Chapter 42

Karen

Angie said, “That is NOT what I wanted to know ... and you know it.”

Since I had to give a commercial about winning I was pretty sure my name and picture would be plastered on every newspaper and TV screen in the United States. I didn’t wanna do it ... but Montana has this law...

I was stuck.

So ... Artie stepped out and scratched on the tipi cover.

“Karen, you’re on TV,” he said. Then he asked, “That much?”

The dash to the office rivaled the Yankees winning the Series. Since I already knew how much, I wandered in behind the herd.

The reveal must have already happened. Evidently they missed it.

“No one has been able to locate Miss Post since she left the Miller Falls industrial tools complex...” some complex ... one building... “Where she purchased tooling for her shop.”

The boys, in clean Miller Falls shirts and tan pants, who loaded my “tooling” were shown standing by the freshly painted red forklift, “Miller Falls, Helena, MT,” resplendent in its beginning to drip white paint.

I began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Angie asked.

“When the back room boys loaded my used parts they were wearing tee shirts and worn out shorts. The forklift had a hard time lifting the box,” I said. “Okay, show’s over ... time for bed.”

“Bed? They haven’t said how much you won.”

“Does it matter?”

The look ... total shock... “Of course it matters!”

“Why?” I asked. “I already know.”

So ... they dithered ... and I procrastinated.

“Okay ... it’s NOT time for bed ... I’m going to go soak.”

“You can not leave us hanging!” Angie said.

“Why not?” I replied. I walked out the door. As I was leaving, I heard Artie say, “She took the payout ... one hundred sixty seven million and change ... after taxes.”

I giggled at the sudden silence. I stepped into the shadows.

The in drawing of breath swirled the fresh cut grass.

I wanted to see how much difference it made. Why their perception of me made a difference, I’ll never understand ... but it did.

“The spokesperson for the lottery said it was fourteen weeks of twice a week without a winner. The biggest single ticket win in Monster Millions history.”

Roy spoke up, “I liked her before ... I hope it doesn’t make a snot out of her.”

“Yeah,” said Angie. “She was a nice girl before. We’ll have to watch out for changes.”

“Besides ... sailing? She spent the afternoon sailing?”

Artie said, “Thursday the Yacht Club has races.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They’re fun to watch. Most of the sailors are idiots. The dam is 23 years old and most of the sailors are out of staters or government employees. Canyon ferry lake can be hard to sail. The lake is 180 feet deep and it’s surrounded by steep hills, so the wind ... which can be very strong ... is uncertain. I have chased a breeze in a circle and not actually moved twenty feet.”

“You have a sailboat?”

“Had ... the operative word is had ... when I was younger, I owned a Catalina 22.”

Angie got a faraway look. “I’ve always wanted to sail,” she said.

Roy said, “I wanna go swimming. That’s as close as I care to get.”

So ... they sojourned to the tipi, gathered suits and headed for the springs.

After they had gone by I stepped out of the shadows and detoured to the office.

“Artie, they tell me you’re going to get a hundred grand just for selling me that ticket,” I said. “I wouldn’t appreciate it known that I spoke to the ceiling before I gave you the numbers ... people might think I was crazy ... and they might try to lock me up.”

“You think?”

“Yeah ... that way unscrupulous people could control my winnings.”

“I never thought of that.”

“Keep it in mind.” I said, “People are going to try and get my winnings.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Gimmie a Mountain Dew and two Cokes, please.”

“Sure you wouldn’t rather have a Bass Ale?”

“Yup ... my drinking days are over.”

“Really?”

“Yeah ... I really like those imported beers.”

“I see,” Art said.

“I’m going swimming. Have the shooters started showing up for the Rendezvous?”

“Three four guys stopped and looked at your lodge, but the fellas who rented the camp space won’t be here until tomorrow.”

“Thanks, keep an eye out for me?”

“I’ll do that. The guys who rented the parking are two doctors and their wives and a couple of lawyers. The docs called to confirm ... the lawyers never do.”

“‘Kay.”

I grabbed the soda and headed out. A thought struck me. I turned back. “What’s for lunch?”

“The short ribs and kraut are gone. I can always do burgers, fries and foot long dogs.”

“I’m pretty tired ... see you later. I’ll be hungry.”

“I stop cooking at midnight.”

“I’m way more tired than that ... bye.”

There were more soakers tonight than last night. I presented Roy and Angie with their cokes and sipped my Mountain Dew.

With Angie taken ... or at least I think she was taken ... it looked like the cowboys thought I was prime. I wasn’t sure what I thought about that.

Hanging around with Hairy, I picked up a few Sioux words ... Brown hair, brown eyes and a sunburn ... I looked indian ... and there are those who feel something akin to guilt and don’t like it. They’d rather be angry. Guilt about land thievery ... and angry about Custer. I spouted out with a few of Hairy’s prime cuss words and the cowpunchers left me alone.

I did hear a few words about “Dirty Squaw” but that was enough to suit me.

I didn’t stay long ... just enough to get really sleepy and relaxed. I packed up and headed out.

Artie fixed me a couple of loaded doubles and slightly over done fries ... just how I like ‘em.

Roy followed a couple of guys who were following me. Words were spoken ... Roy did a number on heads and Artie called the sheriff.

The sheriff knew Art had surveillance at the springs and color cameras don’t lie. I guess they spent the night in the slammer ... and Art banned them for a month.

Bigots ... hate ‘em. I guess that makes me a bigot. They have a right ... I suppose I do too.

Roy was up early Friday, made coffee and headed for Three Forks. I suppose he was going to the digs.

Angie cracked an eye. “Heck. He’s gone. Not that I wanted to go too. That’s meticulous work ... and it IS work.”

“What went on while I was enjoying myself?”

Angie explains

“Davis opened a new area. Nobody was finding anything, so he told Roy to go find an artifact.”

“Did he?” asked Karen.

“Yeah ... but not like Davis wanted. Roy walked over to the tailing pile ... you know ... where they dump the junk that’s just backfill. Davis is looking at Roy. Roy bends down and picked up a rock ... brushed it off a little and trots back. Davis sticks out a hand and Roy sticks a grooved hammer-stone in it. The thing was perfect ... no spalling or cracks. Probably weighed fifteen pounds. Davis looks at it and started in about how long it takes to make something like it. Careful chipping with a harder stone and polishing the groove.”

“It took weeks,” he said.

“Where did the rock come from?” I asked.

“From the river ... it’s been water washed and flood tumbled.”

“He grabbed me by the hand and walked me over to the edge of the limestone cliff. Then he says, “Millions of years ago, this was all part of a shallow sea. The limestone is composed of the remains of coral micro organisms. What ever happened to cause the shallow sea to disappear spelled the death of the coral reefs, it most likely was violent and fairly sudden because this area was covered by thousands of feet of granite. Centuries of erosion and catastrophic events compressed the reefs and formed limestone. Water high in minerals dissolved pockets in the limestone leaving behind quantities of silica, sand if you will, more centuries of heat and pressure compressed the silica and formed chert nodules. Chert fractures conchoidally. The spalls can be worked by a process called knapping. The knapped pieces were used to make all manner of sharp tools used by the inhabitants of the land to process softer and useful tools. Housing, butchering, defense, are all tools used to insure the survival of the group. Survival of the group is foremost. And I’ve bored you.”

I said, “Not at all. Somebody climbed down this steep hill and hunted that river to find that stone and then worked it?”

“Yes.”

“Wow!” Angie said. “What else did they find in the river?”