Page 109 of Crystal Iris
“There.” She points to a farm a couple of miles away.
Each home looks in desperate need of… everything.
We’re walking around when Chairman Brown says, “Do your lawyers know? That you are here, Locklear?”
“If they did, they would be accompanying me right now,” Hoyt replies.
“And what changed? I haven’t seen a Locklear walking these lands since… since Awena.”
Hoyt goes still, and I wonder who the chairman is talking about.
“My… mother came here?”
“She was from here.”
I look at them.
“I didn’t know,” he tells the chairman.
“I’m not surprised your father didn’t mention it. He was… tough to deal with. What have you been advised to do?”
“Apparently, the pipeline is going to put a lot of wealth in our tax base. APL is tired of tanking the project.”
“You’d be pocketing a good amount of wealth as well.”
“I’m here because… I’m done being their puppet. These families, would they have somewhere to go?”
“Some yes, some no. The reason I’ve been fighting them is water. If the pipeline ever leaks, it could harm it. The water supply is used for drinking and irrigation at the reservation.”
“I was told the pipeline doesn’t cross the reservation.”
“It doesn’t—they made sure of that, so the tribes won’t be receiving any revenue from it. But the reservation’s drinking water source is just downstream from where the pipeline would cross.”
“So, it’s enough reason to deny it. Why are many of the locals supporting it?”
“It’s not that simple. The jobs the project would bring—people need it. A good few also think we are too dependent on oil in this country, that it’s just a matter of time until they get their way.”
We’re driving home when Hoyt says, “They need to find an alternative. I’m not signing it. Not until they prove the risks are worth it. Which I don’t think they can.”
“Those families, even if they stay… I can’t help but think they’re still getting the short end of the stick.”
He looks at me. “It’s been a long time since I had someone to talk to about these things. Since Johanna.”
“Why did she leave?” I ask.
“I don’t know. She said it was because of Sawyer. She couldn’t stand being close to him after they broke up. I’m not sure she was telling me the truth.”
“Do you know where she lives now?”
“I don’t. She told me she was going to LA, then Seattle. I don’t even know. She made sure not to let me know. She’s an equine vet; the city would be the last place she would go.”
“Why would she lie to you?”
“We were always fighting. About everything. Especially after Luke died. She took care of my father, and I hated seeing her waste her life doing that. Later, after he died, when it was only the two of us, we fought over every decision. My dad left me the land and left her the horses. I knew it hadn’t been fair, the way the money was split. I wanted to give her more of it, but she refused. She had ideals concerning what to do with the lands, how to help people in need. I was too worried about the money, the taxes, and the lawyers to listen to her. She said something about me being just like Dad, and I lost it. Told her he left me the lands because he knew she couldn’t handle it. She and Sawyer were fighting a lot. I think she left because of everything. I don’t blame her. But I think Sawyer still blames me for not going after her.”
“Is that why you put all her pictures away?”
“Oh, I didn’t do that. Sawyer put them all in the drawer onenight when he had too much to drink. I just forgot to put them back.”
