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There was silence, a few nods.
Ashley raised her hand.
“Yes, Ashley, you have something to add?”
Ashley rose, had an awkward, nervous smile on her face. “Um, the FBI came with a San Juan deputy, to the Fish & Brew. My dad wanted Whitney and me to talk to them because we, um, saw the explosion. They were both very nice, very professional. I, um, just wanted to share that.”
Donna nodded. “Not all FBI agents are jerks like the one I had to deal with.”
Kara couldn’t wait to share that tidbit with Matt.
“You were a witness,” Donna added. “Of course they’ll want to follow up. You and your sister doing okay?”
Ashley nodded. “It was awful. And I know most of you here, and I know you wouldn’t do anything like that. But I wanted to share what I knew. The FBI agent said it was a bomb and the ATF is working on figuring out how it was triggered. And it got me thinking that there could even be more bombs around here and I wouldn’t even know what they look like.”
“Honey, we don’t know what’s going on,” Donna said, “but I’m pretty sure that West End’s boat was targeted for a specific reason and that you have nothing to worry about.”
Did she know that for a fact, Kara wondered, or was she trying to make a scared teenager feel better?
“But in the future,” Donna said, “you should always have a lawyer present when you talk to the police, and especially the FBI. Even innocent people need to protect their rights.”
“You’re right. I’ll remember that. I won’t do it again. Thank you, Donna.”
Ashley’s boyfriend took her hand, and she sat down again.
Well, shit, Kara thought. Would Ashley really not talk to her now? Kara had been certain she’d talk alone, but if she felt emboldened by Donna’s speech, she might clam up.
Donna answered a few questions. No, they weren’t going to stop protesting West End. Yes, Donna would use the IP legal fund if necessary. Yes, they would continue to meet here on Monday evenings, and she would be at the big Fourth of July protest.
“We need to amp up the pressure. West End is going to have to admit that they cut corners, that their boats continue to pollute our waterways even after the so-called ‘retrofitting’ of their fuel tanks. Until they open up their books, their maintenance records, their routes, their growth plans, we aren’t going to sit back and wait for them to toss us a bone. If anyone sees any evidence, take lots of pictures. It’s how we caught them two years ago, and it’s how we’ll catch them now.”
They ended the meeting and Donna was instantly surrounded by her fans—that’s the vibe Kara was getting from the group. They were groupies. They loved and trusted this woman. She watched as Ashley and Bobby waited their turn to talk to Donna.
Kara planned to quietly slip out, but the woman who had her eye on her from the minute she walked in came over. “I haven’t seen you here before.”
“I don’t live here. I’m a grad student at Gonzaga. Emily.” She always used her grandmother’s name when she couldn’t use her own because it was easy to remember.
“Jane. You’re a long way from Spokane.”
Suspicious. It didn’t really matter if they knew Kara was a cop or not. She had what she needed. “I’m here with my girlfriend for a week. I tried to get her to come with me, but...” She shrugged. “I saw the sign earlier today, and I have to come up with a thesis by next month and I’m stumped. I thought maybe I’d get an idea listening.”
“What’s your major?”
“I have a degree in psychology, but I’m getting my master’s in nonprofit administration.”
“I didn’t know they had a master’s in that.”
Kara knew for a fact they did. Her grandmother had wanted her to go to Gonzaga when she graduated from high school, so Kara had read a few brochures to make Em happy and even toured the college, though college was never going to be in the cards for her.
“It’s a terrific program.” She had no idea whether it was a good program, just that it existed. “I’ve gone to several community organizing meetings and I’ve been working through a couple of ideas for a thesis. I have to get it to my advisor in six weeks or I’m totally screwed.”
“I can introduce you to Donna, if you’d like. She’s been a community organizer for most of her life, and she knows everything about running a small nonprofit.”
“That would be great, but you don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t mind.”
Jane moved directly to Donna’s side, as Ashley and Bobby were talking to her. Kara stood half behind her, not positive that her “disguise” would prevent Ashley from recognizing her this close up. But the girl barely looked at her.
