The Journal: Cracked Earth

by Deborah D. Moore

  The jars glistened in the dim light. “How can you possibly let this worry you?” he asked drawing me close and whispering into my hair. “You have provided us with enough to eat for at least a year, maybe two, since I don’t know what else you have.”

  John gave me one of his sweet smiles, and then got serious.

  “I owe you my life, you know. So please don’t cry or I’ll think you regret taking me in.”

  “Oh, no, no! I don’t regret having you here, not at all! Don’t even think that. If I saved you, then you saved me, John. And you’re right, we will be fine. I tried hard to plan having enough to share with my family, and that now includes you.”

  I hugged him tight, and decided he needed to know what else we had.

  * * *

  John was bringing in wood the next morning, while I made a list of what I had and where I stored it. He really needed to know what our supplies were. The first list was the easy one for me since it was the long term storage.

  “One hundred and fifty buckets?” he asked, quite shocked.

  “Well, I know there could have been more, except the last two rows I put in I didn’t stack as high, so I had room for the ten cans of coffee.”

  He was right, I shouldn’t have been worried about our food supplies, not with a half-ton of wheat berries, and the same in rice, five hundred pounds of beans, two hundred pounds of sugar and a hundred pounds of salt.

  I handed him the second list, and then the third. He looked up at me and smiled. “Any other surprises?”

  When I handed him the ammo inventory, he started laughing. “What were you planning for, the end of the world?”

  “Isn’t that pretty much what we’re facing, John?” I asked in all sincerity.

  He looked back at the ammo list. “Do you have weapons for all of this?”

  “Except for the 308’s, that’s Jason’s.” I smirked. “What? You want to clean and oil the rifles now?”

  * * *

  JOURNAL ENTRY: December 31

  For New Year’s Eve, John and I grilled a steak and six shrimp each. I know that was excessive, but the fresh meat won’t last forever, even frozen, and the shellfish even less time. We split a potato, and then shared my only bottle of bubbly. We were in bed and asleep by 11P.M.

  I was awakened by the roar of a snowmobile. I got up to use the bathroom and saw flames!

  * * *

  “John! Get up! There’s a fire!” I shook John while I pulled on my clothes. He woke instantly and grabbed his clothes.

  It looked like my barn was on fire! I grabbed the fire extinguisher and handed it to John. It took a few seconds to put on jackets, boots, hats, gloves as it was near zero out, and then we ran outside.

  Flames were licking up the side of the building. Someone had tried to set my metal pole barn on fire! John made short work of the flames with the extinguisher before I even got a shovel out to start tossing snow on the building. I could smell the gasoline on the ground in the fire-heated slush. If that gas had reached the 4x4 wooden studs, it could have been disastrous. My car was in the barn, along with the drums of gas and the chickens. I sank to my knees in the snow, shaking.

  “Who would do this to me? To us?”

  “Let’s get back inside,” John said when he pulled me off the ground and led me back to the house. “Stay here,” John commanded, “I’ll be right back.”

  A few minutes later, he returned with a bucket filled with snow and glass, the remnants of what had caused the fire. It was a Molotov cocktail.

  * * *

  The New Year started with blue skies, glorious sunshine and the memories of last night’s fire. I reached over to find John’s side of the bed empty, the sheets already cool. I quickly slipped into sweatpants, my warm robe and slippers, and went in search of him.

  He looked up from the table and smiled. “Let me get you some coffee,” he said. We both drank it black because milk and coffee creamer was a luxury that I hadn’t factored into my preps. The few cans of evaporated milk that I had needed to be rationed.

  “You’re up early,” I said, sitting down across from him and sipping the hot brew, thankful that the stove was already going and the room warmed.

  “I didn’t sleep well, either,” he said.

  “Sorry I disturbed you.” I frowned.

  “It wasn’t you; it was the fire that disturbed me. We need to think about who would do this,” he said to me with a touch of anger.

  “Trying to burn down a metal building seems stupid, unless it was only a warning. But a warning about what? And from who?” he thought aloud.

  “I’ve been thinking all night and all I can come up with is that somebody is mad that I pushed for gas rationing. Though it doesn’t make sense to use up gas making bombs to get more gas. If anything, I should tighten the rationing!” I exclaimed out of frustration. “I think I’m going to talk with Ken and Karen this morning.”

  “I’ll come with you. I don’t want you out there alone,” he said resolutely. Reaching for my hand, he added “You were the target, you know. Not me, not us, you. No one knows that I’m here except for your family and they wouldn’t hurt you.”

  “We can’t both leave. Someone has to stay here, John. What if they come back and toss a gas bomb at the house? If no one is here, the place will burn down! Even if we were both here, there could still be extensive damage because the siding is all wood.”

  Then it dawned on me. “John, we don’t have another extinguisher. I had only the one!”

  I slumped back in my chair. Damn! I should have had a spare! It was a minor item, and was now a major hole in my preps.

