Frank walked back to the table and sat. He filled both drinks.
Bill stared at him.
"What shit is this?"
Frank drew on his cigar and started to explain.
"What you are looking at are emails between Calvin Parsons and Simon Hirst. Seems that Calvin is rather interested in the sample that Hirst has. The emails eventually end with Calvin striking a bargain with Hirst for 10% share in the goldmine."
Bill put the papers back on the table.
"As long as he can get Hirst the mining rights."
"By whatever means he can. He can't be involved in this, obviously, so he is using Hirst as his puppet. To do all the dirty work."
Bill sat back in his chair and thought for a moment.
"I don't know if you are aware of this or not, but in the 50s, there were a couple prospectors who came here to the Bay. Apparently they did find some gold."
Frank looked confused.
"But these readings and core samples are from 1961."
Bill nodded.
"Yea. Seems that somehow, someone managed to sneak back in the Bay and get those core samples."
"But how could they do that. They would have had to bring in equipment."
"Its isolated up there and I am sure there was a portable drill of some sort, even back then."
Bill stood and walked to the living room patio doors.
"What I don't understand is why Hirst and his investors are willing to drop millions of dollars."
Frank laughed.
"It is gold, Bill."
"I know, but the core samples showed only traces of gold. That doesn't mean that there is a significant find here."
"I guess they are willing to take the chance."
Bill turned and walked back to the table.
"I don't believe that. There is something else we are missing. I believe Hirst is in possession of something that shows something different than just gold traces."
He sat down.
"If Tuckamore Bay closes, the mineral rights revert back to the provincial government."
"But a claim can be approved by the government, for exploration."
Bill laughed.
"And that would go through the Environment Minister."
Frank nodded.
"But. They have a tight schedule."
"How do you mean?"
"The next provincial election is April 2022. Things would have to be in place by then. Parsons can't take the chance. If there is an election and he is not re-elected, he's fucked."
Bill stood up again, a slight smirk on his face.
"Okay. What are you thinking?"
Bill drew heavy on his cigar and sipped his scotch.
"How did you get those emails?"
Frank laughed.
"I have a few tricks of my own."
"You hacked the government computers?"
Frank stood up.
"They are not exactly the most secure systems. I was able to get into Parsons' email. I managed to download the ones I showed you.
But now he must be using an outside email. His government one is just government shit. Nothing between him and Hirst."
Bill opened the living room patio door and walked outside. He stood, staring out over the ocean.
"What I don't understand is, how can Parsons promise Hirst anything? I mean, the emails say that Hirst will have 10% share in the gold. If that is the case, then who will hold the claim rights?"
Frank walked to Bill's side.
"I guess Calvin Parsons will. Although that would be quite a conflict of interest."
"Parsons is using Hirst," Bill guessed.
"Its not Hirst that knows something more. It is Parsons. He has something more than just that folder that you saw. That is just shit he dug up from the archives. He has possession of something more."
Bill turned to Frank.
"I think that there has been more than one secret trip to the Bay for samples."
Frank agreed.
"Makes sense to me."
"But," Bill added, "the real question is how. How could they do it without someone in the Bay knowing?"
"Unless they had someone here in the Bay helping."
Bill nodded.
"Thats what I was thinking."
"Fuck," Frank sighed.
"That would be a stake through the heart."
"It would."
Bill sat on a cushioned lawn chair.
"I don't want to even think of that, but at the same time, all of this cloak and dagger bullshit is useless, unless Tuckamore Bay shuts down."
"Yea, well that is still a possibility."
"Seriously?"
Frank nodded and left, returning with a blue folder. He passed it to Bill.
"I got these in the mail from Eric Anderson."
"The environment guy that was here at the beginning of the month?"
Frank nodded.
"I have known Eric for years. He knows I am working for you and he thought you might be interested in these."
Bill shrugged.
"What am I looking at Frank?"
"That is supposedly the readings that Eric took when he was here."
"This is not the same readings. I have copies of his reports on my computer."
