Smoke Stack

by Andrew Gruse

  “I’m not sure what I can do.”

  “I’ll lose my pension. Without it, Harriet can’t stay in the house. People may blame her. I need your word; you will keep her name clean and take care of her.”

  “Bloom, I probably won’t have a job after all of this. Not sure what I can do.”

  “Your parents.”

  Orb understood. “You have my word. Now, who else is involved.”

  “I’ll give you what you want. But first, I want my lawyer.”

  “You don’t trust me?”

  Bloom sat straight. “It isn’t you that I’m afraid of, Orb. The most powerful man in Clyde will be after me. I’ll tell you everything and everyone who is involved, but I want my lawyer.”

  * * * *

  Deputy Sam, as he was known in Clyde, parked his cruiser at the driveway of Molly Lockett’s house, behind the crushed car of Zack Stack, still pinned under the giant White Oak tree branch. Molly’s Toyota Camry pulled beside the cruiser onto her front lawn.

  Sam exited his car and looked around the dark yard. Molly and Julie exited her vehicle and walked to the front porch.

  “Why don’t you unlock it. I’ll take a walk around the house and check out the inside for you. You two wait right here,” Sam said.

  Molly smiled and nodded. Julie’s mind only thought of one thing: the man she loved. Julie knew Zack wasn’t in Molly’s house, so Sam being here was a waste of time. Moments passed. A distant car on Main Street heading west was the only noise they heard. A quiet, eerie night.

  A chill shivered through Julie. She held her arms tight across her body. Sam appeared on the other side of the house.

  “Looks good. I’ll check inside. You two wait on the porch, Ok?”

  The three walked up the steps to the screened-in porch and entered. Molly unlocked the main door and pushed it open. Sam, his hand postured on the handle of his service weapon, stepped through the doorway. He flicked on the lights. Julie watched as he checked the locks atop the windows. Sam disappeared in the kitchen, reappeared, and went upstairs. Julie’s phone lit up inside her purse, but Julie didn’t hear it. She silenced it earlier and forgot to switch it back.

  The call ended but returned. This continued for the next three minutes.

  Deputy Sam Bilford returned to the front porch with a smile on his face. “All clear,” Sam said. “Everything is locked nice and tight. You two can relax.”

  “What are you going to do about Zack?” Julie asked.

  “Not sure what we can do tonight,” Sam said. “It’s going to storm here pretty soon. Pretty active weather pattern, more than normal.” He wiped his forehead. “But, I know this is hard on you. I’ll keep looking. I’ll go to the Hobby forest and check things out there. I heard your Zack didn’t trust the search Weber did of that place. Maybe he went there.”

  “That’s not where he went,” Julie said.

  “Are you sure?” Sam watched Julie, but she offered no response. “I’ll check the Hobby woods anyway, and then I’ll talk to Orb about doing another search here in Clyde.” Sam saw the fear and anxiety in Julie. “Look, no need to worry. We’ll take care of you tonight. Just relax and stay here. We’ll let you know when we find something.”

  “Thanks, Sam,” Molly said. “Can you have Orb or someone drive by a few times tonight?”

  “Don’t you worry about a thing, Molly. Like I said, we’ll take care of you tonight.” Sam winked, nodded his police cap, and left the house. Julie locked the door the moment it closed.

  “Zack was right; I should have never made him stop here,” Julie said before another bout of crying overwhelmed her. Molly was hesitant at first but went to her. Julie stopped and realized what she said and looked at Molly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. If we hadn’t stopped, you’d,” Julie trailed off.

  “Be dead,” Molly finished. “It’s ok. I know what you mean.” Molly hugged Julie.

  There were no words for what they felt. Both felt helpless.

  CHAPTER 49

  Zack rubbed his legs. The men raced past him and never checked inside. Why Zack didn’t know. After all, how far could Zack have gone with little use of his legs? Of course, they didn’t know Zack’s legs were numb and stiff from no movement.

  They never asked, and Zack wasn’t going to share that information. At times like this, Zack knew they’d be cautious because Zack was a threat. That would buy Zack time. Time he needed.

  But time Zack didn’t have.

