Desperate Measures Read online

  He woofed in response and slobbered all over her hand. “Go say hi to Lisa.” Jennie wiped her hand on her pant leg.

  Lisa got out of the car and stepped into Megan’s open arms. “We’d have been here sooner, but Jennie wanted to do her homework first. Isn’t that sick?”

  Megan laughed. “Very. I probably won’t get to mine until midnight Monday night.” Megan’s round face, soft blue eyes, and wide, dimpled smile reminded Jennie of a Shirley Temple doll. She was Lisa’s height—five two, which made her six inches shorter than Jennie.

  “You two are just jealous.” Jennie hugged Megan, bent down to pet Drooley again, then opened the trunk.

  “You’re right about that,” Megan said, “but no more talking about homework for the rest of the time you’re here. That’s an order.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Lisa hauled her bag out of the backseat. “We are going to have so much fun. I made reservations for us at the English Rose in Thompson for high tea tomorrow afternoon. Then tomorrow night we’ll have a swimming party and barbecue, and later on we can roast marshmallows and s’mores and sit around the campfire telling scary stories. I’ve invited three guys.” Megan grabbed a couple of bags from the trunk and started toward the house.

  “Sounds cool except for the guys,” Lisa said, giving Jennie a knowing look. “I’ve sworn off men for good.”

  Megan set the bags in the entry of their large two-story Victorian and gave Lisa a look of disbelief. “You?” She giggled. “What happened? Did you get dumped?”

  “Not exactly. Let’s just say I’d just as soon not have a boyfriend for a while.”

  “I can understand that, but it’s not like you have to get serious or anything. Anyway, it’s just Scott Chambers, a really cute guy who works for us; my boyfriend, Algie Summers, and his best friend, Kyle Baxter.”

  “Algie?” Jennie and Lisa asked in unison.

  “I know, isn’t it an awful name? His parents named him Algernon, after a great-uncle or something. You get used to it after a while. He’s really sweet. Scott told us he met you in Florida while he was working there, Jennie. I thought you’d be happy about my inviting him. I know he wants to see you.”

  “I’m looking forward to seeing him again too.” Jennie took a deep breath, wondering how much Scott had told them about his past. Probably not much, she decided, or he would never have gotten the job. “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble to set things up.”

  “It’s not every day I get to have you guys out here.” Megan turned a concerned gaze to Lisa. “You’ll like Kyle. It won’t be like a date or anything. But if you think you’d feel too uncomfortable, I could cancel and we could do something by ourselves—like watch a couple videos or …”

  Lisa shrugged. “No problem. I’ll survive. Besides, I’d like to meet Algie, and I definitely want to meet Scott.”

  “Speaking of Scott,” Jennie said, “where is he?”

  “Next door interviewing Mr. Sutherland.”

  “Interviewing?”

  “He’s doing an independent study with Oregon State—part of the fur-farming program. The Sutherlands raise mink too. Though why Scott wants to interview Bob Sutherland is beyond me. You remember them, don’t you?”

  Jennie nodded. While she liked Christine Sutherland, she remembered her husband, Bob, as being unpleasant and rude.

  “I hope Scott’s okay.” Lisa glanced toward the Sutherland farm. “From what you’ve told me about him, Jennie, he and Mr. Sutherland would be about as compatible as oil and water.”

  “You’re right about that,” Jennie said. Mr. Sutherland was not only a fur farmer, but also a hunter. Something Scott despised. “Megan, did Scott tell you why he was doing the research?” Jennie had a feeling his research involved more than. some project for school. He’d said he was working with People for the Protection of Animals. Suppose he was spying for the activist group that took credit for freeing the mink this summer? What if he was helping them plan another attack? Come on, Scott. Please, don’t cause any trouble.

  Megan shook her head and brushed a stray curl out of her eyes. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. Mr. Sutherland likes showing off his mink. He won an award last year for having the best facility in Oregon. Oh, and I have to tell you the latest. Remember his daughter, Aleshia?”

  Jennie nodded. Aleshia looked like a high-fashion model—tall and slender with thick, dark hair and turquoise eyes, probably the result of colored contacts. She had a hard edge, though, like her father.

