About to inform Wally of the additional damage, she heard him say, “May, do you read me?”
Wally had the police radio mike in his hand and was trying to reach the PD. When there was silence, Skye’s chest tightened and sweat trickled down her back. Had her mother made it into the basement? Was she okay?
A couple of long seconds later, Skye let out a relieved breath when a panicky voice demanded, “Are my daughter and grandbaby all right?”
Skye grabbed the mike and said, “The second and third floors of our house are gone, but we’re all okay. Are you okay? How about Dad and Grandma Cora? Have you heard from Uncle Charlie? How about Vince and his family?”
“I’m fine,” May answered. “Cora is with your uncle Wiley and his family, visiting relatives in California. No word from Charlie or Vince yet, but I see your father’s truck pulling into the parking lot, so he must be okay.” There was a pause, then May added, “Heck. Jed’s got that darn dog with him. He can’t bring that smelly beast in here.”
May’s aversion to animals was legendary. And her husband’s affection for Chocolate, his Labrador retriever, was a constant source of irritation.
Wally took the mike back from Skye. “Was the station hit?”
“Not that I can see. I don’t think the tornado came through this part of town.”
“Do you have phones and electricity?”
“No phones,” May reported, “but the generator came on, so we have power.”
“Call in all the officers, including the part-timers,” Wally said. “Do you have cell reception?”
“Let me find my purse and turn the dang thing on,” May muttered. After a couple of minutes, she said, “I’ve got two little bars.”
“Great.” Wally gave Skye a thumbs-up. “Put the order out over the radio for all officers to report to the station, then start making calls. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“You know she won’t have her charger with her,” Skye warned. “Maybe we should grab ours before we leave.” She glanced at the wreckage of their house. “We could also get Bingo’s food and litter box and—”
“I have a couple of extra chargers at the station. The rest we’ll deal with later.” Wally dug his cell phone from his pocket, tossed it to Skye, and asked, “Anything?”
“Nope. Mine either.”
“Shit!” He started the engine, glanced into his rearview mirror at Frannie and Justin, and said, “If the streets are clear, I’ll drop you two at your respective houses on the way to the station.”
As Wally reversed onto the road and drove toward the station, the squad car’s headlights revealed debris littering the asphalt. He had to maneuver the vehicle around downed limbs and power lines, dodging a refrigerator that looked as if it had been placed upright in the dead center of the road. When they were a few miles from town, Wally’s officers started checking in on the radio.
“It sounds as if Mom was able to get ahold of everyone,” Skye said with a smile. “Or they came in on their own. They’d do anything for you and Scumble River.”
One of the best parts of small-town life was the strong bonds that formed among the residents. They were especially evident during tough situations when the stress of the circumstances put a lot of strain on these ties, yet time after time, the citizens came through for one another.
“They are a loyal bunch,” Wally agreed, never taking his eyes from the road.
She frowned. “Wait, I don’t hear Paul.”
“He’s the one whose shift I was covering,” Wally explained. “Tolman had to have an emergency appendectomy over in Laurel Hospital.”
After dropping Justin at his house and Frannie at hers, both thankfully undamaged, Wally headed to the station. Frannie had volunteered to keep Bingo until Skye and Wally found a place to stay and Skye had gratefully accepted. The elderly feline would not enjoy being confined at the PD.
Noticing for the first time that the streetlights were working, Skye gestured to them and asked, “If the power’s out all over town, why are those still on?”
“When the grid’s off, they use the solar cell backups,” Wally explained.
Skye nodded, then said, “From what your officers are reporting, it sounds as if most of the worst damage is north of town by our house and east where my parents, Vince and Loretta, and Trixie and Owen live. I hope they’re okay.”
Trixie Frayne was Skye’s best friend and the high school librarian. She and her husband, Owen, lived in an old house nestled among the acreage he farmed.
“I’m sure May will have found a way to check on your brother and his family by now.” Wally pulled the cruiser into the station’s garage, retrieved a duffel from the trunk, then came around to help Skye out of the car. “And Trixie and Owen will have taken cover as soon as the sirens sounded.”
Wally and Skye walked to the door connecting the garage to the station, and when he opened it for her, the cacophony of voices nearly pushed her back out. The parking lot hadn’t been that crowded. Where had everyone come from?
Resting his palm on the middle of Skye’s back, Wally gently nudged her inside. They made their way down a short hallway that led to the interrogation/coffee room. Opposite the break room were several workstations, all occupied by people talking on the telephones.
“Looks like Mom called in the dispatchers as well as the officers,” Skye said. “And it’s a good thing, since the landlines seem to be back in service.”
“Thank God!” Wally dug in his duffel, handing Skye a pair of his sweatpants. “I’ve got an extra uniform upstairs, so you can use these.” Once she nodded, he continued. “Sugar, after you get out of those wet shorts, call my dad and tell him we’re okay.”
“Of course.” Skye thrust her purse into the open duffel bag and said, “I don’t want to lose this, so take it upstairs with you.”
“You got it.” He kissed Skye’s cheek, and as he sprinted toward the steps, he yelled, “I’ll be in my office. I need to get ahold of the ILEAS and put a plan into place.”
