“Chase,” Diane says, still standing behind the woman next to Ai-Ling, “I think we’re dealing with a very skilled con artist.”

“Likely,” I say. “But, if it’s only a scam, it’s a very good one. Too much time, money and effort has gone into this, con or not, to be ignored. Whether a scam or truth, Ms. Palmer is only be the tip of the iceberg and that leaves us in a quandary. If we throw her out, we would be left to wonder if some or all of what she tells us is true so that we would have been better off knowing her entire story. On the other hand, if we don’t throw her out, are we leaving the fox here in the hen house where she can do irreparable damage in some way we can’t quite fathom? I don’t know but, I think I have to trust our security is sound enough that leaving her here is the best choice.”

“And then there’s the timing,” says Raphael.

“Right,” the Palmer woman interjects, “the committee vote coming up in Boise to decide the fate of the North Idaho Environmental Resources Extraction project, affectionately referred to as NIERE.”

“And, no doubt, Ms. Palmer,” Raphael says, “you have some special knowledge concerning NIERE. That might be a hard sell given the media coverage has been intense and legislative committees for both branches, the Senate and House, have been publishing every detail of every environmental impact study and holding public opinion hearings for months.

“True,” replies the woman, “and it’s for very good reasons that this project has been under such intense scrutiny. Consider Idaho’s history of Idaho mineral extraction.”

With fingertips touching in front of her, the woman pauses for a moment before continuing.

“Beginning in the 1880s and lasting for about a hundred years,” she says, “the Silver Valley of Shoshone County generated enough mineral wealth, worth more than six billion dollars, to rank as one of the top ten mining districts in world history. But, when the ore played out, the mining companies left behind them an environmental disaster that has taken decades from which to recover. Since then the citizens of that state have been in no great hurry to repeat the mistakes of the past.

“Several years ago,” she continues, “a vast mining concern of Asian and Middle Eastern entities proposed that it is possible, using modern techniques, to extract the mineral resources from an area in Northern Idaho with no environmental impact at all. To be more specific, the area in question is north of the town of Boundary, Idaho but still south of the Canadian border, not far from Ridge, British Columbia. The prospect for increased tax revenue excited the state and local government and the populace was energized by the hope for steady and well-paying jobs. Thus, NIERE has been met with considerable public support but that support is conditional upon the promise of positive environmental impact. Local, state, provincial and federal governments on both side of the international border have been involved but it has finally all boiled down to what the state of Idaho feels is in its own best interests. Hence, the vote this coming Friday is crucial. Up till now, a favorable vote has been all but guaranteed. That is about to change.”

Leaning forward in her chair, her expression now more animated, the woman goes on. “Many environmental groups have voiced serious doubts about the possibility of environmental damage but every detail of how the project will be managed and how well the environment will be protected has lain all doubts to rest.

“Interesting history lesson,” I say. “So, what has any of this to do with us?”

“Oh, spare me the feigned indifference,” the woman says to me with another careless wave of her hand. “You care a great deal about NIERE because you’re in it right up to your eyeballs, Chase Madison. It’s the culmination of all you stand for and all you’ve accomplished in your life.

“You’re a different kind of business animal, Chase,” she continues. “Every project you’ve ever started or taken over from someone smaller minded than you has been a huge success because of that difference. You are an idealist navigating your way through business waters swarming with psychopathic sharks who, blessed with razor sharp intellect and unencumbered by conscience, build empires for themselves upon the backs of the people they deem less worthy while raping the very speck of dust called earth we all depend upon for our long term survival.

“You, however,” she says, “do the opposite. You leave the land in as good or better condition than how you found it and have built an empire, not only of money, but of high-minded ideals and people who share those ideals. To you, if the people who work for you lose, then you lose too. If the earth loses, you lose. Laudable. Even noble.”

Her lips curl in disgust. “But a futile and colossal waste of time. The psychopaths always win. People look up to them. They get magazine covers and we eagerly soak up every word of their interviews in the hope that they will sprinkle us with the magic dust that will make us just like them.”

The woman’s eyes burn. “And, oh, how intoxicating are the effects of such monstrous power. I’ve been part of it, and I reveled in it. I’d be there still if I hadn’t done something to get on the wrong side of it.”

“The wounds to your legs,” I say, not meaning it as a question.

“Yes,” the woman replies.

Continuing in a voice flat, as if stating the obvious, I say, “And, this man you speak of; he was more than your employer, he was your lover.”

The woman’s eyes fill with fear. “The wound to my leg is a small sample of what was to come if I didn’t get away, if I didn’t accept my position as his property to do with as he pleased. Now, we’re in the same boat, Chase Madison. We’ve both pissed off the wrong psychopath and he’s coming for us. Make no mistake, if we don’t find a way to work together, he’ll take us out one by one, piece by piece.”

With her hands folded before her, Sonia says, “I for one am not convinced that you are who or what you say you are, Erica. My personal opinion is such that we’d be better off if we tossed your ass back onto the streets. I’ve no doubt you’d be right at home there, turning tricks to pay for your next meal. But you mentioned a moment ago that you had some bit of information that would convince us utterly of your credibility. I suggest that, unless you want to get back to working street corners, you share with us this something, anything really, that might convince us you are worth anymore of our time.”