Scratchgravel Road: A Mystery

by Tricia Fields

  “We’re ready to pull officers in from several different agencies. They’re waiting in the lobby. I’ll just ask that you listen to the briefing so you’re brought up to speed. Then we’ll start making plans.” He stood and placed two keys on the conference table in front of Josie. “For you and Otto to get in and out. Please return them at the end of the day. I’ve got to make a phone call to headquarters in Boston, and return a call to the NRC. Can you get the group organized in my absence?”

  Josie nodded. “I’ll be glad to.”

  Sylvia left the room and came back moments later, escorting a large group of officers. Smokey Blessings, three Texas Highway Patrol officers, and four agents from the Department of Transportation took chairs around the table. It was a quiet, grim-faced group of men.

  “On behalf of Mr. Paiva, I want to thank you all for coming. Mr. Paiva is on a call with the NRC, so I’ll get introductions started.” Josie went on to introduce herself and Otto as well as Sylvia and the engineers. She then asked each officer to introduce himself and describe his position. She knew one of them, Aaron Crowe, a well-respected officer who lived halfway between Marfa and Artemis. The DOT officers were all associated with West Texas, and they were all familiar with the weather conditions and mudslides that were an occasional threat. Aside from one DOT officer who described himself as a “take-charge man,” Josie thought they all appeared levelheaded and ready to jump in where needed.

  Josie went on to summarize the notes Sylvia had posted on the projection screen. She had taken several questions when Diego entered the room and returned to his seat. He nodded to Josie and thanked her for stepping in.

  Diego spent the next ten minutes efficiently describing the situation and explaining the various risks to the plant. When he’d finished his summary he directed their attention to the projector screen, which was showing a still image of the plant and the surrounding mountain range. “I want to give you a clear visual of what we’re dealing with.” He pointed to a rectangular area dotted with buildings and said, “This is obviously the plant. The range runs along the sides of the plant. The largest amount of runoff comes down this eastern slope.” He ran a finger along the eastern ridge where a V appeared to have been cut into the mountain. “This is a natural valley where rain has eroded the rock and formed an arroyo that captures runoff, and, in the past, has funneled excess rain and floodwaters a half mile to the east of the plant. To date, the plant has never faced a serious flooding issue due to the natural contours of the land.” He pointed to the highest point on the ridge, to the west of the valley. It was a jagged outcropping of rocks that stood precariously at the top of the ridge. “This peak is what’s causing us concern. We’ve been watching this area for years, but the erosion has been minimal. Until now.”

  Sandy said, “This has always been a stable range, but the rain this season has eroded it to the point we fear it will collapse. If that happens, the runoff will be significant, and we fear it will change course. Instead of following the arroyo, the water and the potential mudslide could funnel directly through the plant, hitting the barrels in the back parking lot first.”

  The sober-looking group of law enforcement officers said nothing as they processed the information and Diego continued. “One of our engineers is filming for us.” He paused and took a sip out of the water glass in front of him. Josie noticed beads of sweat along his hairline, the only visible sign of nerves.

  “We’ll be able to listen in and get a good look at the current flooding,” Diego said. “From where he’s flying, it’s almost two miles to the back lot where the metal barrels are stored. The two concrete silos are located in the back of the plant as well.”

  One of the highway patrol officers asked, “What’s inside the silos?”

  “They store radioactive waste materials.”

  “And what if one of the silos is compromised?”

  “Then the ground around the plant would be contaminated,” Diego said.

  He turned to face Sylvia. “Do we have a live feed from the helicopter set up yet?”

  Sylvia nodded and the still image was replaced with a live image of the mountain range being filmed during a downpour. As the helicopter flew in closer to the mountain, large fractures among the jagged boulders at the top of the peak became visible. Diego ran his finger down the length of the mountain. “This area below the peak is highly erodible, and the water has begun to funnel into this location from several areas on the mountain, dragging debris with it.”