“What’s the ILEAS?” Skye asked his retreating back.
“The Illinois Enforcement Alarm System,” one of the dispatchers translated. “Nearly seventy agencies are involved. In a disaster situation, it provides a mobile field force for additional law enforcement services.”
“Oh. Good. We’ll need them.” Skye nodded her thanks to the woman, then retreated to the restroom to change into the sweatpants Wally had given her. After using the facilities, because of course she had to pee, Skye went to find her mother. As she neared the front of the station, the noise level increased and she wished she had earplugs.
Once she stepped out of the back hallway, she had her choice of two doors. The one leading out to the lobby was closed, but a chorus of frantic voices was still clearly discernible. People were demanding information and assistance, neither of which were likely available right at the moment.
The second door was partially open and Skye could see Thea, the daytime dispatcher, sitting at the desk with a phone to her ear as she frantically typed on the computer keyboard. May was standing at the counter, attempting to soothe an extremely agitated middle-aged woman.
Skye stepped into the room, walked up to her mother, and hugged her. May ran an expert eye over Skye, held up a finger, then turned back to the petite woman who had begun knocking on the bullet-resistant acrylic barrier separating the lobby from the dispatch area.
“Ma’am,” May said, speaking through the small hole cut into the partition, “Scumble River was hit by three separate tornadoes. Presently, we are assessing damage and securing the streets. Once we have more available personnel, we’ll begin searching homes for survivors.”
“If you can’t send someone, let me go look for my husband. He has a heart condition.” The attractive woman gripped the edge of the counter. “The officers forced me to leave. Just make them let me go back t
o hunt for him.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.” May shook her head. “The worst-hit neighborhoods are all being evacuated and no one will be permitted to return until the structures are deemed safe.”
“Safe by whom?” The slender woman’s voice rose. “My husband is Zeke Lyons, a member of the city council. Surely, locating him is a top priority.”
“No, ma’am.” May’s cheeks reddened. “It is not. No one is more important than anyone else. I haven’t been able to reach my own son!”
Skye put her arm around her mother’s shoulders as they began to shake. May turned and pressed her face in her daughter’s chest. She gripped Skye’s waist and sobbed.
For a second, Mrs. Lyons seemed shocked, then an older woman who had been standing silently at her side said, “If this ninny won’t help you, we’ll talk to the mayor. I’ve told you never to deal with peons.”
May whirled toward the counter, her eyes narrowed.
Skye quickly clapped her hand over her mother’s mouth and whispered, “Watch that quick temper of yours.”
“I do not have a quick temper,” May snapped after removing Skye’s palm. “What I do have is a quick response to idiots.” Her shoulders suddenly drooped and she cried, “Why is God doing this to us?”
“I’m pretty certain if the tornado is God’s punishment, he has a badly researched sinners list.” Skye moved her mother out of the dispatchers’ office and said, “I’m sure Vince, Loretta, and the baby are okay. They have a safe room and would have heard the sirens.”
“I know.” May hiccupped. “Your dad tried to get to them before he came here, but the road was blocked by an overturned combine.” She straightened and shook her head. “Who in their right mind would be harvesting in the middle of a storm?”
“It was probably sitting in the field and got blown onto the road.” Skye patted her mother’s back. “Is Dad here?”
“No.” May reached into the pocket of her uniform shirt, took out a tissue, and wiped her eyes. “Once he heard you and Wally and the baby were okay, he went home to get the John Deere. He said if he had to, he’d go through the fields to get to Vince’s.”
Skye smiled at her father’s ingenuity. Jed might not say much, but his mind kept working until he had a solution to the problem.
“Did you guys have any damage?” Skye asked. “From what I heard on the radio, your road was right on the path of the tornado.”
“We lost some trees and the back door was blown out, which ruined the utility room, but the garage is completely gone.” May shut her eyes. “Thank goodness your dad’s truck was in the driveway and my car was here in the parking lot. Since they don’t make them anymore, I’d never be able to replace my Oldsmobile. It’s less than ten years old and only has twenty-five thousand miles on it.”
“It’s one of a kind, all right,” Skye agreed with a grin.
May cupped Skye’s cheek. “Is your house fixable?”
“I doubt it.” Skye blew out a breath. “All that’s left is the first floor and Wally says it’s likely the walls will collapse.”
“I’d say you could stay with us, but with no power to run the pump for the well, we don’t have water.” May smoothed her hair. “But I talked to Charlie and the motor court wasn’t hit, so he’s saving you and Wally a room.”
“Does he have power?” Skye asked.
“He’s got a big generator that can handle the whole motel.” May’s expression was sheepish. “I guess I should have let your dad buy one after that last outage.”
Skye hid her smile. May had been all for the generator until she’d found out the electrician would have to run conduit on the wall next to her back door. At the thought of the ugly pipe marring her beautiful redbrick exterior, she’d put the kibosh on the idea.
Wisely refraining from reminding her mother of that fact, Skye instead asked, “Have you heard anything about Trixie and Owen?”
“Not yet.” May stepped back in the office and glanced at the hoard of people lined up at the counter. “I better get back to work.”