  Reluctantly, he agreed to allow me to go alone, provided I promised to come right home when done with the meeting. I did tell him about the new patrol car and that if it was ready I intended to deliver it today. That didn’t sit well with him, but I still had a job to do and he reluctantly accepted that. When I left the driveway, I followed the snowmobile tracks out our road while I could, then they disappeared once I hit the main road.

  * * *

  Both Karen and Ken were surprised by the attempted arson. I handed the small ice-cream bucket of “evidence” to Ken. They were no closer to a suspect than they had been before. Lenny was under constant surveillance so they knew that it wasn’t him. However, this was the first time that anyone had heard the vehicle. There were plenty of snowmobiles in town, so it only narrowed the list down slightly.

  “This is the first attack on a personal residence. The other fires have been on unoccupied businesses,” Ken said, thinking aloud trying to process the information. “On the other hand, he might be getting bolder. Anyone you’ve ticked off lately, Allexa?”

  “Only half the town,” I said. “Everyone blames me for the gas rationing, not that there is anywhere for anyone to go. I’ve offered gas to anyone who wants to leave and not come back. Otherwise, I’ve really tried to help Moose Creek, not hurt it. So, what should I be doing? Anything special? Different?”

  “Well, we know that you’re armed, so that’s a good start. Too bad you live alone,” said Karen.

  I told them about John, and that he was staying with me. Karen was pleased, though Ken wondered if the attack came from a past spurned boyfriend. I laughed.

  “Ken, I haven’t even dated anyone in over two years, and I’ve never dated anyone from town anyway. Besides, no one knows that John is staying with me except my family, and now you two. It wouldn’t explain the attacks on the businesses.”

  “Well, just be extra cautious, be aware of your surroundings. Watch if anyone is following you,” Karen reminded me. I rolled my eyes at her and she laughed.

  * * *

  The paint job was not quite finished on the new patrol car, so I went back home to find John happily cleaning my shotgun.

  I pulled a couple of cookbooks into my lap and worked on menus for the week. What we were eating was getting boring, and it was time to fix that.

  I can’t dwell on the fire. Cooking is a good diversio
n for me, so I picked something for dinner I haven’t fixed in a while, stuffed manicotti. I cooked three manicotti tubes in some boiling water until they were softened. I didn’t want them too cooked or they wouldn’t absorb the tomato sauce. I drained a jar of chicken, reserving the liquid for soup tomorrow, and then shredded a half cup of the meat into a bowl. I added one slice of bread, torn into pieces, a minced onion and a quarter cup of shredded parmesan cheese. I tossed that all together, mixing in some herbs for extra flavor. Handling the pre-cooked tubes gently, I stuffed in the meat mixture and set them aside. The tomato sauce had already been made and canned last summer. I poured enough of the contents of the jar into a baking dish to cover the bottom, and then placed the pasta tubes on top. The rest of the sauce went over the top and then the pan went into the oven to bake.

  * * *

  We spent a leisurely morning on the 2nd just enjoying the quiet and each other. It was close to eleven o’clock that we finally lit the fire and had our first coffee of the morning. A truck pulled up in the driveway after we enjoyed our first sips of the black brew. Naturally we went on alert, but it was only Karen. When I introduced her to John, she— and he— relaxed.

  “There was another fire overnight, up on the dam road,” she began. “No, it wasn’t Jason’s house. It was Marjorie Brewer’s and she at was home.” Karen took a deep breath and eyed my coffee cup. I poured her a cup and she continued. “Now we’ve got him for arson and murder. There were snowmobile tracks circling the house. We’re closing in, Allexa, but you can’t let your guard down.”

  “I won’t, Karen. Promise. John won’t let me,” I laughed to break this tension.

  * * *

  I went to the office long enough to pick up and deliver the new patrol car. What made it easy was that Ken and Karen were both at the township going over maps, marking where the fires had occurred. I left my car in the parking lot and walked over to the auto shop. I gave Harry a voucher for payment and drove the car over to Fram’s, filled it with diesel, signed the receipt, and went back to the office. Our two police officers were just coming out and had huge, astonished grins on their faces when they saw the sign on the side of the car that read “Moose Creek Township Law Enforcement”.

  “This is a gift from Marilyn Harris. It’s her way of apologizing for Bill’s actions,” I said as I handed them the keys. “It’s all gassed up and takes diesel fuel. You have an unlimited account for it, but remember we don’t have unlimited supplies.”

  “If it’s from Marilyn apologizing for Bill, maybe you should have it,” said Karen.

  “Oh, no! Besides, she was specific that it should be for you two. How is the investigation coming?”

  “We think we know who it is. I don’t want to say anything at this time, not until we’re positive,” said Ken.

  “Are you going to need back-up? I’d suggest Lenny,” I said, much to their surprise “He’s got a CPL and is a very good shot. It would also go a long way to pulling him back into the respectability in our town.”

  * * *

  Late in the afternoon on January 3, Karen stopped by. She gratefully accepted a cup of coffee and one of the scones I had made this morning, not questioning baked goods. I wonder if she would get the joke if I made donuts for her.