  Sandy walked back into the room and sat down by the phone at the end of the table. She said, “The pilot is on the line. I’ll place him on speaker so we can all hear his report.”

  She looked at Diego, who nodded that he was ready.

  “Michael?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Can you zoom in to the area that’s washing? Get up by the peak if you can. That’s where we’re most concerned.” She addressed the group again. “If we can make it through this rain without that area of the mountain giving way we’ll be fine. If it breaks loose we’ve got a real mess.”

  Suddenly the view of the mountain tilted right and Josie felt as if the bottom fell out of the room. The pilot banked a hard right and circled around the mountain.

  “I’m going to take you to the front of the peak so you can see the water coming down. It’s really flowing right now. More rock has broken loose since I was up here this morning.”

  The picture on the screen enlarged, the mountain coming at them quickly as the pilot continued to describe the scene. Suddenly the rocks on the mountain came into focus, and Josie could see water rushing down at an alarming rate. The water was devouring the side of the mountain, washing away large chunks like sand. As the pilot flew down the slope it became obvious that other streams were being funneled toward the same path that converged on the valley floor.

  Diego asked the pilot to pull the shot back and get a picture of the stream that was draining in the direction of the plant. “We’ve successfully diverted this water to the left of the plant. However, if we get a significant mudslide, the diversion won’t hold. We’ve been using concrete barriers in key places, but it’s just not enough.”

  “It wouldn’t be enough to reinforce with additional barricades? Stretch it from the mountain down past the plant?” one of the officers asked.

  “Mudslides have the ability to wipe out entire neighborhoods in a matter of minutes. There’s enough of a grade from the mountain to the plant that it could produce significant speed.” Diego pointed back to the screen. “You can see the lay of the land. See how the water funnels straight down that mountain, through the sandy stretch in the desert, and toward the plant? Those barriers are okay with the water, but if we lose a significant piece of that mountain, and pick up sand and mud from the foothills, the mud could flow heavily.”

  Sandy nodded toward Mitch, who had been listening intently. “This is where Mitch comes into play. We’d like to lay a line of explosives that will blow a trench to divert the water flow from reaching the plant.”

  One of the DOT officers asked, “Why hasn’t something been done before now to prevent this?”

  “That wash wasn’t there before the peak started to crumble. This is all new erosion,” Diego said. He paused for a moment and steepled his fingers in front of his chest, gathering all eyes on him. “I’ll make one request of the group. After this incident is finished, you have my word, I will review the entire operation: what worked, what didn’t, what should have been done and wasn’t. For today though, I would request we focus on the events at hand. We don’t have the time to point fingers. Today, we work as a team to figure out answers.” He looked around the room and received head nods from everyone.

  Diego cleared his throat. “We have a team setting up a decontamination area. They are consulting with FEMA as we speak. We’re approaching this proactively. God forbid, if part of the plant is taken out by the mudslide, if radiation is released into the environment, we’re prepared to handle th
e aftermath.”

  Josie felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her lungs. A table filled with first responders, people trained to handle crisis, and they were all speechless, imagining their own nuclear nightmares.

  “We’re at the unfortunate point of weighing our odds.” Diego looked at Sandy, who was not able to meet his eyes before he stood to break the room into working groups. Prepared or not, it was time to move.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Diego and Sandy assigned groups of officers to specific tasks. Diego had called in plant workers earlier that morning to remain on standby and they were now being put to work. A team of ten was surveying the metal barrels to determine their ability to withstand movement, and it was quickly determined that about a hundred of them on the front end of the lot were stable enough to handle a move. Scott led the DOT team and county maintenance around the site to establish transportation routes for evacuation and removal of the barrels. Next, they began the nerve-racking task of moving the barrels to a fleet of semi trucks that were also being equipped for radiation monitoring. Meanwhile, a team of five scientists from the EPA landed in a helicopter and was quickly briefed on the situation by Diego. Sandy took the Department of Energy team and the three highway patrol officers with her in a four-wheel-drive Excursion to check out the runoff in person. Josie was amazed at how well orchestrated the effort appeared. She gave credit to Diego’s leadership and started to believe the company’s outstanding reputation might be deserved.

