California

by Jamie Lee Grey

  “Which town?” Alana thought she knew the answer, but asked anyway.

  “Most everything from Sacramento down to San Diego. Pretty much the whole state.”

  Jason’s face blanched as white as his shirt. “What about staff? Can your firefighters make fire breaks? Contain any of this before it gets out of control?”

  “If only!” Marshal Abrams sounded like he might cry. “All of our resources – and all of your federal ones – are clear over on the coast! Hours away on the wrong side of the state.”

  “Well, move them!” Alana wanted to reach through the phone and throttle the man.

  “Don’t you understand? We can’t!” A sound like a sob came through the speaker. “Our interstates are congested. Some are still closed from this morning’s fires. Traffic is moving at a snail’s pace, where it’s moving at all!”

  Alana folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. Slowly, she inhaled.

  “So. You’re telling me you can’t do a single thing about the new fires.”

  “Not exactly, no. We still have the air tankers. We’ve begun dropping retardant.”

  “But?”

  “But it’s like peeing on a house fire! It’s not going to be effective.”

  Alana stared at the mahogany table top, her mind whirling but unable to settle on anything. She looked at Jason, whose brown eyes were fixed on the ceiling. No help there. Finally, she cleared her throat.

  “You need to come up with a plan,” she ordered. “Please call me back when you have one.”

  She ended the call just as dinner arrived. Silver trays with amazing looking beef and vegetables. The aroma both tantalized and nauseated her.

  “Dig in, Jason. I’ve got to reach the president.”

  She moved to the sofa and called Basilia’s number. Her chief of staff, Grace Denver, answered the call in a whisper.

  “Grace. I need to talk to the president. Now.”

  “She’s just stepped up to the podium to begin her speech.”

  Alana reconsidered. There wasn’t anything the president could do at this moment, anyway. Better to let her maintain appearances, and get through that speech. She’d said it would be short.

  “The minute she finishes, and I mean, the minute – tell her we have updates. And they’re very bad.”

  “Will do,” Grace whispered before the line went dead.

  Alana looked at Jason, who was clearly enjoying the delectable meal that had been served.

  “How can you eat at a time like this?”

  “It helps me think.” He pointed his fork at her silver tray. “You should try it. It’s delicious!”

  No wonder he was getting portly. The most populated state in the country was on fire. Forty million lives at stake. And he was able to dine on, and thoroughly enjoy, Wagyu Kobe steak.

  Chapter 9

  Nadir joined the small group huddled around the conference table on the first floor of the governor’s mansion. His father sat at the head of the table, and Thomas Abrams sat to his right. Bob Osgood from CAL-FIRE was opposite him, with two of his staff. Nadir set his computer on the table and sat beside the fire marshal.

  Hopefully he’d learn a lot from their updates, and not have to stay too long. His new flight was scheduled to lift off in just over two hours.

  “Tell us what you know, Thomas,” his father said, turning dark eyes on the fire marshal.

  “We’re looking at a worst case scenario.” Thomas took a sip of water. “It appears that there is another full line of hundreds of fires lit north to south. At the base of the mountains.”

  The CAL-FIRE director leaned in. “It’s not just the fires. It’s the wind!”

  All eyes turned to Nadir. For a moment, he was speechless. He wet his lips and reminded himself they weren’t suspicious of him. They were expecting a meteorological assessment.

  “Uh, yes.” He cleared his throat. “We’re expecting strong gusts from both Santa Ana and Diablo winds this afternoon and evening.”

  One of the CAL-FIRE staff set down his pencil.

  “Isn’t it early in the year for that?”

  “Generally they really get roaring in October,” Nadir agreed. “However, sometimes they do begin much earlier. And with global warming and the shifting poles, who knows what might be normal in the future?”

  “Shifting poles?” Thomas Abrams asked, eyebrows raised slightly.

  “Right. The magnetic north pole is moving,” Nadir explained. “About 55 kilometers per year, toward Russia. That, of course, will instigate additional climate changes throughout the earth.”

  “Are you serious?” Bob Osgood asked. “The poles are really moving? Why?”

  “Can we stay on topic, please!” The governor glared at Nadir. “We just need to know about the wind. Today.”

  “It’s predicted to be bad,” Nadir said. “Our models show likely forty mile an hour Diablo winds through the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay area, with gusts up to seventy miles an hour. In the Los Angeles area, the Santa Anas are expected to be worse.”

  Bob Osgood cursed and threw his hands in the air.

  “We’re toast!” He glanced around at his colleagues. “Seriously. All our teams are on the coast, fighting those fires. But these new ones are so much worse. And we can’t get to them, because of the traffic and the road closures.”

  Thomas Abram’s face burned red. “Who would do such a thing? The whole state is threatened! Who hates the entire state of California?”

  “Maybe it’s not just our state,” the governor said.

  “What? There are fires somewhere else?” Thomas looked astounded. “Where?”

  “No, no, there aren’t other fires. Yet.” His gaze moved from one person to the next, landing on Nadir. “But who is to say what these arsonists might do next? Where they might hit next?”