  “There was another fire last night,” she said. “One of the camp cabins on the Sullivan Trail. Fortunately it was not occupied. I just don’t know what to make of this. The fires seem to be random, yet they are not. Any ideas?”

  “Have you been over any of the lists Anna and I made in November?” I asked. “We compiled lists of all those who needed medical continuance, the elderly, those who live alone, and are rural, of the CPL holders.” I caught her quick glance at the CPL remark and smiled. “Don’t ask! Yes, I know who they are.”

  “Can you make this any stronger?” she asked, extending the coffee cup towards me.

  John pulled a bottle of whiskey from a cupboard and showed it to her with raised eyebrows.

  “Oh, yeah,” she said excitedly. “It’s always five o’clock somewhere. No, I haven’t seen those lists; I suppose I need to. I think we can eliminate some of the elderly. Most can’t handle a snowmobile like that.”

  She sipped her fortified coffee and sighed. “What about the medical list? Anything peak your interest?”

  I retrieved a folder of things that were ongoing in the township since the event. I flipped a few pages and turned it to her. When her eyes scanned the list, something caught her attention.

  “Can I take this?” she requested.

  “John, will you start the generator?” I asked. “I’ll make you a copy. The medical list was viewed by Gray and then enhanced,” I said to Karen. “Someone catch your attention?”

  “Yeah. Someone that is already on our radar is on that list.” she said. “If it’s any consolation, if it is who I think it is you’re not a target. It really may have been all random.”

  * * *

  JOURNAL ENTRY: January 3

  This arson business has me confused and concerned. Everyone left here in Moose Creek wants to be here. They love the town and the people in it. It doesn’t make sense for one of our own to do this kind of damage.

  * * *

  When I put my coat on this morning to feed the chickens, I found a couple of slips of paper that I had put in my pocket the last time I was in the office. These were phone messages that I had forgotten about. One was from Pastor Carolyn and the other was from Tom White at the County EM office. I was curious what he wanted. I had inkling what Carolyn wanted.

  John was not happy that I wanted to go to the office again without him as my bodyguard. I reminded him that all the attacks had taken place at night, and I would stay at the office once I got there.

  I drove to Jason’s first. It had been over a week since they were over for Christmas and I needed to know that they were okay. When I neared his place, I saw the burnt out shell of the Brewer house, ringed with police tape.

  With Amanda at home to watch Jacob, Jason was out cutting wood for the stove. The house was on the chilly side, so I kept my coat on.

  “Did you bring any food with you?” Amanda asked when I walked in.

  “No I didn’t. If you make a list of what you need I’ll do what I can.”

  She snorted. “Mom, we need everything. I should have listened to you about stocking up.”

  I knew better than to say I told you so.

  Jason came in right then with an armload of snowy wood. After setting it down near the stove to dry, he gave me a hug.

  “Did either of you hear or see anything around the time of the fire next door?” I asked them while Jason warmed his hands over the woodstove.

  “No, we slept right through it,” Jason said. “Amanda and I put some blankets on the windows to help hold the heat it, and they also muffle the noise. Ken and Karen were already here asking us questions, I’m sorry we couldn’t help.”

  “I’m just glad you all are okay. Don’t forget to get that list together, Amanda,” I said, and gave each of them a hug before I left.

  My next stop was Carolyn. Luckily, I tried the church first and she was there, helping out in the Stone Soup Kitchen.

  “I’m so glad to see you!” she said, giving me a brief hug. “Let’s go upstairs to talk. I was hoping to see you at church last Sunday.” We went up a short flight of stairs to her office.

  “Food donations have really fallen off, Allexa. Is there any chance you can help us out again?” she asked sheepishly. “We’ve had some fish, but it’s been so cold that the fish aren’t biting like they usually do.”

  “My own supplies are limited and dwindling, Carolyn.” I noted how her face drooped with disappointment. “Would another bucket of rice help? I think I’ve got some bouillon too. That will be the last though, I’m sorry.” I knew I had more, but I can’t be everyone’s supply line, and the people have to learn to stand on their own. I prepped for my family, not the whole damn town!

  * * *

  T
he township offices were in an uproar. It seems that there was yet another fire last night, the Catholic church, and this time there was also a witness!

  “I was walking home after having a beer at The Jack,” Lenny said excitedly, “when I heard a snowmobile coming up behind me. I stepped closer to The Out-Riggers to get out of the way and must have been out of sight. This sled raced by, then slowed in front of the Catholic church and I saw the driver throw something,” he continued to his captive audience. “A few seconds after the sled took off again there was a burst of flames up the front door!”

  “What happened then, Lenny?” I prompted him.

  “I ran across the street and scooped up snow and threw it at the flames, over and over.” He took a breath and went on. “My hands were numb but the fire was contained. Then I called Mike to make sure the fire was completely out.” He smiled proudly.

  “You did good, Lenny, you saved the church.” He grinned even wider.