Warming The Cold One - 31. Wolves and Their Ribs

Karla looked around as they stopped in front of a small house that looked like it had seen better days. “Is this all that is left?”

Ann frowned. “This is all that is left of the homestead your family started.”

“The holding company owns all of this land around us?” Karla just gazed at the open land. “It is so open, just like I remember as a kid.”

Ann smile at that point. “If you can see it from here, they hold the deed for it. The only exception is that we don’t have control over the federal protected lands but that’s not a big deal.”

“So where were we meeting the current manager at,” Karla queried.

“The best BBQ place in town!” Ann pointed to a small hole in the wall dive with a sign bigger than the seating area.

Karla laughed. “You mean there is more than one?”

The two ladies walked in the door and saw a lady in a fine business suit elbows deep in a rack of sloppy ribs. Ann smiled and led Karla over. “Karla, this is Savannah. Savannah, this is Karla. She is the mother of the American Clan Head.”

Savannah wiped her hands with a giant wet wipe and then stood up. She put out her still wet hand. “I am so happy to meet you. You’ll have to excuse my mess. Anytime I am in the area I must grab a rack or two of these incredible ribs.” Savannah and Karla shook hands and then Savannah sat back down. “Are either of you hungry? I have another rack coming out in a few minutes and I don’t mind sharing.”

Karla looked over at Ann and Ann nodded her head. “We would love to join you!” Karla motioned for the waitress’s attention. “Sweetie, can we get a rack each for us two?”

The waitress made a note on a slip and put it in the window for the kitchen. “It will be about ten minutes, hun. The cook has to put them in the fire real quick and sauce them up. You want mild or hot?”

Karla thought for a second. “Is your hot actually hot, or is it city folk hot?”

The waitress laughed. “The real hot will melt the pan if you leave it in there too long.”

Karla looked over at Ann. Ann smiled. “I’m game for the real hot, are you?”

“We’ll take the real hot please.” Karla saw the doubt on the waitress’s face. “My pa grew up on this homestead, I can handle it.”

The waitress walked over to the table and looked at Karla for a second before her eyes lit up. “Karla? It’s Beth from when we went to school.”

“Oh, my lord. It is so good to see you! I thought your family left town sophomore year.” Karla jumped up and gave Beth a hug.

“Well, we did. My older sister got into some trouble and daddy thought it best if we moved on,” Beth explained.

Karla nodded her head. “I wondered why all the adults were whispering about something. They make her give it up?”

“They tried to,” Beth laughed, “but she wouldn’t budge. As soon as she could, she called up the father’s daddy herself and told him that his son needed to make things right. About a week later, they were married at the courthouse. Her son works for that large NGO down in Ohio now.”

“Does he now? I think my son knows a few people that work there. It is such a small world ain’t it?” Karla grabbed a small notepad out of her purse. “What’s his name? I’ll see if my son knows him.”

A bell rang from the kitchen window. “What sauce are these getting?”

Beth turned. “Put em in Bill’s special sauce.” She turned back to Karla. “It’s one of those old names.” She thought for a second. “I believe it’s Matthew or Mark.” The bell rang again, and Beth came back with three plates. “Here ya’ll go. Let me know if you need anything. The wet wipes are in the box there.”

“Thank you so much, Beth,” Karla said before starting to pull the ribs apart. She took a few bites and then turned to Savannah. “You were so right.”

Savannah looked at Karla and Ann eating and looked worried. “You sure those aren’t too hot? That sauce can stain glass.”

Ann laughed between bites. “I’ve had this sauce many times. Yes, it’s hot but nothing else matches it.” She pointed at Karla. “She might actually know the story about this sauce.”

Karla looked up and nodded with her mouth full. She swallowed and then answered. “The name was a joke. The full name is ‘The sauce that Wild Bill would have made if he wasn’t made up’. It’s a local specialty.”

Tala looked up from the stack of paperwork he was reading. “These documents are very detailed. I think we can work on finding some funds for now and use some of the reparations to fully fund your pack again.”

Tucker smiled. “I am so happy for that. It will be nice to have the whole pack back together again.”

“Tell me about how you are listed at the council,” Tala asked. “I need to know if there is more paperwork I’ll have to file.”

Tucker looked perplexed. “I honestly don’t know what they did.”

Jay finished sending a text and turned to address the other two. “I sent a message to Clay to start the access paperwork to get the pack listed as active and in our clan on the network. I’ll call Toby and see if he knows how it works on paper.”

“While Jay does that, is it possible to see your archives? I brought a very high-end document camera so that they don’t really have to be handled very much.” Tala opened the bag he had with him to show Tucker a weird looking camera.