  No one spoke.

  Nadir flexed his fingers under the table, willing himself to remain expressionless. Nobody in this room knew of his involvement. Perhaps his father had his suspicions, but no one else did. They trusted him.

  He forced himself to draw a breath.

  Bob Osgood’s eyes narrowed. “You think they’ll keep going? Maybe light up another target area?”

  “We have to consider that possibility,” the governor said. “I’m going to be talking to the FBI about that in a few minutes. Meanwhile, I want all of you to consider where you think they might hit next. They’ve been very strategic so far, and we can expect them to continue in that vein until they’re caught.”

  “I’d like to get my hands on them!” Bob Osgood cracked his knuckles. “Just give me five minutes alone in a room with the ringleader. He’ll wish he’d never been born!”

  ***

  Katie swallowed her disappointment. They needed that gasoline! But Anna’s dad didn’t have to sell it to them.

  He smiled then, a slow, sneaky smile.

  “You cannot buy it. But you can have it.”

  “What? Really?” Katie squeaked, breaking into a grin. “Oh, thank you!”

  If she’d known the man longer than ten minutes, she would’ve hugged him.

  “De nada,” he said, waving off her gratitude. “It’s nothing. You took care of my daughter, now I will return your favor.”

  He led her to his pickup and pulled an old red gas can from the back. The fuel sloshed against the plastic container as he set it on the pavement.

  “Can I at least pay for the can? Or do you want to go over to that burger place –” she pointed to where she was going to meet Zach. “That’s where my husband and I will meet, and then you can take the can after we put the fuel in our truck.”

  He cast a long glance at Anna’s decrepit old car before shaking his head.

  “No, we need to get on the road and go home. You can keep the gas can.”

  “Alright, but please let me pay you for it.” She pressed a ten dollar bill into his hand before he could object. “And thank you so much!”

  He smiled and nodded
, and they parted ways – he drove Anna’s car into the line of traffic, and Anna pulled his truck in behind him, her children waving through the back window to Katie, who watched for a minute to make sure they were safely on the road again.

  She picked up the gas can and walked back to the RV, putting it in an exterior storage bay.

  “I’ve got some fuel,” she texted Zach. “See you at the burger joint in a minute.”

  Grinning, she opened the motorhome door and stepped inside. Timothy had been left alone too long. All of his toys were strewn across the table, the dinette seats, and the tiny aisle, and Duke had slobbered in his hair.

  Her smile faded.

  “Oh, you guys!” She reached for a paper towel. “I seriously can’t leave you alone for a single minute!”

  She wiped drool off both of them, then went into the bathroom and emptied Duke’s water dish down the tub drain. They usually kept his water bowl in the tiny bathtub because if it spilled, it was no problem there. Duke stood inches behind her, watching every movement she made.

  Well, now he could just wait until they reached their campsite for the night, and do his drinking outside, where he could proceed to drool it on the grass.

  “You big oaf!” She rubbed his ears, then turned to Timothy. “Get everything picked up, pronto! We’re going to meet Daddy!”

  Timothy scrambled into motion, throwing all his toys into a plastic tub with a snap-on lid. Katie closed the vents and windows, then buckled her son into his car seat.

  Finally! Read to roll. Funny how everything took so long with one child and one dog!

  She started the motor, turned up the AC, and wiggled the RV into traffic descending the exit ramp. She turned right on the cross street, then signaled a left to enter the burger joint driveway.

  It wasn’t really designed for RVs, but she drove in anyway, looking for Zach.

  His pickup wasn’t here.

  Now she’d have to find a place to park this huge, massive motorhome beast.

  Avoiding the drive-through lanes, she maneuvered toward the rear of the parking lot. Duke came up and nuzzled her elbow.

  “Out!” She growled, and he retreated.

  Finally, she found four empty spaces together, and took all of them. Yes, people would hate her. But what else could she do?

  She hated driving this monster. As soon as Zach got here, she’d hand him the keys and refuse to ever drive it again.

  Where was he, anyway? He should have gotten here long before she did.

  She let the engine idle to keep the air conditioner blowing, and pulled out her cell phone. He hadn’t responded to her last text.

  Did he get her message? Did he know she got some gasoline? Or was he still trying to find some himself?

  She huffed out a sigh. Her gaze landed on the dash clock. Time for radio news! She turned it on and turned up the volume. The national news broadcast intro music was just ending.

  “Big crisis brewing in California today as arsonists have lit hundreds of fires along the coastal areas. Firefighters are being flown in from other western states to assist local, state and federal firefighters, who are struggling to contain the fires. Meanwhile, law enforcement officers are following leads to find the suspects, who, for now at least, are still at large.”

  Then the newscast cut to coverage of the death of that former rock and roll legend Katie had never heard of.

  “And who cares, anyway?” She muttered.

  She turned off the engine to save gas, and looked around again for Zach. No sign of him. So weird!

  Turning to her phone, she debated between calling and texting.

  But if he’d found another gas station and was filling the pickup’s tank, she didn’t want to distract him with a call. So she fired off another text.

