On closer inspection

Another story in the series Stories from Somewhere, by me, Ken Gray

Case #1993-642

The blaring ghetto blaster is getting on Janet’s nerves. Joni Mitchell, whose music is a favourite around the police station, seems to be playing on an endless loop. Detachment Sergeant, Duncan Jaimeson, loves his 60s and 70s folk tunes – Joan Baez; James Taylor; Pete Seger, and his favourite, Canadian sensation, Joni Mitchell, the hometown Saskatoon singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who captured the mood of a restless generation of young adults and those young-at-heart generally.

Recently promoted and newly assigned to our detachment, he is still learning the history and personalities of our town and its outlying region. Arriving from a large urban detachment, where the work involved the full range of homicides, cross-border smuggling, domestic violence response, traffic control, and the occasional bomb scare, he wonders what challenges he might find here. Same stuff, or something less exciting? Who knows?

“How about we turn the music down and get on with our check-in, Sarge,” Janet suggests.

Moving to the table, he turns the music off. “Gotta love Joni, eh? Such a great voice; bright and smoky combined. Forget Elvis. Joni’s real you know. She goes deep. And she’s Canadian too.”

“So are Gordon Lightfoot, Maureen Forrester, and Anne Murray,” Janet adds.

“Point taken. There are others. Okay. So let’s get down to business,” Sarge gestures. “I have reviewed last week’s case sheets. Usual stuff for here I guess; fender bender – I thought we didn’t attend these anymore; a boathouse break-in; trouble at the youth hostel; and we’re still watching Kevin Marsh I see; does he have some history?”

“No history per se. The garage caters to some rough characters – possibly drug connected. Otherwise, it’s just another week in the life of a rural police detachment,” Will, our most junior force member notes.

Sarge continues: “One case sticks out for me, however. This possible arson at the hardware store. Who in the name of carnal karma would try to burn down a phone booth?”

“The fire guys found evidence of an accelerant, some paper towel soaked in oil or some other fuel. Before they got there, the fire had spread to the wooden struts on a couple of side panels. Extinguished quickly, there was no damage beyond the booth itself,” Janet explains.

“And the best news of all, the phone still works,” Will says, smirking.

“Did anyone see anything unusual before the fires started? Any witnesses? Did anyone give a statement when you attended?” Sarge enquires.

“Nothing from anyone I could find. Folks were just puzzled, even shocked,” Janet looks through her notes. “This sort of thing doesn’t happen around here.”

Sarge shakes his head: “I know. Ya. No one locks their doors around here. Time for a community education session, I guess. Anyone there on the scene we should follow up with?”

Janet lists a few names: “Milton Evans; Ronni McKie; Don Arnold; Barb the barber; the new minister, and about twenty others.”

“We’ve made informal enquiries around town, at the garage, and at the bookstore,” Will adds. “I get the sense that folks are quite worked up about the war in the woods; Allie at the bookstore for instance; she made quite a scene with Gladys Jones and the new minister the other day when we dropped by,” Will adds.

Sarge is puzzled. “What is this War in the Woods business anyway?”

“I’m glad you asked.” Janet picks up a small paperback from the table titled A Short History of West Coast Logging. “We found this at the bookstore when we were there the other day. Here, listen to this — It’s interesting and I think relevant.”

From early European explorers who needed wood for ships’ masts and for structural repairs, to Indian communities who selectively harvested cedar for canoes, longhouses, tools, and clothing, access to timber was essential for life in coastal communities.

Sarge pushes back in his chair.  “Ah yes, the proverbial ‘drawer of water, hewer of wood.’ I can hear the music now.”

“Another Joni Mitchell tune, Sarge?” quips Janet.

“Actually, no. Book of Joshua, chapter 9: ‘You are now under a curse: You will never be released from service as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.’” Sarge knows his scripture well it seems. “Wood is everywhere here; also water. Surely there’s enough for everyone?”

“If trees and wood were just harvested for local needs there would be no problem. The trouble comes when everyone wants it, everywhere, and at the same time,” cautions Will as Janet continues reading:

Almost immediately, international trade was made possible by advances in seafaring technology which meant that trees such as Douglas fir and giant Red Cedars near water were prime targets for export. Export created wealth for growing numbers of colonial settlers, many who came to depend on wood harvesting and the forest sector for employment.

Sarge leaned back in his chair. “So you are saying that competing demands stress both the economy and the environment now?”

Janet is enjoying this tutorial. “That’s right Sarge. But there’s more.”

Over time, harvesting techniques created new opportunities for felling trees and extracting raw timber. Oxen dragged trees along log “skid roads”; springboards enabled high cuts on larger and taller trees. Railways created avenues for transport to newly established mills in growing towns. Steam donkeys, arches, and four-wheel-drive machines eventually replaced oxen for dragging logs.

“If trees prefer to stand still, it seems that time and technology don’t,” Will adds. “Forestry made this area what it is today; a place of adventure, experimentation, survival, and success. Fishing did its part as well. But forestry is king here. Are we making sense, Sarge?”

“Yes, I think I get the picture. So for me, the question is what will people do when their livelihood is threatened? If new environmental regulations, imposed quotas, and harvesting directives are instituted, the industry will change, dramatically. Jobs may disappear. Anything else from the history book, Janet?”

Janet returns to the book one last time.

The work was dangerous and physically demanding with crosscut saws and axes, requiring skill and strength. It attracted adventurous men of often proud and stubborn hearts. In recent times, as a growing number of corporate owners and managers prize efficiency and profitability over sustainable practices, people notice, and are concerned.

Will jumps in. “A logger friend told me the other day that no forest company should be allowed to keep clearcutting the hills just north of here. Right now, the strategy is to take as much as you can, as fast as you can, and make as much money as you can; and don’t worry about keeping the money in the local community. Local profit feeds global returns. The investor is king.”

If Sarge needed an introduction to policing in our little town, he had gotten an earful today. “The more I hear, the more I am concerned. If, as you suggest, there are competing interests and growing animosities around forestry practice, and if, as you suggest, the telephonic arson might be related, well, well, what might happen next? These things tend to escalate and tension won’t just go away. I wonder who will act next, on either side of the argument.”

Standing at last, Janet closes her note book. “We will keep poking around, starting with the list I mentioned. I think a visit to the garage is in order. Also a chat with Don Arnold. And I wonder if Ronni McVie saw anything and is keeping quiet for now.”

“I will ask around at the mill; I will also reach out to regional police as I doubt this is just a local matter,” adds Will.

Sarge seems pleased with our progress. “Let’s check in again in a day or so. Now, if you will allow, I think best listening to Joni.”

For other chapters in the series go here

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