Peter Grist - Flashback

“Uh huh, sure, it’s the guy that runs the junkyard east side of town. Mister Barrett, he a friend of yours?”

“No, never met the man but I’d like to talk to him though.”

“Oh, that’s good, ‘cos he ain’t a very nice guy, be careful if you go out to see him.”

“I will, thanks Molly, for the laundry and the info.” As Ed took the bag he handed Molly a ten dollar note as a tip.

“Gee thank you, have a nice day!” she said in response.

“You too Molly.” As he left the building he did another intense look up the boulevard but saw nothing untoward. He placed the clean clothes neatly on the back seat then slipped in the front behind the steering wheel, after a quick check of the address he turned the ignition on and drove to his first meeting.

Ed got through his two meetings with successful results, signing contracts for the installation of new computers including the set-up of networks for two small companies on the outskirts of the town and the all-important contract for maintenance and network support. He was a seasoned salesman so went through the dance of sales in almost a trance-like state, quelling any misgivings his customers had and explaining again how the new technology would help their companies be more profitable and efficient but his mind was on other matters. He was finished by 11.30 so he headed back towards town to the library. Traffic was very light with the only memorable event being two fire trucks hurtling towards him going in the opposite direction, swiftly followed by a Police cruiser, lights flashing and sirens wailing. He worried that the sound of the sirens might start another mental episode but there was no white light or headache, nothing at all. Getting into town he turned onto the main square and pulled into his now regular slot behind Linda’s tired Nissan and switched off. As he emerged from his car he looked around for any two-wheeled newspaper delivery boys and was relieved to see nothing. When he walked into the library he was glad to get out of the heat of the day, the air conditioning inside was cool and quiet. Linda and her colleague were both leaning over a computer screen as Ed walked towards them. His feeling of well-being and purpose dissolved when he saw the looks of dismay on both their faces. “What’s happened, what’s wrong Linda?” Linda and her elderly co-worker looked up together, both startled by Ed’s quiet entrance. “Oh, you gave me a fright.” Although she was obviously concerned about something, he was pleased to see a warmth come into her eyes as they looked at each other. “Ed, you might be able to help us out here, you know about computers don’t you?” “Well, a little, I only sell the things really but I know some stuff, what’s the problem?”

“I don’t know, Jan and I came to work this morning and, oh Jan, this is Ed, Ed, this is Jan Phillips”. The two nodded at each other, the more mature librarian looking over here spectacles at the newcomer. This was how librarians were supposed to look, knitted top, grey hair and spectacles hanging from a chain.

“Anyway”, Linda continued, “we turned the computers on and they are all empty, we can’t get any files up at all, they seemed to have disappeared.”

“What, everything? Let me see.” He came around to the other side of the work station and sat in the swivel chair.

“Strange, it looks like all of the memory has been wiped clean, where is your hub, your main computer?”

“Out the back in one of the storerooms, but no one really ever goes back there, except for maintenance and the like”, Jan offered.

“Let’s take a look shall we?” he said as he rose from the seat.

The wailing sirens shattered the quiet of the mid-morning as the two bright red trucks thundered from the fire station near the center of town to a commercial estate on the west side. A small crowd of workers had already come out of their warehouses and offices to see what all of the commotion was about. Part of the estate contained a series of six secured medium-sized single story warehouses and lock-ups behind a separate twelve-foot high chain-link fence twenty foot from the buildings. The middle two were firmly ablaze and smoke billowed from what used to be the aluminium roof. The crowd quickly parted as the fire tenders hurtled towards them and screeched to a halt outside of the compound. The chief fire officer threw of his blue baseball cap and put on his red fire helmet, jumped down from the truck and ran to the mesh gates only to find a heavy chain and padlock secured the gates closed. As the wail from the sirens petered out he shouted back for someone to bring a bolt cutter as the crews emptied out. A large pair of cutters was taken from a storage bin by a well-built fireman and he ran them straight over to the Chief. No words were needed, the Chief nodded at the chain and the fireman made just a small grunt as his muscles and the cutter made easy work of the metal links. The lock and chain fell heavily to the concreted ground and the Chief pushed open the gates. He looked back towards the cab of the first engine and waved for the female driver to come forward. She had already spotted a hydrant grate to the left of the gates and swung into the compound towards it. As the engine came to a halt, like a well-oiled machine the rest of the crew were in motion, reeling out hoses from just behind the cab and connecting to the water supply. The fire truck carried five hundred gallons of water in its own tank but that would last just a few minutes fighting a fierce conflagration, so the fire truck became a mobile pumping station. The driver of the first truck now stood at the rear of the vehicle in front of a panel of dials, gauges and wheels. The pressure from the gauges was good so she turned two shiny brass wheels opening the taps for the two main hoses. The metal walls of the storage units hissed as the first jet of cold water arced up into the air and hit the roaring blaze. Steam now mixed with smoke and flames as the fire department fought to bring the situation under control.

The warble of another siren caused the fire chief to turn away briefly from watching his crews at work. The Deputy’s Ford Crown Victoria patrol car came alongside the ladder truck that had stayed outside the compound making a physical barrier between the crowd of onlookers and the fire. The siren died away but the red flashing roof lights stayed on. The Chief saw the door open and the occupant emerge. Recognition dawned as the driver stood up straight to his full 6” 2’ height, the chief took in the broad shoulders and large chest, the close-cropped buzz cut and square jaw of Deputy Pete Hodiak, a good man in the chief’s estimation. The deputy sheriff took a long panoramic scan of the scene, the crowd and every single face in it. He knew that most arsonists if arson is what it was, liked to hang around to watch their handy work. He recognised almost every person there, either by name or in passing and didn’t see any stand-out trouble makers except maybe Ashley Barrett from the junkyard down the road, who was never an easy fella to get along with at the best of times, and after he’d been drinking all night he was an awkward cuss. He would have to call the office for back-up soon or it would take hours to collect all of these people’s statements. His scan continued on with the burning building and the half-dozen fire department personnel bobbing around in their bright yellow protective helmets, so the crew captain or fire chief stood out easily in the lone red helmet. Hodiak made straight for Captain Haines, the chief. “Hey Pete.” the chief offered in welcome. The deputy nodded hello. “What do you think Cap?”

“Too early to say Pete, only just started in on it, but I doubt there’ll be bodies, the gates were closed and locked. My guess would be a heater malfunctioned or something of the like”. “Okay, well that’s something I guess, but someone at the newspaper is going to be majorly pissed!” The Chief looked puzzled, “What makes you say that?” The deputy turned to look into the fire. “Well those two centre units belong to the Marion County Tribune, that’s history right there going up in smoke, shame, damn shame.” They both nodded in agreement.