Smoke Stack

by Andrew Gruse

  Except for the two outsiders. The investigators. The busy-bodies.

  Bloom sat silently and waited. His word against theirs. In Clyde, he would win.

  Julie Fletcher, with Molly Lockett beside her, stood outside the reciprocal mirror and watched the elderly man fiddle with his folded hands and nervously look about the room, anxious to see the door open and find out why Sheriff Orbison had him brought in.

  Julie watched and waited. The information that Julie had if supplied right would break the man behind the table.

  Sheriff Orbison entered. He sat with Julie and went over every single bit of information Michelle supplied from half a country away. They arranged the papers, and Orb prepared his interrogation. He knew he only had one chance because as soon as the words “I want my lawyer” came out, it was game over for Orb.

  Orb didn’t say anything. He put his cup of coffee on the corner of the table by his side and put down the file filled with the papers. Orb took his time adjusting his police duty belt and sat down. Orb grabbed the top paper.

  “Bill, I have to say after our talk that I never thought I’d have to bring you in here to discuss matters.”

  “There are no matters to discuss.”

  “That’s what I hoped, Bill.”

  “I expect you to call me William.”

  “And I expect you to quit lying to me. You give me what I want, and I’ll give you what you want,” Orb shot back. A brief silence and stare down ensued, but William broke his stare first. “Now, look, this paper right here is from the company you order your supplies and stuff from. Like the things your chemistry class needs. Would you tell me why it doesn’t match the invoice you put into the school’s accounts payable? I mean, they said you ordered this much, they delivered what you ordered, but you’re saying you only got a fifth of that order.”

  William looked at the paper but didn’t say anything.

  “This here paper shows the orders and usage for the same chemicals for the past ten years. Now, why on God’s green earth would you decide you needed to order the equivalent of a ten year supply right before the end of the school year? Hell, you know the fire code here doesn’t even allow for that much flammable material in one place. It makes no sense to me, Bloom. You care to explain?”

  “I told you already. You don’t know the inner workings of a school district.”

  Orb shook his head. “I know I’m just a small-town cop. I’m not used to interrogating people like this, so forgive me if I’m doing it all wrong. I just want to get to the bottom of this. You sure you got nothing for me other than,” he changed his voice to mock Bloom’s, “you don’t know the inner workings of a school district?”

  “I don’t know where you got your information, but it obviously is incorrect.”

  “No, it isn’t, Bill,” Orb said. “Because, you see, we got it from your personal computer.”

  Bloom’s face whitened. He froze.

  “That’s not all we got. This just keeps getting worse for you. I saw this thing once on TV, some show and it all seemed too easy. The evidence the good guys got just nailed the bad guys to the wall, and I remember thinking, that ain’t real life, just some cop drama show,” Orb said.

  “What are you getting at?”

  Orb laughed. “Well, my point is the evidence we got is pretty damning, and I can’t believe how easy it was to get. Your computer got hacked, and you had all this stuff on your personal computer. So after I remembered that show, it made me realize that some people just shouldn’t try to break the law. Because, Bill, it’s like this: you are a smart man. You know all this stuff about teaching and administrating and all that, but when it comes to crime, you’re stupid. And unless you start talking, you’re going to jail for the rest of your life for arson and conspiracy to commit arson. And unfortunately, because Molly Lockett was trapped in the school and has information on a teacher that I’ve seen you frequently with at the Perks’ place, the DA may add attempted homicide. Wait till we get to fraud and being an accomplice,” Orb shook his head as Bloom’s hands trembled. His lips narrowed further, and the wrinkles in his forehead and around his eyes tightened. “Not a good way to spend retirement, Bill.”

  Orb looked at the papers in front of him. “Incriminating email right here. Here’s another. Wow. Why would you do any of this on your computer?” Orb laughed and folded his hands in front of him. “Talk. I know you couldn’t do that alone. Tell me what the hell happened, and I’ll make sure you only see a few years and then probation. Come on, Bloom. Whoever you are in on this with sure as hell won’t protect you. I promise you they didn’t plan to get you rich with them as they profit off all of this. Now TALK!” Orb slammed his hand down. He angrily stood from the table, the chair shot back and hit the floor. The racket echoed in the room, and Bloom jumped in his seat, his eyes wide, scared, frightened, and in shock all at once. Bloom remained silent.

