you don't bear a grudge against Greg personally. I don't
*know if I'd be that gracious."
"Sometimes it can be hard to separate your personal feel-
ings when covering a story, but I got lots of practice at the
Times. The funny thing is, I've found it's even more chal-
*lenging here in Pine Mountain. I think it's because it's a small
* town, and I find myself so involved with all the people, but
I'm still trying to keep a balance."
"That's good. Especially since people around here tend to
talk, if you know what I mean. Best to keep a level head.
Hey, speaking of that wetlands article, did you send a copy
to the Environmental Protection Agency or anyone else that
might be interested?"
Looking for You All My Life101
She winked at him. "I'm not supposed to know, but dear
Abigail took care of all those little details-and anony-
mously too." She broke off a piece of bread. "Now, tell me,
Scott, where exactly are you at on that Ebbert story-is next
week too early to expect anything?"
He frowned. "There's really not much to tell. I went out
to his place, and it didn't look like much more than a small
working ranch. Oh sure, he has a couple of compounds built
and a big flagpole next to the driveway, but I didn't see any-
thing unusual besides the rebel flag bumper sticker on the
back of his pickup. No marching fanatics, no burning
crosses...
"Hmm. What about that flyer his son has been posting
around town this week? What do you think that's all
about?"
"Well, now that's something, isn't it? I mean, you can tell
what he's getting at beneath all his rhetoric about patriotism
and whatnot, but his verbiage is a little toned down from his
usual hate mail, don't you think?"
"Yes, definitely. I wonder if he's not trying to recruit
others by trying to sound a little less controversial-all that
talk about preserving our country's moral integrity mixed in
with his usual antigovemment spiel might appeal to some of
our more conservative folks, especially if they're not aware
of any hidden agenda."
"That's what I thought too, kind of like the old prover-
bial wolf in sheep's clothes. But just the same, I doubt
anyone will take him seriously. I mean, my dad's pretty con-
servative, but he'd never be taken in by someone like Randy
Ebbert."
"I know Sam wouldn't..." She glanced around the diner,
filled mostly with men she recognized but didn't actually
know by name. To the casual observer, they were the types
who wore plaid, flannel shirts with frayed cuffs, some with
suspenders, some with down vests-most of them probably
drove four-wheel-drive pickup trucks. Not all that much dif-
ferent than Clyde Barnes, just younger. And probably more 102Melody Carlson