  “I’m at the burger place. Got some gas in a can. Where are you???”

  So, maybe the three question marks weren’t necessary, but she was making the mental trip from annoyed to worried.

  She turned the radio on again to catch the state and local news. Hopefully they’d have more detailed information that that silly national blurb.

  A commercial ended with a ridiculous jingle before the broadcaster began the state news.

  “The FBI has teamed up with local investigators to find the arsonists behind today’s wildfires. Officials have been mum about their progress and potential suspects. As they continue their investigation, firefighters are making progress on containing the blazes. Residents along the coast are urged to remain calm, but prepare for evacuation in case that becomes necessary in their community.”

  He sucked in a windy breath before continuing.

  “Officials urge residents to not evacuate before they receive an official evacuation notice. Doing so would clog the roads, hindering firefighters from reaching the fires to put them out. However, they say you should pack an overnight bag with clothing and medication, and put it in your vehicle with food, water and bedding. You may also want to pack sentimental items like family photos.”

  Katie rolled her eyes. Nobody was listening to these unnamed “officials.”

  They were either out “clogging the roads,” like her and Zach and a million other drivers, or they were lounging in their pools, wondering where the smoke was coming from.

  And besides, it was stupid to listen to them. If things didn’t go perfectly well, so they were able to put out all the fires without any loss of life, these “officials” would be responsible for any deaths caused because some nice old ladies did what they were told, packed their bags, and didn’t evacuate because they were waiting for an official to knock on their door and tell them when they should leave.

  Sure, public officials were trying to avoid confusion and mass panic, but their method could lead to far more deaths in the end, if people waited too long to leave their homes.

  Katie turned in her seat and looked through the RV’s windows for Zach’s pickup.

  Where in the world was he? She was sure she was at the right place.

  She checked her phone. Nothing.

  Was he okay?

  ***

  Was there something wrong with her phone? Alana touched the screen. The display looked normal. Why hadn’t the president called yet? Her stomach growled again.

  “You really should eat something.” Jason pushed away from the table.

  “It’s cold by now.” She glanced at the covered dinner, the gleaming silverware, the perfectly folded white cloth napkin. Her hunger won out, and she sat down, phone inches from her right hand.

  Twenty minutes ago, when it was delivered, it would have been delicious. Now it was just edible. While Alana nibbled at her dinner, Jason read aloud the latest draft version of the administration’s statement.

  It didn’t mention the newest fires, ignited to blow west across the most populated parts of the state.

  “I’m not sure how we should handle that,” he admitted.

  Before she could respond, her phone buzzed. The president. Finally!

  Alana swallowed her half-chewed bite of beef and scooped up the phone. No need to bother with pleasantries or formalities.

  “Have you heard about the new fires?” she asked.

  “No. Tell me.”

  “Those freaks set a whole new line of fires, north to south like the first ones, but farther east. At the base of the mountains. And the Santa Anas –”

  An obscenity blasted through the phone. Then a second one. And a third.

  Alana waited for the president to regain her composure and inevitably take over the conversation. Seconds ticked by before Basilia posed her question.

  “How bad is it?”

  “Terrible. The firefighters are all at the coast, fighting this morning’s fires. Some highways are closed. Traffic on the interstates is barely moving. They can’t get their teams across the state to the new blazes.”

  More cursing met her statement. Then a long pause.

  “Anything else?” Basilia’s words carried a tone Alana had
never heard from her before. Defeat.

  “Yes.” Alana steeled herself. “The winds are picking up already and are forecast to be especially strong tonight….”

  “Blowing the fires down on the population,” Basilia finished Alana’s sentence. “Look, I’m on my way back to the hotel. Gather everybody in my suite.”

  The line went dead. Alana took a sip of water and looked at her chief of staff.

  “We need to get everybody together. She’s on her way.”

  Jason flew into motion, making a phone call while pulling his laptop into its case and throwing pens and paper in on top of it.

  Alana did the opposite, calming her mind before the impending storm.

  Crossing to the window, she stared at the city, making its transition from day to night. The sunset painted glowing reds and yellows across the contrails left by jets leaving and returning from intercontinental flights. Taxis and limos deposited tourists in front of gleaming hotels.

  Everything here on the East Coast looked perfectly normal.

  How could the West Coast be in such dire straits at the same moment?

  She turned as Jason hustled out of the suite, one hand pinning his phone on his ear, the other gripping his black leather briefcase.

  For a moment, she was alone.

  And silence surrounded her.

  She breathed it in, sure that this would be the last quiet minute she’d have in a very long time.

  Chapter 10

  Nadir Abdullah watched his father’s face closely, trying to read his thoughts as the group around the conference table discussed strategy for dealing with the fires.

  “We need to get those air tankers re-directed to the eastern fires,” Fire Marshall Thomas Abrams said.

  “Already in the works.” Bob Osgood glanced from Thomas to the governor. “Can we get any more federal help? Are there any resources we didn’t already tap this morning?”

  “There are still some teams who haven’t arrived yet from out of state.” The governor rubbed his temples. “We can put them on the eastern fires as soon as they get here.”