  They were going after Julie.

  The footsteps returned. Zack hid in the corner of the black room. Zack couldn’t see in front of him or behind him and had no idea if anything else was there. Zack pressed himself tighter to the wall. His legs tingled; the blood flowed, feeling returned as did his fueled-by-anger strength.

  The dim light showed the doorway but nothing inside it, and as the two men returned in the tunnel, the light dimmed more, almost blacked out. Zack relaxed. His breathing slowed, and a calming sensation overwhelmed him. The calm before the storm.

  * * * *

  Michelle Borman, office manager and computer hacker extraordinaire for the Dre-Zack Detective Agency, knew she did a good job. She didn’t have to be told. People in Clyde would be going to jail soon because of her. And no one would ever know it was because of her. She loved her job.

  But good enough was never good enough for Michelle. She had always been thorough but working with Zack and knowing him for so long taught her that thorough was good, but not enough. There was still more. And because of that, she reopened the windows she had of a guy named Electro and one of Johnny Gage. The two talked frequently. Emails, texts, messages, the two discussed a lot.

  As if they were up to something.

  Pseudonyms, for sure, that weren’t very clever as far as she could tell from the emails. One, Electro, she knew was clearly an electrician or at least had an excellent understanding of electricity, and the other was a fireman. She rolled her eyes. Who doesn’t know who Johnny Gage is? Hello?

  Michelle opened deleted emails and read more and more. Electro sent one to Johnny Gage saying be prepared to fight a gas explosion. Gage replied, asking when to which Electro added a laughing emoji, very colorful and vulgar language to describe a woman, and said as soon as she turns on her air conditioning. Gage asked how obvious it would be. Electro asked if Gage thinks he is stupid and said no one will ever be the wiser. Took an hour in her house to get the wiring right, but as soon as she hits the ‘on’ button, say goodnight.

  Michelle copied the emails and pasted them in an email to Julie. She probably knows who the woman would be. Then Michelle remembered Julie and Zack’s current living arrangements. She picked up her phone and dialed Julie. It rang. “Come on, Jules, answer your phone!”

  No answer. Michelle knew she had to do something. And she knew who to call.

  * * * *

  Deputy Sam drove his cruiser away from Molly’s house and called in on the police radio to the station. Deputy Lou answered the call. “Hey, Lou, this is Sam. Let Orb know the Lockett house is secure. He can relax tonight. I’ll check on it on my way back from the Hobby forest,” Sam said.

  “I’ll let him know, but I doubt he’s going anywhere for a while,” Lou replied.

  “Why is that?”

  “Some big-time lawyer just arrived, and our county district attorney is on the way here.”

  “What is that all about?”

  “Orb got Principal Bloom to admit the school fire was arson,” Lou said. “Guess he’s trying to make a deal or something. Orb hasn’t said much other than, and I quote, ‘the shit is hitting the fan tonight.’”

  Sam thought about what he heard. “Why hasn’t he called in Frank?”

  “Oh, he did. Frank is pissed, too. Said he was about to get lucky with some Hobby townie. I didn’t even know Frank was dating anyone, did you?”

  Sam shook his head. “No, but that sounds like Frank. Is Frank covering the streets?”

  “I guess so. I got administrativ
e duties tonight, which sucks,” Lou said. “Sounds like I’m missing all the action. Let me know when you’re back in Clyde.”

  Sam nodded. “I will, ten-four on that. Over and out, buddy. Talk to you later.”

  “And when you’re in Hobby stop at that mini-mart and pick up some donuts. Orb didn’t buy shit for this place today,” Lou said with a laugh.

  “You got it. Over and out.” Sam clicked off and turned his cruiser onto Main Street and headed west. He looked at his watch. Bloom talked, huh? Made no matter to Sam. He was free and clear of that deal, and the former Johnston property on the corner of Route 9 would still make for an ideal development no matter where Ag Cen built. Sam smiled. He was close to saying screw you to eating stale donuts and drinking lukewarm coffee while pulling shit detail for the dreary town of Clyde.

  Just a few loose ends to tie. Yep, the shit is hitting the fan tonight.