Tucker stared at the camera for a second before he spoke. “I think we can do that. We have everything stored in a cold room out back.”

“I think I have the script working now. It should tell me if anyone or anything tries to modify the list in anyway at all.” The technician showed Clay the current access list and the code page. “Now we wait and see if the trap gets sprung.”

Clay nodded. “I thank you for all the extra work. I look forward to when I can list you on my team permanently. I know Tala is out on tour right now so it shouldn’t be too long.”

“What are you going to do when we find out who is doing it,” the technician asked.

“We are going to set another trap,” Clay grinned. “We will make sure they think we don’t know they put in a back door and catch them in the act. We’ll put a tracer on the fake files I am going to upload and a one-way lock on the doors. We have seen what they tried to add and we will target that.”

“How can you be sure you can trap them,” the technician asked.

“They tried to add a non-existent badge to the access log, right?” The tech nodded. “So, we trigger the trap when that badge is scanned on any of our office doors. They are going to have to use their real badge to move around the building as I doubt they will try to get that badge added to every access list. That means we can track who came close to our space. I’ll also put the reception cameras in tracking mode just in case they do.”

Karla finished flipping through the binder Savannah had brought with her. “I like the detail in here.”

Savannah beamed. “Thank you very much. I like to keep a very tidy production going on here.”

“I do have to ask one thing,” Karla started. “You are positive that they really don’t know at all.”

“I can assure you that there are no packs on these lands,” Savannah relied firmly. “If there are loners that keep to themselves, it is possible I might have missed them, but the closest pack is in Minnesota to the east and Montana to the west.”

“It is going to come as a massive shock to most of them then,” Karla mused. “How are we going to deal with turning them? I mean there are a lot of people out here who may or may not have the facilities to care for themselves or others during the recuperation time.”

“I guess we cross that bridge when we get there,” Ann answered. “We have to find out who even wants to be turned and who is going to lead the different areas or if it is going to be one big pack.”

Karla turned to Savannah. “Do you have any ideas on that? You know the area and how the groups are laid out better than anyone.”

Savannah perked up. “Actually, I do have some ideas. I was thinking it’s best if we have at least three main packs so that we can focus them in the areas that are natural habitat for wolves. I know there have been attempts at reintroducing wolves to the area, so we just need to make sure they are reintroduced where we want our wolves.”

Karla looked satisfied by that. “I think we can make that work. We’ll work on some maps and planning once we get an idea of how well received the truth is.”

Tucker led Tala out the back door of his office and toward a small building with a metal door. Tucker unlocked the door and turned on a light switch just inside the door. Tala saw an interesting floor setup. Tucker noticed and explained. “We raised the level of the floor and then put a spiral staircase down to the cold room so we can try to prevent flooding. Those open sections near the center can be closed with a sealed gasket when storms come through. It has protected these documents for hundreds of years. The lights are new though. Jamie wired them up a few years ago.”

“It looks good. Let’s see what you have down there.” Tala followed Tucker down the stairs and Tala’s mouth fell open when he saw the wooden cabinets lining the walls. Each one was labeled with the years the records were from and the subject matter. “Where did these records all come from?”

“We saved everything we could get our hands on. If someone was giving away old documents, we took them. We requested copies of council and circle meeting minutes.” Tucker pointed to a section to his left. “We keep all the really important stuff in this case here.” Tucker pointed at a heavy wooden box covered in a layer of pine tar and creosote. If was locked with a top-of-the-line security lock.

“That the original box your pack used?” Tala looked over the box. “It’s not in the best of shape.”

Tucker laughed. “This box is only about thirty years old. It replaced the one that was about a hundred years old when it finally rotted away from water damage.” Tucker could see the confusion on Tala’s face. “We use old fashioned waterproofing methods as well as some modern ones. Soak the box in creosote like the timbers of a railroad, then carefully sand the inside clean and line with a layer of plastic and acid free paper, cover the outside with a bit of pine tar like you would a ship, and finally put a heavy neoprene gasket so it is water sealed when locked.”

Tala nodded but couldn’t hide the fact he was impressed. “I see.”

Tucker carefully placed the case on a large table and pulled the key from his pocket. He opened the lock and lifted the lid. Then opened a drawer underneath a small table in the corner. He pulled out some archival tools and then put on a pair of white gloves. He reached in and pulled out five carefully bundled packs of yellowed paper. “These are the documents you are looking for.”

“Do I need to wear gloves as well,” Tala asked.

“No, you should be fine as long as you only ever use the tongs.” Tucker handed him a medium size. “Go ahead and pull out your camera and I’ll lay out the documents from this first bundle.”