  “Well,” Megan went on, “Aleshia hates the fur-farming business—always has, I think. Now she’s designing a whole line of fake furs and is making megabucks.”

  “Really? I thought she was still in college.” Jennie leaned against the railing.

  “She quit. She had to get a job because Mr. Sutherland kicked her out.”

  “Why? Because she doesn’t agree with him?” Jennie could identify with being at odds with a parent. But she couldn’t imagine Mom kicking her out because they didn’t share the same views.

  “I guess. But you have to understand, Jennie, Aleshia doesn’t just disagree. She joined this fanatical activist group that Dad says is nothing but a bunch of criminals using animals as an excuse to commit terrorist acts. Anyway, that was the group who released the mink this summer near Mt. Angel. Aleshia says she didn’t have anything to do with the release. She had an alibi but told everyone she agreed with whoever did it.”

  “Whew. I guess I can see why her parents would be upset.” Lisa pulled her long red-gold hair into a ponytail and slipped a scrunchie around it. “Where is she now?”

  Megan lifted her shoulders in an exaggerated shrug. “Living in Portland somewhere, I think.”

  Jennie pulled her thoughts from Aleshia back to Scott. “And you think Scott is safe over there?”“

  “Sure. Hey, you don’t think he’s a spy for ARM, do you?” Megan asked.

  “Arm?” Lisa and Jennie asked at the same time.

  “Animal Rights Movement. He told us he was doing a project with the experimental fur-farming program at Oregon State. But if you think he’s lying or might be scouting our places for ARM, I should let Dad know right away.”

  “He didn’t say anything about ARM to me.” Jennie wished she could talk to Scott and find out what he was really up to. Until she could, it was best not to jump to conclusions. “Um—why dont we put our stuff in your room and do something fun. Like swim.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Megan picked up the bags and walked through the tiled entry and to the stairs. “Mom and Dad are at a meeting tonight, so it’s just the three of us. We can swim for a while, then drive into town for hamburgers or order in pizza.”

  “Pizza,” Lisa said.

  “That sounds good to me too.” They followed Megan up the stairs to her bedroom. Jennie set her bag down just inside the door. The room was big and had a walk-in closet. Colorful quilts covered the beds, along with an assortment of stuffed animals and pillows in every color imaginable.

  “I love your room.” Lisa twirled around and plopped down on the bunk beds she and Jennie would share.

  “Me too, most of the time. When I’m in a bad mood, though, it’s not so good. It’s too cheerful.”

  Jennie chuckled. “Maybe that’s the idea.”

  The girls changed into bathing suits and headed down the hill toward the five-acre lake that bordered both the Bergstrom and the Sutherland properties. The lake was clear and cold, fed by an underground spring. The Bergstroms’ had built a dock and diving raft, which allowed swimmers to avoid the rocks and slimy plant life around the periphery. At the other end of the lake was a boat ramp and drive that led to the Sutherlands property. A small silver motorboat sat atop the ramp on a trailer.

  The girls swam until dusk, then headed back to the house to order pizza. Jennie lingered in the bedroom after Megan and Lisa had showered and dressed and
gone downstairs to wait. She sank onto the lower bunk. It was dark now and still she’d seen no sign of Scott. He wasn’t shy, and he knew she was coming, so why hadn’t he come to the house to at least say hello?

  “Jennie?” Megan called from the bottom of the stairs. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Be down in a minute.” Jennie rose and went to stand in front of the window, wishing she could shake the growing uneasiness rising inside her. Maybe she should go out to the barns to see if Scott was there.

  No, she decided. He’s probably busy feeding the animals or something. Of course, he might still be talking to the Sutherlands. Come on, McGrady. Stop worrying about him. Scott’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.

  Headlights flashed as the pizza-delivery van pulled into the driveway. Jennie set aside her concerns about Scott and gave in to her growling stomach.

  3

  The girls ate a sausage, mushroom, and pepperoni pizza and popcorn while they watched While You Were Sleeping. After the movie, they were about to head upstairs to bed when they heard a motorcycle come up the driveway.