  “You know what, Bloom? My coffee is cold. I’m going to get a refill. You want some?” Bloom shook his head no. “Very well. Stay put. I’ll be right back.”

  Orb left the room and stopped by Julie. “What did you think?”

  “Not bad. They teach you that at the academy?”

  “No,” Orb said. “I watch a lot of cop shows. And Perry Mason reruns. Love that show.”

  Funny, Julie thought, Zack guessed it was the Andy Griffith Show.

  “So, what now?” Molly asked.

  “If I were him, I’d ask for my lawyer,” Orb said. “Surprised he hasn’t.”

  Julie shook her head. “No, right now, Bloom is weighing his options and deciding if his co-conspirators have his back. If Bloom asks for his lawyer, he may get off since we had no warrant to get any of that, and I’m not sure a judge would give you the warrant to make what we found legal. But his bigger problem is that he knows we have no other names. They were good about that. This means if he gets prosecuted, he’s going down solo, and my bet is that Bloom is deciding how far loyalty goes.”

  “If this goes public,” Molly said, “it will kill the Ag Cen deal.”

  “The town will wither and die,” Orb said.

  “We’ll be out of jobs, Orb,” Molly said matter-of-factly.

  Orb took a deep breath. “Yeah, well, I never liked it here anyway.” He looked at Molly. “You have options, don’t you?” She nodded, yes. “Then pack your bags. Too much has gone on for too long. Time for it all to come to an end.”

  CHAPTER 45

  Based on the number of buckets thrown onto Zack’s face, he guessed six hours had passed. Of course, that was since the delay and what must have been an overnight stay. Zack had no idea of what time it was or what day it was, but ten times Pigface thought it funny enough to supply the mandated sip of water every hour via two full five-gallon buckets thrown right onto Zack’s body and face since the regimen continued.

  The duct tape around his arms weakened. Zack felt it moving. It was slight, and his shoulders and arms tired, but it was progressing. It was hope. It was a means to an end. After the last buckets, Pigface left, but Zack heard him talk.

  It was a phone call. Pigface seemed irritated and disappeared again. No sound or sight. Zack worked harder on the bonds around his arms. Then, he heard footsteps and stopped. Several pairs of feet all came down the tunnel and stopped. Zack finally looked.

  Five men. Pigface was not one of them.

  So I have to deal with six men once I’m free. Shit. All at once is not good odds for me.

  He looked at five men. He recognized the shapes of Bigshot, Weasel, and String Bean. But the fourth shape, a larger man than the other three, even bulkier than Pigface, stood in the middle. The man wore camouflage pants and top, dark green and brown. A black wool cap covered his head and a kerchief similar to what the other three wore covered his nose and mouth. He stared at Zack from a distance of twelve feet away. Just stared. Zack looked away.

  The other man Zack didn’t recognize wore camouflage pants and top and a camo hat. A camo kerchief covered his face. He
was of average size but round in the middle. He had thick arms and legs, and Zack noticed his fingers. Short and stubby. He stayed mostly behind the other men.

  “What are you going to do with him?” Asked the large man, as of yet, Zack had not named.

  “Correction. What are WE going to do with him,” Bigshot said. “We’re in this together.”

  “I’d love to kick the shit out of him,” the large man said.

  “Wish I chose a different arrow. Would have pierced the armor plating and killed him out in the woods,” said the camo man.

  Weasel pointed at Zack. “This here is a prize. Once he’s shut up for good, no one will know nothing that can hurt us.”

  “We should just kill him.”

  “And then what?” Bigshot said. “Dump him in the woods? That’s a great idea. His damn bitch girlfriend already had Orb search the woods and house for him. He ends up dead, and she’ll start crying, and the state police will show up and search the area. Then what? How will that be good for us?”