“I need to call Wally’s father and try to get ahold of Trixie,” Skye said, looking around. “Are there any free phones?”
May tapped her chin. “There’s a second outlet in Wally’s office.” She jerked her thumb downward. “You could grab one of the old rotaries from the basement and plug it in upstairs.”
“Great idea.” Skye kissed her mother. “Let me know as soon as you find out about Vince and Loretta or if you hear anything about Trixie and Owen or anyone else.”
“I sure will, honey.” May hugged Skye. “Love you.”
“You too, Mom.” Skye took a deep breath. “Wally and I were sure lucky today.”
“Yeah.” May frowned. “I wonder how many folks weren’t as fortunate.”
Chapter 5
“There, now you have a heart that any man might be proud of.”
—The Wizard
Wally placed the handset back in the base, thankful for his private line. He’d contacted ILEAS and help would be arriving soon. The supplemental law enforcement personnel would take care of perimeter security, traffic control into town, and enforce the curfew that, once the disaster had been declared, would automatically go into effect.
ILEAS assistance would allow Scumble River’s officer on duty to respond to regular 911 calls, as well as continue routine patrols. The remaining officers would be organized to help with search and rescue.
Wally unfolded a map of the town and picked up a yellow highlighter. From the accounts he’d received, three separate twisters, each up to three-quarters of a mile wide, had cut through Scumble River. Reports stated that twelve tornadoes had come from the same super cell and most of central and southern Illinois had in some way been involved. A few areas had been spared from tornadic activity, but the high winds and torrential rains still caused enormous problems for those populations.
According to preliminary estimates, 25 percent of Scumble River had sustained extensive destruction and another 30 percent had less severe damage. First responders were guessing that as many as fourteen hundred or more properties might be affected.
Wally had been in touch with the fire chief and the firefighters would partner with the police to conduct immediate search and rescue operations. It was highly likely a good number of folks were trapped in the wreckage, and they needed to be found sooner rather than later.
Wally was deeply absorbed in plotting out the search grid when a light tap on his partly opened door caught his attention. Before he could respond, Skye walked into the room, carrying an old rotary phone.
Actually, at thirty-four weeks pregnant, walk wasn’t exactly the right word for her movement, but he didn’t even dare to think waddle or she would go ballistic. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t convince Skye that to him she would always be the most beautiful woman in the world. Having experienced ridicule for her curvier than acceptable figure as a young woman, she was having trouble dealing with the added baby weight.
He’d been attracted to Skye since she was sixteen, but at the time, he’d been twenty-four, too old to do anything about his feelings. Then when she’d turned eighteen, she’d moved away and hadn’t come back for nearly twelve years.
He’d never forgotten the sweet, smart teenager who had enchanted him, but he’d tucked her memory away and settled for someone else. That had been a huge mistake, trapping him in an unhappy marriage. Darlene had been a fragile woman he had never truly loved but couldn’t, in good conscience, divorce.
When she had run away with another man, he’d nearly danced for joy. He’d finally been free to pursue the woman he’d always wanted.
However, although he was no longer married, Skye had been dating the town funeral director and local coroner, Simon Reid. But soon afterward, Reid screwed up. When Skye dumped him, Wally quickly made his move. It had taken him a while to convince
her that he was the right man for her, but they’d been married for eight months now and it had been the happiest time of his life.
When Skye had told Wally she was pregnant, his heart had nearly burst with joy. He’d never thought he’d be a father—Darlene had blamed him for her infertility—and to have Skye and their baby was all he’d ever wanted.
Shaking off his musings, Wally hurried to his feet, rushed to Skye’s side, and asked, “Everything all right, sugar?”
“Uh-huh.” Skye kissed his cheek as he escorted her to a chair and held her arm while she sat down. “It’s a madhouse down there, so I thought I’d come up here to make some calls.” Holding up the old-fashioned phone, she said, “Mom told me you had an extra telephone line in your office.”
“She’s right. I almost forgot about that. The new system didn’t need it, but the outlet is still there. I wonder if it works.” Wally plugged the cord in and picked up the receiver. “Yep. You’re good to go.”
“Awesome.”
Skye’s emerald-green eyes sparkled and Wally leaned over to tuck a chestnut curl behind her ear. He pressed his lips to her soft, pink ones and sighed in satisfaction. Even in a disaster, she made him feel content.
“I need to complete the grid assignments so I can get the search and rescue started,” Wally explained as he reluctantly straightened and resumed his seat.
“Will my talking on the phone bother you?” Skye asked. “I could go somewhere and try my cell.”
“You stay put, sweetie,” Wally assured her. “I like being able to keep an eye on you.”
As Wally continued working on the grid, he half listened to Skye. Her first call was to his father, and hearing her part of the conversation, Wally’s mouth twitched upward. Even before their wedding, Carson had fallen hard for Skye and asked her to call him Dad.
With the exception of Skye, no one in Scumble River knew that Wally’s father, Carson Boyd, was a Texas oil millionaire. Wally kept quiet about his wealthy background because he didn’t want people to see him as a rich man’s son. He wanted to be judged on his own merits.
Dead in the Water Page 4
