Free Shades of Truth by Naomi Kinsman Page B

month when I was seven, I tried to prove I could read in bed until just before we had to go. Dad had come into my room with the timer morning after morning. The faster I went, the more reading time I’d earn.
    “Oh, I can still get ready in ten minutes.” I threw off my covers. “Just wait.”
    He backed up into the hall, smiling. Like always, he was trying to cheer me up, but this time, I wished he would just tell me what was really going on. Was he okay? Was Mom okay?
    Dad checked his watch. “It’s six forty-five. I’ll give you twelve.”
    When I threw open my closet, I regretted my answer. I wasn’t seven anymore, and I wasn’t dressing to play in my backyard. I was on my way to see Andrew. Still, a deal was a deal. I tossed jeans and T-shirts across the room, finally deciding on my Yellowstone National Park T-shirt with rhinestones across the front. I dashed into the bathroom, splashed around, and walked into the kitchen at six fifty-five.
    “Hey, you did it, with your teeth brushed and all. Nice!” Dad handed me a paper towel with a stack of buttered toast on top, and we hurried out to the Jeep.
    As I buckled myself in, I tried not to look at Dad, because even though I had drawn him over and over last night, this morning he looked even more like a stranger.
    “We’re going to radio-collar April today,” Dad said while munching his second slice of toast. “She’s one of the other female bears Helen has been watching.”
    “Can you do that? Isn’t that the deal with the hunters — they won’t shoot radio-collared bears, and Helen won’t collar anyone new?”
    “That’s why I’m going with her today. She’ll need help if anyone confronts her.”
    I had to bite my tongue before I asked,
Are you planning on another fistfight?
    Dad continued, “I think, and Meredith agrees, that Helen has a good argument for collaring April. After Jim’s threats toward Patch, Helen needs a back-up female bear with cubs to research. April will have cubs next year, and Helen can focus on her if anything happens to Patch.”
    The orange sunrise glow spread into the dark sky. “You can’t let Jim hurt Patch.”
    “Unfortunately, I can’t do much to stop him, Sades.”
    I stared at the toast, completely unable to eat. “What does Meredith say? She’s a ranger. Can’t she protect radio-collared bears? Plus, Patch has cubs. It’s illegal to shoot a bear with cubs, isn’t it?”
    “Meredith has to answer to the DNR, and the DNR will probably turn their heads if Patch is killed. Jim has reported Patch as a problem bear, and if she survives this hunting seasonthey may remove her from the wild anyway. There will be a lot less red tape if Jim accidentally shoots her.”
    “But it won’t be an accident!”
    Dad pulled into Helen’s driveway. “Jim will say it was and the DNR won’t question him. It’s awful, but that’s how it is.”
    “So, that’s it? You and Meredith and the entire DNR will turn your backs and let Jim kill Patch?”
    “Sades, I’m just helping Helen protect April.”
    “You should be protecting Patch!” I almost dropped the last three pieces of toast in frustration.
    “Sadie, eat.”
    “I’m not hungry.” I handed him another piece as we pulled up to the cabin. The yard was empty of bears.
    “I’ll eat this one.” He jumped down from the Jeep. “But the last two are yours. Remember, Sades, the bears aren’t pets. They’re wild animals.”
    Helen walked onto the porch in time to hear Dad’s last comment. Her eyes were red and puffy. Still, she gave me her usual smile. “Your dad makes it sound easy. But I happen to know he’s desperately in love with Big Murphy. Isn’t that so?”
    A few seconds later, Andrew rounded the corner, looking tired, but better than I had expected. He carried his usual bag. “Hey, Sadie. No school today?”
    Dad swatted a mosquito. “I gave her a pass.”
    “Did you come to take the puppy home?” Andrew asked.
    I looked from Dad to Andrew, and