  “That must be Scott.” Megan jumped up and peeked through the blinds. “Yep. It’s him—he’s headed this way.”

  Scott marched up the porch steps and rang the doorbell. Jennie’s heart shifted into overdrive. Megan went to answer it while Jennie and Lisa picked up their trash, popcorn bowls, plates, and glasses and carried them to the kitchen.

  “Jennie,” Megan called from the entry in a singsong voice. “Someone’s here to see you.”

  Jennie’s heart took a tumble, trying to keep up with the butterflies in her stomach.

  “Scott, hi.” Her voice sounded deceptively normal as she joined him in the entry. She resisted the urge to hug him and instead introduced him to Lisa.

  “Hi.” Lisa’s gaze drifted over him.

  “Hey. Good to finally meet you.” Scott grinned and winked at Jennie. “You were right. Her eyes are the same color as mine.”

  Jennie felt a twinge of jealousy. Lisa was so feminine and cute. Most guys liked her instantly, She glanced up at Scott, but he was no longer looking at Lisa. In fact, he hardly seemed to notice her at all.

  “So, Jennie. Solved any crimes lately?”

  “A few.”

  “I’d like to hear about them.”

  They talked for a few minutes about their mutual friends at Dolphin Island, then to escape her giggling cousin and friend, she suggested they go outside.

  Scott grinned down at her and stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets. “You … um … you look great.”

  “You too.” She let her gaze swing from the floor to his broad shoulders and green eyes. In fact, he looked better than great.

  When he might have kissed her, she ducked away and headed for the porch swing. It was a lot like the one sitting on her own front porch, and Jennie suddenly needed something familiar. She dropped into it and set it swinging. “So, where have you been all day?”

  “At the fur farm next door and out to Corvallis. Oregon State has an extension program there.” He sat down next to her, resting his arm across the back of the swing. “Did you miss me?”

  “Sort of. If you must know, I was afraid you might be getting into trouble.”

  He laughed and settled his arm around her shoulders, pulling her toward him in a friendly hug. “Relax, Jennie, I’m not going to do anything illegal.”

  She leaned back and arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure? I happen to remember a couple of incidents in Florida.”

  “Yeah, don’t remind me. You’ll be happy to know I’m a reformed man. I’m not into the extremist animal rights groups anymore.” He released her and clasped his hands in front of him. “’Course, I haven’t changed my mind about protecting animals either. I just don’t think bombing labs and research centers is the answer.”

  “What made you change your mind?”

  Scott stared at his hands, then lifted his gaze to hers. “There’s a group called ARM. I was with them for a while. They were dedicated to saving animals from research centers. Awful things are done to animals in the name of research like injecting them with a live AIDS virus or cancer cells or sewing their eyes shut so these so-called scientists could study the effects of blindness.”

  Jennie winced. “That’s terrible. People really do that?”

  “Yep. So I figure, why not release them? Give them a chance at freedom. At the time I thought it was a good idea, but sometimes ARM goes too far. They torched a research center in Florida and ended up killing two of the firefighters. That did it for me. One of the guys killed in the fire was a friend of mine.”

  “You weren’t …”

  Scott shook his head and reached for Jennie’s hand. “No, fortunately I wasn’t there. Scary thing was, I could have been. I had no idea they were going to torch the place. Later, Sonja—the group’s leader—said that their deaths were unfortunate but that we needed to look at the fact that two dozen monkeys were on their way to freedom.”

  “This Sonja person, wasn’t she arrested?”

  “No. The authorities can’t find her. Sonja isn’t her real name. She’s in hiding, and no one, not even most members of the organization, knows where she is. In fact, she may actually be a man. People hide, move around, and use phony names. Like a lot of terrorist groups, they surface to launch their attacks, then go underground again.”

  “Hmm. Did you know Mr. Sutherland’s daughter, Aleshia, is a member of ARM? From what I hear she doesn’t hide it.”

  “I heard. Sutherland went on about it for about an hour.” “Do you know her?”

