Interesting soil test report. Need to talk ASAP. Come by the hospital when you get a minute.
Blake had had a slim hope the test would reveal another source of income for Mom and the park. Could it be happening? He texted back that he would come as soon as he could, then jogged past the amphitheater to listen in on Paradise’s informative talk on lemurs. He stopped behind the bleachers and watched her interact with the lemurs.
A group of children from a local elementary school pressed close to the three-foot-high fence. The lemurs were always popular, and Blake had loved them since he first saw one at age three. Paradise had brought in the new babies, and he itched to hold one himself.
Paradise caught a glimpse of him and smiled. “Here’s our resident lemur expert, Mr. Blake Lawson. Come join us, Blake.”
Caught.He smiled and strode past the bleachers and into the amphitheater with her and the two primate keepers. He faced the audience. “Anyone know how old these babies are?”
A boy in the front row shot up his hand. “Over two months? They aren’t on their mom’s back right now.”
“Very good. Mom mostly carries them around on her back until they turn two months old and start exploring. And they’re also starting to snatch bites of fruit like the older lemurs. Where are lemurs found in the wild?” He suspected they all knew that, and many hands waved in the air with shouts of “Madagascar!” Thanks to the movie, most people knew that one. “They’re very endangered, and we’re lucky they breed well in captivity. What exactly are lemurs?”
“They’re primates,” a girl in the back called out.
“They’re more than just primates—they’re a type of prosimian, which means they came before monkeys and apes. They’re super smart and live in troops. We call a group of lemurs a conspiracy.” He pointed out a lemur grooming another one. “Lemurs are the only primates to have special tools for grooming each other. They use an elongated nail on the second toe, called a grooming claw, and finely spaced teeth, referred to as a toothcomb, for grooming.” He paused to let the audience watch the activity. “Do you know what the wordlemurmeans?”
The kids looked at one another and said nothing. One of the moms seemed to start to raise her hand, then put it back down.
“It means ‘spirits of the night.’” The phrase made him think ofThe Phantom of the Opera. Could there be any connection? He turned the lecture back over to Paradise and settled on the ground for the young lemurs to come over and interact with him.A dominant female was in charge of each troop, and the babies waited for permission from Mama to approach. It didn’t take long because Mom Loki adored him. He let the lemurs scamper around his lap and climb up his head, much to the delight of the kids.
Paradise ended the lecture, and he glanced at the time. He needed to go see Hez, so he dusted off his shorts before approaching Paradise. “Do you have time to come with me to see Hez in the hospital? He says there’s something interesting about the soil tests that just came back.”
“I’m done for the day.”
He took her hand and they strolled toward his truck. “You don’t even look tired.”
She squeezed his fingers. “I probably got more sleep than you did.”
“Hez wants to talk to me about the rare earth report. Trust him to be taking care of us even while injured. Thanks for coming with me.”
“I’d go anywhere with you.”
The one place he really wanted to take her was to the altar, but that had to wait.
Chapter 16
Blake winced when he saw Hez sitting in the chair beside the hospital bed. One side of his head had no hair, and the shaved scalp held bruises. “This could wait, buddy.”
Dressed in khaki pants and a light blue shirt, his cousin waved a folder in his direction. “This couldn’t wait. Shut the door. I don’t want to be overheard.”
Blake and Paradise exchanged a troubled glance, and she shut the door behind them before walking closer to Hez. “You should be resting.”
“I’m tired of resting, and the fog is finally lifting where I can think. This is incredible news.” Hez opened the folder to extract a sheaf of papers. “There are some gas and oil on the property, but they don’t mean much.”
Blake’s optimism faltered, and he stepped forward to study the report. “I’d hoped they might help our financial situation.”
“This other discovery means much more than oil or gas deposits, and you’ll want to keep it quiet, at least for now.” Hez touched a finger to a paragraph near the bottom of the report. “There arerare earth elements here, guys. And they’re worth more money than you can even imagine.”
“What are rare earth elements?” Paradise asked. “It’s a vaguely familiar phrase, but I can’t quite remember what it means.”
“There are seventeen heavy metals that are extremely valuable because they’re used in a lot of electronic components. They aren’t really rare—but it took a long time to isolate them. Right now 81 percent of the world’s rare earth is mined in China, so finding some in the US is a big deal.”
Blake struggled to understand it all, but the dawning joy on Paradise’s face was more important than anything right now. She clung to his hand, and he looked down at her with the hope that their marriage might not have to be put off too much longer.
Blake took the paper and read through it. “What do you think it’s worth?”
“Many millions.”
