The Bermudez Triangle Read Free Page A

battery or … I don’t know. Can I use your computer to check my e-mail for a second? I’m waiting for a message. There’s this thing we’ve been doing for the Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River and … It would take a long time to explain.”
    He spoke quickly, in an insistent mumble.
    “Don’t worry about it,” Nina said, waving a hand in the direction of her computer. “It’s no problem.”
    Nina pulled the book back onto her lap. Out of the corner of her eye, though, she watched him. Steve had a strong, slim build, probably from his constant biking. The red T-shirt he had on had bled out in the wash, and his dark blond hair looked like it had been cut at home. He typed away at full speed without looking at the keyboard. Then he began to scrutinize her bathroom basket, which sat on the bureau, filled with a full line of aromatherapeutic shampoo, conditioner, body wash, moisturizer, and facial scrub. As he turned back, he caught her watching him.
    “I was just looking at your shampoo,” he explained, as if that were the most normal thing in the world.
    “Oh.”
    “You have a lot of the organic stuff, all the same brand.”
    Steve reached up and plucked out Nina’s green tea facial wash and examined the label. He turned the bottle over and examined it, then replaced it.
    “All these big companies are jumping on the organic bandwagon,” he said, typing away again, still without looking at the keyboard. “And thenthey put soap in a plastic bottle. Then sometimes they put the bottle inside a box. The amount of packaging they’re using is insane. You must like it, though. You’ve got the whole line there.”
    “I get it for free. My dad works for the company.”
    “Oh,” he said. A curious “oh.” An “Oh, your dad works for a major chemical conglomerate” kind of “oh.”
    “In product development,” she added, rather deliberately. “He’s really proud of the organics line. It took a while to get it made.”
    “I’m third-generation hippie,” Steve said. “I notice these things. My parents grew up on a famous commune in New Mexico called the New Buffalo. They lived in teepees in the desert. Everyone in my family has always used natural remedies and organics. It’s just strange to see them in Wal-Mart.”
    “I guess you can thank my dad for that.”
    “I’m not saying it’s bad.”
    Nina went back to reading and he returned to typing for several minutes. She saw him pause again and stare thoughtfully at the screen.
    “We live alongside a berry farm,” he said suddenly. “Berries love our kind of weather. I’m used to eating them every day, so I’m kind of jonesing for them. Do you like blackberries?”
    “I guess,” Nina said, once again stunned by the strange turn of the conversation. “I can’t remember if I’ve ever had them.”
    “Really?” Steve shook his head incredulously. “I’ll send you some jam. We make it at home. It’s incredible.”
    It was too much. He had just gone through her toiletries, subtly accused her dad of wrecking the environment, then launched into hislife story. Now he was offering to send her some of the family jam? Maybe he had been too busy chowing down on tempeh and chaining himself to redwoods to have developed social skills.
    Suddenly there was an enormous boom from down the hall. Before Nina and Steve could get up to see what happened, Ashley swung through the door and shut it behind her.
    “Did you hear that?” she gushed.
    “Everyone heard that,” Nina said. “What was it?”
    “I put it in the microwave.” Ashley laughed. “It blew up.”
    “Your avocado?”
    Steve looked at Nina in confusion.
    “She had an avocado,” Nina explained. “I guess she blew it up.”
    “I did.” Ashley belly flopped onto her bed, which gave a threatening creak. Steve shot a glance at Nina before going back to his typing.
    “You’re Steve, right?” Ashley asked.
    “Yep.”
    “You’re like a nature boy, right? Are you with Greenpeace or