Tala grabbed the camera from his bag and turned it on. “What is in the first bundle?”

“This bundle is the records of lineage between my pack and the Red Pack prior to the Civil War,” Tucker replied. “We would be 10th cousins four times removed if I’m not mistaken.”

Tala started taking photos of the documents. He checked to make sure they were coming out correctly. Satisfied, he continued until he had hi-res photos of all 18 documents laid out. “Okay, got them. What is the next group?”

Tucker carefully put the first bundle back together and unwrapped the second. It was about three times as thick. The pages varied in color from near white to almost caramel colored. “These documents are copies of council records that dealt with the sectioning of the Red Pack’s assets and land holdings. The newer ones are all the records we could find on where those land holdings are now and a trail of the non-fungible assets.”

As he laid them out, Tala started taking photos of the documents. After he shot a row, he took the tongs and made sure to stack them carefully and in order so Tucker could put them away later. About halfway through, he noticed most of the land was showing under two or three companies. “Is this where we see the lands being regrouped back under the shell corporations that Toby set up?”

Tucker looked at the page he was referring to. With his gloves still on he picked it up and held it under the light. “Yes and no. The companies that were set up to regroup the land holdings by the Celtic Clan are this corporation here.” He pointed to one that had about 25% of the lands. “These two are controlled by other parties and this fourth one is the one that the federal government used to get wildlife space.”

Tala tried to focus his mind for a second. “Let’s say I ignore the feds and the 5% they hold; you are telling me that 70% of the Red Pack’s lands are still not in my control?” Tucker nodded his hand in response. “Which group is the council complex in? I want to make sure I note that for the petition that the lands be returned to my clan.”

Tucker pointed out the group. “That is the group that currently holds about 50% of the lands taken.”

Tala finished up the rest of the bundle and Tucker put them back in the protective wrapping. He checked his watch and saw they had been at it for almost an hour already. “I better go check on Jay and see what he is up to. I don’t want him to think I ditched him.”

“I could use a stretch break as well.” Tucker put all the bundles back in the box and locked it again. He left it on the table and led Tala back up the stairs. As soon as they got outside, both of their phones chimed that they had missed messages. “Hard to get a signal that deep in the ground.”

Tala opened the text he got from Jay. ‘Figured you and Tucker went to the archive. Don’t worry about me, I’m just getting owned by Jamie at a racing game. He always seems to get the blue shell at the right moment to win.’ Tala turned to Tucker. “Seems Jay is fine, just getting beat by Jamie at a video game.”

Tucker was still looking at his phone frowning. “Sorry. I got a voicemail from Taj himself. He was hoping I’d reconsider joining the American Clan.”

“Did he threaten you in any way,” Tala questioned.

“No. I just don’t know why he would call now.” Tucker looked at Tala. “I can’t prove it, but I think he or someone he employs is up to something.”

“Let’s find out!” Tala turned toward the main pack building. “I know just who to call but I need to verify something with Jay.”

When Tala and Tucker got inside, they heard yelling from the main room. They rushed through the door and found Jamie yelling and cursing. “This is not fucking fair!”

Jay was laughing. “It’s not fair that I learned your strategy and then used it against you? After losing five races, I was tired of losing.”

Tala came over and put his hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “I’m guessing he held back just enough when you fired your shell it took out the person in the lead right then and quickly raced ahead to win.”

Jamie looked up at Tala. “How did you know? Did you use your gifts?”

Tala shook his head. “It’s the reason no one races him anymore.”

Jamie turned on Jay and pointed his finger. “You said you hadn’t played this game in a long time! You lied to me.”

Jay laughed even harder. “A month IS a long time to me.”

Tala chuckled. “Sorry Jamie, you got played.” He turned to Jay. “Any word on the paperwork we need?”

Jay pulled out his notes he took. “It looks like the pack was demoted to a protectorate group so we will need a pack license upgrade filed. Until then we can’t do much in the network access front.”

“Sounds simple enough. Let me make a call.” Tala pulled out his phone and dialed. “Hello? Hey Rolf, this is Tala. I am doing very well. What do you know about get a pack license upgraded? I doubted you had ever done it either. As you might have heard, I am on a whirlwind tour of the packs that applied to rejoin the American Clan. I am in North Carolina right now and one of the packs I guess got changed to a protectorate group. Himalayan right now. Yes, it does make it a bit dicey. Thank you for checking in to that for us. You can call Toby and he can text Jay if that is easier. Talk to you later then.”

“I’m sorry we are causing you this kind of trouble,” Tucker apologized.