  CHAPTER 50

  Zack Stack, private detective. Found dead in the forest behind the small Midwestern rural town of Clyde, Nowhere. You can’t find it on a map because the city disappeared shortly afterward. If you accidentally drive through Clyde now, it will resemble an abandoned ghost town from the late 1800s after the Gold Rush dried.

  Ultimately, Zack died because he had been stupid.

  Zack believed that’s what his headstone would say if he didn’t make it out of the tunnels beneath the surface of the Clyde forest. He would never forgive himself, and Zack was certain Julie wouldn’t either. Eternity was a long time to have a guilty conscience.

  Not today. Jules said she’d marry me. I’ll step up like she never imagined, so get out of here!

  A shadow went across the door and nearly blocked out all the light. Zack waited. Time. Time to act.

  “Give me a light,” Coward said. “He might be in here.”

  “We kill him, that’s it,” Pigface said.

  A flashlight flicked on. The light shone straight ahead and scurried across the room quickly. Zack didn’t pay attention to what the light showed, he paid attention to the wrist of the hand holding the flashlight. Zack moved forward along the wall.

  The man stepped inside and moved the light towards Zack right as Zack stepped forward, grabbed the wrist with the flashlight with his left hand, and unleashed a powerful right punch square into Coward’s face. Coward’s nose broke, Zack felt the blood squirt out, and Coward fell backward. The light dropped.

  Zack knew a couple things. One, he had had the element of surprise. Two, the first strike was critical. At least it was necessary to stun the first foe. The shock would temporarily freeze the second foe as he processed what just happened. That gave Zack another moment to either disable the lead foe entirely or stun the second foe.

  Close quarters, however, eliminated several options. Attacking the second foe was immediately dismissed. So, Zack knew he had to disable the first foe and ideally use the disabled combatant to help fend off the second. And in a perfect world, neither had Zack’s gun ready to use.

  The other problem was the size of the men. Zack would be trapped if he dropped Coward in front of the doorway. Pigface stood outside, and though shorter than Zack, he was beefier. Not muscle-bound, just blubbery, like a big, solid man. Fighting over Coward presented a host of options Zack didn’t want to deal with, particularly in his weakened condition.

  The best option, Zack decided, was to use the dark to his advantage and draw Pigface inside the room. After Coward was disabled.

  Zack pulled Coward towards him, spun his arm quickly while twisting Coward. Zack wrenched Coward’s wrist to the middle of his back and tried to dislocate his shoulder while Zack angled his left arm around Coward’s neck and put him in a chokehold.

  Coward yelped and grunted but couldn’t fight back.

  Zack dragged Coward away from the dull light of the doorway into the blackness of the room, the flashlight on the ground pointed uselessly towards the rear of the room. Pigface charged blindly into the room, as Zack hoped. Only Pigface carried a bat.

  “Right here, Ogre,” Zack said.

  Pigface turned to his right and saw the outline of a man in front of him. He reared back and swung the bat viciously. Zack let go of Coward and dodged to the right, towards the center of the room in a somersault, while the bat barrel smashed into Coward’s jaw. The sickening thud on Coward’s face echoed in the room. Zack knew bone broke, teeth dislodged, and Coward if he woke up, wouldn’t remember a thing. Coward hit the floor hard, without resistance, like a dropped sack of potatoes.

  Pigface screamed as he realized he clobbered his partner. He turned to look for Zack, but before he could, Zack’s foot kicked the side of Pigface’s knee hard. Pigface yelled in agony as he collapsed to the floor, his knee dislocated, possibly broke. Zack suspected Pigface wouldn’t walk right ever again.

  Zack rolled away from Pigface, grabbed the flashlight, saw Pigface on one knee facing away from Zack, screaming in pain and pressing his knee together.

  “I’ll kill you!” Pigface said and lunged for Zack. Zack swung the heavy flashlight. It smashed into the side of Pigface’s head and sprawled him out on the floor.

  Pigface groaned but didn’t move. Zack struggled to breathe the heavy damp air. The energy used was more than he had. Zack shone the light on both men to see that Coward wore his mask. Zack leaned against the wall and caught his breath. He pushed Coward over, removed the mask, confirmed it was Tim Weber, and saw the handle of Zack’s Sig in the beltline.