  “I really don’t think any of you know her well enough to call her names,” Zack injected. He knew it was dumb, but hearing Julie called bitch repeatedly bothered him.

  “Shut up!” Weasel yelled.

  “Hey! No one’s talking to you,” String Bean snapped.

  “Calm down,” Bigshot said. “Well, she was dumb enough to get involved with our business and dumb enough to not know who to not talk to, so maybe she ain’t no bitch, but she ain’t no genius.”

  She’s forgotten more than you morons will ever know.

  “So, what do we do with him?”

  “We wait. Transport will be arriving in the morning. We’ll stuff him and the boy on that. What happens after that is not our problem. Might end up being found dead in an Arkansas swamp or a Florida gator ditch. I don’t care, but not here,” Bigshot said. Bigshot’s phone rang. He looked at it. “Shit, I gotta take this.” He left the other four men there and disappeared down the tunnel.

  The large man looked at Zack. “I’ve been wondering about how tough that piece of shit is ever since he came strutting all over in this town making wild accusations. I say we beat his ass.”

  “I agree,” Weasel said. “He’s messed up too many of my plans already.”

  “Let’s untie him in the woods and beat his ass. I’ll bury his ass, so no one ever knows. Not even those damn dead-smelling dogs,” said camo man.

  “Easy, junior,” String Bean said. “That’s too much work. What I want to know is how the hell did he know we used C4?” String Bean shook his head. “Who knows what color the smoke is when C4 explodes?” String Bean walked over to Zack and kicked his feet. “Hey, how did you know that?”

  Zack didn’t look at him. Suddenly, String Bean lifted his foot and kicked Zack’s left arm with the bottom of his boot and knocked Zack on his side.

  “Ain’t so tough now, are you Private Detective?”

  “Let’s kick his ass,” Weasel said, hatred in his voice. “Then, I’ll go find his bitch and do a number on her.”

  “And that Lockett bitch!” The large man added.

  They looked at Zack with a hunger for violence and blood in their eyes. Zack could feel their animal instinct emanate from them. Primal, evil, all about destruction and survival. Zack couldn’t sit back up and didn’t try.

  They stepped forward. Weasel grabbed Zack and put him on his ass and reared back for a punch when suddenly Bigshot yelled.

  “HEY! What are you doing? Leave him alone!”

  Weasel stopped, turned his head to look at Bigshot, and shoved Zack against the wall of the tunnel. “Teaching him a lesson, that’s what.”

  “No. We don’t have time,” Bigshot said.

  “Why not?”

  “Lockett ratted you out,” Bigshot looked at the fourth man. “If you’re seen, the police are arresting you. They know about you and the kid.”

  Weber. That coward is Weber. I knew it. I’m going to name him Coward.

  “What? How could they?”

  “I told you, the teacher saw you with him Saturday,” Weasel said. “I had her trapped inside her classroom, but the damn PI saved her ass. She didn’t see me though cuz I walked right in her house and talked to her, and she didn’t have a clue.”

  “But they don’t know how the fire started,” String Bean said.

  Bigshot spoke. “Not yet, but Orb has Bloom at the station and is interrogating him. That weak old man could crack.”

  “He don’t know nothing about the boy,” Weasel said.

  “No one is going to know. But we have no more time. We have to act tonight,” Bigshot said.

  “If Lockett saw, she might have seen more,” String Bean said. “She was at school and saw the kid. She’ll talk.”

  “And his bitch,” Weasel pointed at Zack. “She knows too much.”

  Bigshot nodded. “She’s finding out stuff no one knows. I don’t know how she is.”

  Zack smiled. Don’t screw with her, boys. She’s smarter than all of you put together. And she’s talking with Michelle and you idiots aren’t going to hide anything from her.

  “We got to shut her up,” Weasel said.

  Bigshot looked at his watch. “I have to get back. I recommend you,” he pointed at Coward, “stay here. Here’s his gun. If he tries anything, shoot him and make it look like a suicide. When that transport shows up in the morning, you get on it and get the hell out of town.”

  “I can’t leave,” Coward said.