  Diego had asked Josie and Otto to follow Mitch Wilson into the area behind the plant where the water was currently flowing. They followed Diego down a hallway to the back area of the staging facility, where he grabbed them each rain ponchos and wader boots from a storage closet.

  “You can still set the charges in the rain?” Josie asked Mitch.

  He grinned. “I can detonate explosives in a tornado.”

  Instead of driving, Mitch asked to walk to check the ground and the effects of the rain. After they were dressed, Diego led them through the back of the building to see the path the water was taking through the plant.

  “There’s about a thirty-five percent grade behind the mountain that levels off to fifteen percent,” Diego said. “The problem is the rain that’s pouring down Norton’s Peak is pushing all the water and debris right through the center of the plant.”

  Diego led them through the gate and into the production area of the plant. Josie pulled her rain poncho hood up around her face and looked at the dismal, gray sky. The rain continued steadily. She could not remember ever standing in a more depressing place. The partially disassembled buildings and empty machinery, the muddy holes and washed-out pathways were surface issues, but underneath lay a ticking time bomb. She was very aware that Diego and Sandy had avoided explaining the aftermath of what would happen if the mudslide hit the buildings with the massive force it was capable of. Sandy had made it clear they weren’t facing a nuclear explosion, but she hadn’t filled in the blanks.

  The walk up the hill to the base of the mountain took just fifteen minutes. As they walked, Mitch stuck spikes into the ground to represent placement of the charges. Norton’s Peak, at the top of the mountain ridge, was directly above them, ending approximately fifty feet up. It was in bad shape. It was obvious to Josie the base was crumbling and would most likely fall that day if the rain didn’t halt immediately.

  Mitch had kept up a running commentary to Otto and Diego, who both seemed interested in the logistics of the explosives. Josie wasn’t much interested in the mechanics, as long as it worked and didn’t blow the plant sky high. For that, she had little choice but to have faith.

  With Mitch shouting orders, they began digging a shallow trench to hold the C-4. He was laying a sample line of explosives to see how the saturated ground would react.

  After Josie had already become covered in mud, the cell phone in her shirt pocket rang. She had no choice but to wipe her hands on her streaked uniform pants, before popping open the snaps on the poncho and flipping open her cell phone to an unfamiliar number.

  “Chief Gray.”

  “I’m so glad you answered. This is Cassidy.” She sighed deeply and continued. “I need to see you.”

  “I’m in a mess right now. Are you in danger?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you need police help?” Josie asked.

  “I found stuff on Leo’s computer. Weird shit. I think it’s connected to the nuclear plant. Maybe to the dead guy.”

  “Like what?”

  Cassidy moaned. “There’s all this weird stuff about radiation and death.”

  “What made you search his computer?”

  She hesitated. “Leo knew where the body was in the desert.”

  “How do you know?” she asked.

  “I overheard him one night on the phone. I wrote down the directions that he was telling someone. That’s why I took a walk in the desert that day it was so hot. I thought maybe Leo was having an affair or something.”

  Josie clenched her jaws and tried to keep her calm. “Why didn’t you just tell us this? You withheld serious information from the investigation.”

  “I was afraid! I was afraid he’d kill me if he found out I told you! I’d already seen one dead person!”

  “Is Leo there with you?”

  “No, but there’s something more.”

  Josie waited.

  “Leo deposited over a thousand dollars into a bank account I didn’t even know we had.”

  “When?”

  “Yesterday. He works part time at the plant. And his paycheck gets deposited in our bank. I don’t know where that money came from.”

  Josie knew exactly where the money came from but didn’t have time to enlighten Cassidy. “Have you found a set of house keys?”