  Scott shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re not part of ARM anymore. But you’re still with an animal rights group.”

  “Not animal rights, animal ethics. The organization I belong to now lobbies for humane treatment of animals. Which is why I’m working at the mink ranch. I want to see firsthand how the animals are cared for and what happens to them. I don’t especially like the idea of using animals for fur, but I’m trying to be impartial—at least for now.”

  “I’m so relieved.” Jennie dropped her gaze to their clasped hands.

  “Why?”

  She glanced up in surprise. “I don’t know. I just am. I don’t want to see you end up in jail.”

  His smile was back. “You care.”

  “Of course. You’re a friend.”

  “That’s good.” He leaned forward and kissed her. This time she didn’t move away.

  “Been waiting all day to do that,” Scott said. “It’s great to see you again.”

  “I’m glad you’re here.” Jennie rested her head against his shoulder.

  “I came because of you.”

  “And school,” Jennie reminded him.

  He grinned. “Well, that too. I was kind of hoping with Ryan out of the way, we could maybe start going out.”

  “Hmm, maybe.” Jennie bit her lower lip. “I’m not in any hurry to get serious.”

  “I’m not either. But it would be nice to have a girlfriend to hang out with on weekends while I’m going to school out here.” A car turned into the driveway and stopped in front of the garage. “Looks like Tom and Mary are back.” Jennie felt a rush of relief. Scott was starting to make her feel uncomfortable.

  After greeting the Bergstroms, Scott excused himself. “I need to make a final check on the mink, then I’ll turn in.”

  “Hang on a minute,” Tom said. “I’ll walk down with you.” His bear-like form enveloped Jennie in a hug. “We’ll catch up at breakfast, Jennie. I’m anxious to know how your folks are doing. Your dad still liking his job as a homicide detective?”

  Jennie shrugged. “I think so. It keeps him pretty busy.”

  “How about you? I heard you’re expecting a new baby at your house.”

  “Yeah.”
Her mom’s pregnancy still embarrassed her, but once she’d gotten over the initial shock, she’d been as excited as Nick. “It’s good to have you girls here again. We always enjoy your visits.” He turned back to Scott, settling a thick arm across the younger man’s shoulders. “So how did your interview with Sutherland go today?”

  “Pretty good. I got a lot of photographs…” Their voices trailed off as they walked away.

  “When is Susan due, Jennie?” Mary asked.

  “Oh, um—April.” Jennie dragged her attention back to Mary. “She’s got morning sickness right now. Makes me wonder if I’ll ever want kids.”

  “Parts of pregnancy are miserable, but once that baby comes, you forget how bad it was.”

  Jennie followed Mary into the house. Mary was nearly as tall as Jennie and twice as wide, but not really overweight. She wore her dishwater blond hair in a bun at the top of her head, and several loose tendrils framed her cute, round, dimpled face. It was easy to see who Megan favored.

  “I’m sorry we deserted you girls tonight,” Mary said, “but we had a prior commitment and couldn’t get out of it. Hope everything went all right.”

  “Perfect,” Jennie assured her. “By the way, Mom said to say hi. She’ll probably call this weekend.”

  “Do you think she and Jason would come out for a barbecue Monday afternoon? I’ll invite Kevin and Kate as well—it would be wonderful to see them again.”

  “They’d like to see you too—you should call them.”

  “Hi, Mom. How was the meeting?”“ Megan bounced into the front room with Lisa trailing behind, both in pajamas.

  “Somber, I’m afraid. A rep from the fur commission told us about another raid on a retail furrier in San Francisco. They fire­ bombed the place. Lost an inventory of around five million.”

  “Those terrorists sure move around a lot.” Crossing her arms, Megan flopped down on the sofa. Lisa dropped down next to her. Mary slipped her shoes off and lowered herself into a gliding rocket, resting her feet on the matching ottoman. “That’s what’s so frightening. We never know when or where they’ll strike next. The FBI has photographs from protests all across the country. Some of the same faces keep cropping up. They think these guys are paid terrorists who go from one place to another. They have weapons and martial arts training. We were told not to try to confront them.”