“It’s not your fault. I am going to make it right for you and for your pack.” Tala turned to Jay. “They have some really nicely preserved records. I think that just based off what I have photographed so far, our case is proven, and I can prove a lot more lineage for Karla to use.”

“That sounds awesome,” Jay exclaimed, “what else is down there?”

Tucker perked up a bit hearing that. “Well, the next bundle I believe is a collection of meeting records that dealt with how they were going to alter the council to handle four clans instead of five. The fourth bundle, and the biggest, is the pack records my pack has kept over the last 400 years.”

“Wow! Our clan scholars are going to shat themselves when they see some of this.” Jay turned to Tala. “Do you think we could find a way to use those pack records to show the struggle of the Red Wolf as part of our petition?”

“Maybe,” Tala replied. “It depends on how that goes.” Tala thought for a second and then moved on in his mind. “So, Tucker, what is in the last bundle?”

Jamie jumped into the conversation. “That is the really cool stuff! Tell then Uncle Tucker.”

Tucker laughed. “I almost thought about not pulling that bundle out.” Jamie frowned. “But I decided that maybe it was best if I let it be put into the database. They are really old pieces of parchment that no one has been able to read. We are not sure where they came from, but we know they have been passed down for hundreds of years.”

“I am eager to see those then,” Tala said.

“We can go back down after a bit of lunch then.” Tucker turned to Jamie. “Can you grab the food I prepared earlier from the kitchen?

After lunch was over, Tala, Jay and Tucker went back out to the archives building to continue their work. Jay admired the inside as they went down the stairs. “Wow, this is a beautiful build in here. Does it work?”

Tucker laughed. “We once had some of the stairs get wet when the door blew open in a storm. Never had any flooding come down to the storage area though.” Tucker opened the box and pulled out bundle number three. “Here are the last conversion documents I mentioned.”

Tala powered up the camera and started using the tongs to move through them as he took the photographs. “Some of these are fascinating. They were so detailed and precise. I am pretty sure that Bjorn is going to be pouring over these just for fun and for business.”

About a half hour later and they had finally finished with that bundle of documents. “You said the next ones were your packs documents,” asked Jay.”

“Yes,” Tucker responded as he finished putting the last of the papers back in the protective case. “I apologize that they are such a jumble. We didn’t always have a formal records keeper sometimes and they are sometimes just old notes on a small paper pad.”

“It is okay,” Tala reassured him. “When we are done and everything is uploaded to the main database, you can organize them, and you’ll have a digital record going back hundreds of years.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Tucker mused. “It might make it easier to teach pack history if we can show these photographs as learning material.”

It took about two hours, but they got though all of the fourth bundle. Tala stretched his neck a bit. “That was a jumble! I take back some of my apology.” He then busted out laughing as Jay gave him a hard stare.

“I told you! It’s not my fault my pack is a bunch of unorganized slobs,” Tucker voiced. “The last bundle is only about ten pages. Let us knock that one out and then have some dinner. I had one of the pack members that is staying on other lands smoke some ribs and bring them by.”

Tala’s tummy grumbled at the word ribs. “Sounds wonderful!”

“Okay, for these I’ll pull them out and align them for you. They are super delicate.” Tucker opened the last bundle and carefully slid out ten pieces of parchment a little bit bigger than tabloid sized paper. He aligned it and Tala grabbed a stool to get a higher vantage point.

When they were all photographed, Tala started going through the photos. “I can see why you said no one could read them. It wasn’t easy for me either.”

Tucker was just closing up the case when he spun around. “You were able to read them?”

“Yeah.” Tala felt both Tucker and Jay staring at him. “Is that a big deal?”

Jay walked over and put his hand on Tala’s shoulder. “Yes, it’s a big deal. With you, it’s always a big deal.” Jay turned to Tucker. “Finish packing everything up and let’s have dinner. I can explain more to my mate here while we eat.”

“Good news, sir. I just heard that he is visiting that group in North Carolina we think have some of the pages.” The technician had a bit of joy in his voice.

“How does that help us,” the voice asked.

“He is most likely photographing all the documents they have so he can use them against the council. When he uploads them, we can get copies and then you’ll have more of the missing pages.” The technician took a breath. “That is the other good news. I think we cracked the doors.”

“It is about time you got the doors! I have been waiting far too long on that,” the voice scolded. “What about network access?”

“Oh, um,” the technician stuttered. “About that. It looks like they built their storage server in a way that is air gaped from the rest of the network.”

“What does that mean,” the voice asked angrily.

“It means you have to physically go to the storage computer to access stuff. That is why having door access is such good news. We should be able to have a solution to get everything from their server within days,” the technician tried to reassure.

“For your sake, you better hope you are right!” The voice hung up the phone.