  She hesitated. “Yeah, there were some in Leo’s desk drawer.” She sounded hesitant, already expecting the worst.

  “Leave the computer. Take the keys. Get to your parents’ house. Now.”

  “I don’t want to drag them into this,” Cassidy said. “This is my mess, not theirs.”

  “Trust me on this. Your dad wants you out of there. Go tell him everything. Then sit tight until we can get to you. Don’t talk to Leo. Don’t talk to anyone but your dad. Got it?”

  Josie hung her phone up and walked back to Otto and Diego. Otto stabbed his shovel into the mud and looked up at Josie in surprise, as if thoroughly absorbed in his task. Water dripped from the edge of his plastic hood and down into his face, red from the exertion of digging the trench.

  “What’s the problem?” Otto asked.

  “I just received a phone call from Cassidy Harper. She was snooping on Leo’s computer and discovered he deposited over a thousand dollars into a bank account yesterday. An account she didn’t know they had.”

  Otto made a fist. “We got him!”

  Diego looked at them in confusion. “What’s the significance?”

  “Juan saved his paychecks, took a bus, and delivered the money to his family once a month. He kept the cash in a shoebox in the back of his closet. The box is missing.”

  Diego took a step back. “And you think Leo stole Juan’s money?”

  “It gets better. Cassidy also said Leo knew where the body was located in the desert.” Josie recounted the conversation for Otto.

  “I don’t understand people. How could she sit on information like that and not tell us?” Otto said.

  “She claims she was afraid he would kill her if she told anyone.”

  Otto shook his head. “What about Leo?”

  “I won’t bring him in until I know the charges will stick. We’ll have to wait until we’re finished here.”

  * * *

  They returned to the mud and spent another thirty minutes digging a ten-foot-long shallow trench, each of them lost in their own thoughts, spinning their own theories as to how Juan Santiago lost his money and ended up left for dead. After the trench was finished, they stepped back and watched as Mitch assemb
led the pieces for the trial run. He laid the C-4, then attached blasting caps to the explosives. Next he crimped the detonation cord into the caps and attached the primer to the end of the det cord. Josie was impressed at his efficiency. He took charge of the situation with ease and had no trouble shouting orders when necessary. She tried to imagine the danger he had been in, setting up similar explosions in a war zone, and figured his life had often depended on his ability to react with confidence.

  Mitch was wearing a headset with a direct line to Sandy, who was checking out the peak farther up the mountain. He talked intermittently with Otto and Sandy, explaining his moves as he went. Otto was fascinated by the setup, and Josie was certain he would light the fuse himself if given the opportunity.

  “That’s it,” Mitch yelled. “Let’s get these charges set!”

  He took off at a fast walk on legs long enough to leave the rest of them jogging to keep up. As he walked, he unraveled the det cord from a large spool hanging on his right hip. At twenty feet he stopped, cut the cord, and told Josie, Otto, and Diego to keep heading toward the plant. They did so, maintaining the jog. They didn’t turn around until they heard Mitch yell, “We have smoke!”

  About four minutes later, the ground exploded, spewing mud into the air like a fountain. The mess fell to the ground in patties, splattering their clothes and boots, falling onto the hoods of their rain ponchos like a hailstorm. In its aftermath, a ten-foot-wide swath of ground was carved out of the desert to the depth of about four feet. Mitch and Otto cheered as Diego looked on smiling. It was exactly what they had hoped for. Josie could imagine the sight when a half mile of dirt flew into the sky and landed back down onto the wet ground.

  After the explosion Sandy had a four-wheel-drive SUV pick them up for a quick trip back to the parking lot so that Mitch could assemble his equipment and the explosives crew he had called in. A ragtag group of twenty-something-year-old guys climbed out of an extended-cab pickup and high-fived Mitch before he proceeded to explain his plan. Josie was impressed how quickly they turned to business.