  “You have no choice!” Bigshot yelled. “The second you’re seen, you’re going to jail. What good will any of this do if you’re in jail? Can’t enjoy the money we’re going to make from jail, can you?”

  “Don’t worry,” Weasel said. “I’ll get to your house and get some things. No one will question me.”

  “No one will question me, either,” Junior spoke. “Dear old dad thinks I’m one of his loyal soldiers. I can get in and out of anywhere without being questioned.”

  “Good. We’ll keep you handy,” Bigshot said. “And you,” he pointed at String Bean, “you’re liable to have some questions to answer. Remember what we talked about. Your name is nowhere on anything, right?”

  “No, he and I made sure of that,” String Bean with a nod at Weasel.

  “Nothing?”

  String Bean shook his head. “Nothing Orb will find.”

  “Good. Get out of here. In a day or two, we close the other deal and get out of here. Until then, act normal.”

  “Except for the bitches,” Weasel said. “We take care of them tonight.”

  “And we get this piece of garbage out of here,” Bigshot said. “Two nights already. I’m surprised Ogre hasn’t raped him.”

  The men laughed. “I bet he will tonight. He’s getting good and weak. Won’t fight back. Just how Ogre likes it.”

  CHAPTER 46

  Orb opened the door to the interrogation room and carried two cups of coffee. He put them both down and slid one to Bloom. “You’ve been in here a long time, William. You must be thirsty. I thought a little coffee would help you keep your mind clear.”

  Bloom didn’t say anything.

  “I thought we’d talk about this whole thing some more. When I was out, we called the chemical supplier and asked them to verify their delivery. They did. To the exact ounce, which just solidifies the problem we have of the differing paperwork. I think if we get to the bottom of that, maybe we can put this whole thing behind us.”

  “I already put it behind me. They were wrong. The paperwork the school has is correct.”

  Orb nodded. “Yeah, you keep telling me that, so let’s look at it again.”

  * * * *

  Julie and Molly stood together outside the window, arms crossed, intently listening. Julie wanted this to wrap up. She needed Orb to find Zack, not interrogate a little old man. The old man could wait.

  “How long are we going to stay here, Julie? I’m hungry and tired,” Molly said.

  “I know. So am I,” Julie said. �
��To be honest, I don’t know what to do right now.”

  “Neither do I. What do we do about Zack?”

  Julie shook her head. “I don’t know. I wish Andre were here.”

  “Who’s Andre?”

  Julie smiled. “His best friend and the guy I always counted on to watch Zack’s back.” She looked at Molly. “Sometimes Zack acts a little impulsively. Let’s his emotions get the best of him. He’s better now than he was when we first started dating. But I always knew Andre would take care of Zack in those situations.”

  “We all need an Andre,” Molly said quietly.

  “It’s almost dinner time. I guess being here isn’t doing any good. Orb should be able to handle this.” Julie wondered if that were true. Forty minutes. Nothing yet.

  Molly nodded. “I’d like to think so, don’t you?”

  Julie wondered. Orb should have lowered the boom already in her mind.

  * * * *

  “Are we done here? Harriet is making a pot roast tonight, which happens to be my favorite meal,” Bloom said. “And I’d really like to be home to eat it when it’s hot. Pot roast is not as good warmed up.”

  Orb nodded. “Your favorite meal, huh? Celebrating something? Perhaps like getting a new school?”

  “Hardly, Sheriff. Is that all you have for me? I’ve been incredibly patient with your antics and shenanigans and all the presentation of all this illegally obtained information. I suspect I’ll have to report that to the authorities. You claim to be the law, but you so callously stepped outside the law I wonder what the state’s district attorney will say about it.”

  “Oh, William, is that really how you’re going to treat one of this town’s own?” Orb took a deep breath and let it out nice and slow for effect. “I was under the impression after talking to your boss earlier today, that would be the mayor, the leader of your gang, that being one of Clyde’s people is what this is all about. Protecting our own,” Orb said. “Taking care of one another. Doing what is best for ourselves. Isn’t that what this is all about?”