  “You won’t be needing this any longer.” Zack took the gun, loaded the chamber and stuck it in the back of his belt. He looked for Weber’s cell phone. I have to get them out of that house! Zack dug in a pocket, pulled out the phone, pressed the home button, but the screen was locked. He slammed the phone to the ground. He remembered the cries.

  Someone else was down there with him. Time to get out before either Weber or Pigface woke. Zack didn’t want to waste two bullets. Not on these two losers. There were more important targets in Zack’s future. If he got there in time.

  * * * *

  Zack stepped out of the room, his two captors on the ground incapacitated. He looked both ways in the tunnel and headed the direction the men always came and went. Toward the cries. He crept silently and carefully; if there was another of the conspirators in the tunnels, Zack wanted the element of surprise in his favor.

  He passed a T in the hallway. One way was dark, but Zack moved straight and saw a wide doorway to the right. It was the opening of a room. Zack peered around the corner to see a well-furnished space.

  It looked like living quarters for someone living underground. It had large electrical cables along the ground that supplied energy for a television, stereo, gaming system, a fridge, stove and microwave, and a ventilation system. The appliances and furniture were primitive to Zack. Old, gray, dirty, and wore out. But it was livable for a person who chose to reside below the surface of the earth. Zack saw boxes of macaroni and cheese, cans of Spaghetti-o's, beans, and other pre-packaged foods on wood shelves along the walls attached to the wooden beams holding the earth still. But no phone anywhere.

  On another wall behind the couch, he saw a wall of small televisions, flat screens, atop each other. A station to monitor. Zack walked closer and realized what they were: infra-red cameras of the forest. Twenty of them. They were able to track any and all movement in the woods. “That’s how they were able to see me.” Zack shook his head, saw a cable running into the monitors, and ripped it off the control box. The monitors went black.

  He saw on the main round four-person table in the center of the small cavern two items he wasn’t leaving behind: his watch, a Christmas gift from Julie, and his wallet. Zack slid the watch onto his wrist. He checked the wallet. They took his cash, but everything else remained.

  “Bastards,” Zack whispered and saw the Ka-bar knife he included in his arsenal at the police station before he headed out. He slid that into the scabbard along his leg and turned to the tunnel again.

  Those cries. Whe
re were they coming from?

  Zack crept down the tunnel and followed the electrical cable secured to the corner on the floor of the dark underground hallway. He reached an old wooden door hastily attached to rusty hinges hung by someone without a level or screwdriver. He clutched his Sig, took a deep breath, and yanked the door open.

  The bottom scraped against the hard earth but barely made a noise. A light switch, the only one Zack saw, hung as haphazardly as the door along the outside wall. The electrical wire from the box disappeared inside the room. Zack flicked the switch, and a yellowing bulb lit inside the middle of the room.

  The sight horrified and sickened Zack. He looked down the tunnel. Still, no one. He stepped inside the room towards the source of the cries. Cries of pleading and begging.

  “Please, no more, please, not again,” the voice said. “Don’t touch me, please, I can’t take it anymore. Please.”

  A male was strapped to the bed, face down, legs and arms attached to each corner of the bed. A blanket strewn across the body covered most of his body from his knees to his shoulders, but it was apparent to Zack what this was. And it enraged him.

  Zack walked to the bed and saw the boy’s face. Dirty with tears, fear, and dried blood from probably fighting back and losing before. He opened his eyes and tried to struggle.

  “NO! NO! DON’T TOUCH ME!”

  Zack shook his head no. “No, it’s all right,” he said softly. Zack sat beside the boy he recognized from the pictures inside the home of Mrs. Willows. “Derek, it’s ok, I’m the good guys,” Zack said and put a hand on Derek’s back to calm him. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m getting you out of here.”

  Derek stopped momentarily. “No, you can’t. They’ll kill me. They’ll kill my grandmother. Please help me.”

  The mixed message didn’t pass over Zack. The boy was terrified and close to shock. He wondered if they fed him or gave him anything to drink in the past few days.