It was dusk as Dave drove his pickup truck up the road leading to the Holy Oil Olive Ranch. His two buddies sat in the front seat next to him.

“Why are we doing this, again?” asked one of the buddies.

“Aren’t you getting bored?” said Dave. “I am. This’ll be fun.”

The other buddy looked at the trees and brush that bordered the road in the gathering dark. “Don’t look like fun.”

Dave stopped the truck at a closed gate. “Come on, man. Remember that mercenary at the festival? The priests up here got something going for Bolinas.”

A mercenary wearing fatigues stepped out of a temporary guard shack near the gate. He leaned down and spoke through the driver’s-side window. “Ranch is closed for renovations.”

“Naw, we know something’s happening,” said Dave, “We want to join up.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you do.”

“You can turn around right over there,” said the guard, pointing.

“What’s going on?” A person called out from the road inside the gate. It was Balboa Portola, the number two priest at Olema’s temple.

Ever since the temple’s high priest, Irwin Griffin, disappeared, Balboa had been prey to conflicting sensations. He was excited to be in charge of the plan begun by Irwin, but at the same time he had no idea what should be done next. It made him anxious. Nevertheless, when he reached the pickup truck he said, “Is there a problem?”

“Sightseers,” said the guard.

“Please excuse us, your grace” said Dave. He had learned the value of being obsequious to priests during his time as an acolyte. “We’d be grateful if you’d permit us to assist in your efforts. We know all about Bolinas.”

Balboa elbowed the guard out of the way and looked into the truck. “You want to help? Like how?”

Dave, who in fact didn’t know much about the town of Bolinas, said the only thing that occurred to him. “We know all about the Apthorp. We’re sick of the people who live there.” Dave looked at his buddies. “Right?”

“Yeah!” “Bring those bitches down!”

Balboa thought he understood this, at least, and he saw a chance to demonstrate his newfound authority. “You’re just in time.” He turned to the guard. “Open the gate.”

The guard hesitated. He had instructions to conceal the mercenaries’ planned mission from outsiders. “But my orders …”

Balboa drew himself up. “I’m giving the orders here.”

The guard shook his head in resignation and opened the gate. Balboa clambered onto the bed of the pickup, and Dave drove slowly down the road and into the olive ranch, while Balboa sat at the back, swinging his legs.

The guard muttered to himself as closed the gate. “That guy’s a total screw-up. If he’s in charge, I’m out of here.” He locked his weapon belt inside the guard shack, threw his hat into a patch of poison oak, and headed off into the dark.

A few minutes later, a van came up the outside road and stopped at the gate. The lettering on its side read, “All Breaking News All the Time!”

The driver rolled down his window and looked around. “Cripes, Tiffany, this place is deserted, and it’s already dark.”

Breaking News reporter Tiffany Clermont got out of the van. “Yeah, but I’ve got a feeling about this. I mean, what tourist destination has a guard shack?” She peered into the small building through a window, went over to the closed gate, and looked down the road leading off into the hazy dark. “It’s starting to get foggy. Lots of atmosphere. Let’s at least do a background piece.”

The driver sighed. “If you say so.” He opened the rear door of the van and took out his camera.

Tiffany fitted a miniature earpiece to her head and picked up a microphone from inside the van. “I’ll stand in the light from the window.”

She called the Breaking News director on her cell phone and explained where they were. After a moment, she put the phone away and said, “They’re putting us on right now.” She positioned herself near the guard shack, while her cameraman maneuvered to get her, the shack, and the Holy Oil Olive Ranch sign in the picture.

Tiffany heard her cue in her earpiece and raised the microphone.

Click here for Tiffany’s surprising Breaking News report.