a small cottage style structure with hanging pots of geraniums flanking the white steps up to a wide porch furnished with wicker chairs and tables. Inside, a tiny woman wearing a pince-nez looked up and dipped her head to examine Nick through the tops of the lenses.

"May I help you?"

"This is quite cozy for a library" He looked at the tables of books and the walls of shelving packed with more of the same.

"Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes, uhm-- I'm the nephew of Richard Sanders and I was wondering--"

"Richard! Oh my, yes. How tragic for you." She stood and Nick didn't see much difference. "You must be Barbara's cousin."

"I guess so."

"Well what can I do for you . . .?"

"Nick is fine--"

"I'm Elma, Nick." She grabbed his hand and squeezed.

"Right. I wonder, Elma, do you have a section for old editions of Hunting newspapers?"

********

Nick had never been in a library that served tea and shortbread cookies and he wondered if maybe this small town life might be for him. The hunt through old editions revealed an article on the expansion of a BK Developments dairy empire.

It explained the advantages of the large dairy farms over smaller businesses. How productions costs are often lower, they have better leverage in spreading costs and there are tax transfer benefits because most large farms are incorporated.

Nick also found an article that questioned the increased quantity of manure being spread along with other waste. There was no relationship between that item and BK Developments but the coincidence ticked a box in his head.

A drive past the BK property might be worthwhile, he figured. Across and down the street he saw his ghost car and debated whether or not to brace the driver but then he thought he would let it play out a little further, see just what happened.