Chapter Nine

It was those damned maps that kept me in Prairie View. I was geeky about maps, couldn’t resist studying them when they were placed in front of me. Agricultural maps, city, road, and world maps, maps that illustrate major exports, any old map. They all had an allure that an information lover like me couldn’t resist. It was a belief that understanding a map was going to help me order and control my world, make me smarter, and aid my survival. And there was some truth to that.

“Jill. Jillian? Jilly!”

“Hmm? Oh, Connie, sorry…these maps…they’re, well…interesting.”

“That’s fine, and I’ll leave you to them if you’d just show me how to e-mail this to Arnold, so he can print the funeral programs. He just called. Didn’t you hear the phone? He needs to get the obit in the paper, too.”

“Oh, right. I’ll do that now.” While I was attaching the obit to an e-mail, I asked, “So, why does Daddy have that circle in the area between the Sweetgrass Hills? Over there on the wall map?” I pointed to the large map.

“Isn’t that near the Martin farm?”

“Oh yeah, the Martin farm. Wow, they’re so close to the border.”

I started remembering my youthful exploits at the Canadian border. “You know, Connie, we used to take farm roads and cross right into Canada, just to get beer. Never once were we picked up by the cops. I bet that doesn’t happen anymore.”

“Oh, don’t be so sure. It’s common knowledge that there aren’t enough Border Patrol cops to cover the Hi-Line. Lord, they probably think a bunch of hicks like us aren’t worth patrolling. But we all know better, huh?”

“Well, actually, I’ve been gone awhile, Connie. I’d like to think Homeland Security would be all over it by now.”

“Oh, hell, Jill, the government has its head up its ass, as usual, no matter what they tell the public. I know Mike Hassett still moves lots of drugs back and forth. Has for years. We all know about it, but the Feds do nothing.”

Mike Hassett was one of my brief high school boyfriends who had gone bad. He was bright but couldn’t control his urge to make money the easy way. After a two-year stint in the prison at Deer Lodge, Mike made some connections that supplied him with just enough drugs to keep him comfortable and under the federal radar. Despite his despicable career, he was a nice guy. I always liked sitting down to a beer with Mike.

To outsiders it appeared that everyone on the Hi-Line lived a little on the other side of the law, but that’s not really how it was The rules did get pushed a bit more, but that’s the nature of the area. It was remote, unrelenting, and unforgiving. It took a particular kind of person to settle there, raise a family, and stay on for several generations. The kind of person who could do whatever is necessary to adapt. It was a place where badgers and rattlesnakes flourished. What did that say about the people?

I was getting hungry and realized I hadn’t eaten a thing. Connie was really off her cooking game, and I didn’t have the heart to say anything. “You know, I think I’m going down to the Grill for lunch. I suppose everyone will be wanting to comfort the grieving daughter.”

“Oh, darn it, Jill, I forgot to cook you any lunch. I’m so sorry. Can I heat up a can of soup? Make a grilled cheese?” I shook my head. “Then would you like me to go with you?”

“Totally unnecessary, but thanks. I can handle the vultures…ehhh…the comfort givers myself. In fact, I need to get used to it, huh?”

To tell the truth, I wanted to wander into Annie’s little boutique and coffee shop. Just to check in, of course. My palms were damp from my considering it. I knew all along that my plans to play it cool with her were pathetic attempts at keeping my heart safe. I was a little miffed at myself for thinking about her when my father had so recently left for the other life.

“Annie doesn’t get to the store until around noon.” Connie had a little grin, mixed with sorrowful eyes. “I’m sure she wants to see you. She could be a support for you, along with me and Billy. Besides, she’ll be hurt if you don’t stop in.”

“One of the reasons I left this town, Connie, is so people like you wouldn’t know so much about people like me.” I bent and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and a tight hug. I had a feeling we’d be hugging each other a lot from now on. It was a pleasant prospect.