"Yea, but those are the ones that are officially registered with the government."
Bill passed the folder back to Frank.
"This is bullshit. I have the official copies."
Frank shrugged.
"This is government Bill."
"So what does this mean?"
"In the long run, probably nothing, Bill. I have official readings and we could bring in outside independent companies to do readings. But ..."
"Not the fucking buts again."
Frank sat on the bench that was attached to the veranda.
"They could tie this thing up for a long time and we do not have a long time."
Bill sat back in his chair.
"Then we play dirty pool."
Frank smiled.
"And how do we do that?"
"We let them have this for a while. But, we start to turn the table on this thing."
"You are talking in riddles, Bill."
"Remember the movie, The Sting?"
Frank nodded.
"You want to pull a sting?"
"Maybe not a sting, but we need to turn the tables on Parsons and Hirst."
"Well you know Parsons ain't gonna help you."
"No, but Hirst might."
Frank laughed.
"Let Hirst know that Parsons is fucking him over?"
"More or less."
Bill snuffed out his cigar in an ashtray near the lawn chair.
"You can look after the readings. Get an outside source to take more readings?"
"I will. It will cost a few bucks, but I will look after it."
Frank put out his cigar.
"The fuck you will," Bill snapped back.
"You get the people. I will pay."
Frank laughed.
"Well, I am not offering to do this out of the goodness of my heart."
Bill smirked.
"Oh, really?"
Frank nodded.
"But for now, we have to look after this whole environmental thing."
"But how do we do that?"
Frank leaned back against the veranda railing.
"We have to somehow get the two of them here and get some kind of documented or video taped proof that they are in cahoots."
"I don't know if that would be the greatest idea. Tuckamore Bay doesn't exactly welcome Parsonses."
"Why?"
Bill shook his head.
"Not sure. I haven't got the whole story."
At that moment Jarge landed on the veranda railing and dropped something on the veranda. He squawked and flew off again.
Bill got up from his chair and walked to the spot where Jarge had landed.
He laughed as he picked the object up. It was the t-shirt Jarge had stolen from him the first time they had met.
"What is that?"
Bill held up the t-shirt.
"Another long story," he chuckled.
Bill wrung out the t-shirt and draped it over an empty chair to dry.
"I'll tell you about it sometime."
Frank was laughing.
"There is some strange shit that goes on here, Bill."
Bill sat down again.
"You have no idea, my friend."
"So, you got any ideas on what to do with Hirst and Parsons?"
Bill nodded.
"I need to get Hirst back here again. I need to convince him that I am on his side and that Parsons is trying to fuck him over."
"What about the mole that you have here in the Bay?"
"That one confuses me a bit. I can't imagine why anyone would want to mess with the Bay."
"Maybe they are doing it unintentionally."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, if someone in the Bay was approached by officials of the government, they might feel an obligation to oblige their request. If they didn't know any better."
Bill stood up and walked to the stairs that led to the second level of the veranda. He stared in silence at the ocean.
"What are you thinking, Bill?"
"I think I might be the one responsible."
"How do you figure that?"
Bill turned around.
"Look around you, Frank. There are at least a hundred or more workers here, working on all kinds of projects around the Bay and Sandy Cove. It would be easy to sneak off and get samples. And even before that, there was always tourists that would come here for a day at Sandy Cove."
"That could be true. And even planes or helicopters could fly overhead with x-ray equipment that is capable of penetrating the rock and soil. Or even boats along the coast. People could put ashore anywhere. There are a dozen small bays near here where people could come ashore."
"We need to tighten up our security," Bill suggested aloud.
"You thinking of hiring professionals?"
Bill shook his head.
"No. I have the best security force in the world, at my fingertips and they will not cost me a penny."
Frank laughed.
"Please tell me you are not talking about Freddie and Gertrude."
"No."
"Then who?"
Bill walked back to his chair and sat.
"Another story, for another time, my friend."
"Another Bay secret?"
"More or less."
"This place is something else. And, that is why I have a favor to ask you."
"Ask away."