23
Carrie Carver rarely had anything to do with Mill Gas although the little convenience store had made her and her husband a pretty good living over the years, she saw herself as Above All That. But when Johnny suggested they might go down in the van and take the remaining canned goods up to the house - 'for safekeeping' was the delicate way he put it - she had agreed at once. And although she was ordinarily not much of a worker (watching Judge Judy was more her speed), she had volunteered to help. She hadn't been at Food City, but when she'd gone down later to inspect the damage with her friend Leah Anderson, the shattered windows and the blood still on the pavement had frightened her badly. Those things had frightened her for the future.
Johnny lugged out the cartons of soups, stews, beans, and sauces; Carrie stowed them in the bed of their Dodge Ram. They were about halfway through the job when fire bloomed downstreet. They both heard the amplified voice. Carrie thought she saw two or three figures running down the alley beside Burpee's, but wasn't sure. Later on she would be sure, and would up the number of shadowy figures to at least four. Probably five.
'What does it mean?' she asked. 'Honey, what does it mean?'
"That the goddam murdering bastard isn't on his own,' Johnny said. 'It means he's got a gang.'
Carrie's hand was on his arm, and now she dug in with her nails. Johnny freed his arm and ran for the police station, yelling fire at the top of his lungs. Instead of following, Carrie Carver continued loading the truck. She was more frightened of the future than ever.
24
In addition to Roger Killian and the Bowie brothers, there were ten new officers from what was now the Chester's Mill Hometown Security Force sitting on the bleachers of the middle-school gymnasium, and Big Jim had only gotten started on his speech about what a responsibility they had when the fire whistle went off. The boy's early, he thought. I can't trust him to save my soul. Never could, but now he's that much worse.
'Well, boys,' he said, directing his attention particularly to young Mickey Wardlaw - God, what a bruiser! 'I had a lot more to say, but it seems we've got ourselves a little more excitement. Fern Bowie, do you happen to know if we have any Indian pumps in the FD barn?'
Fern said he'd had a peek into the firebarn earlier that evening, just to see what sort of equipment there might be, and there were almost a dozen Indian pumps. All full of water, too, which was convenient.
Big Jim, thinking that sarcasm should be reserved for those bright enough to understand what it was, said it was the good Lord looking out for them. He also said that if it was more than a false alarm, he would take charge with Stewart Bowie as his second-in-command.
There, you noseyparker witch, he thought as the new officers, looking bright-eyed and eager, rose from the bleachers. Let's see how you like getting in my business now.
25
'Where you going?' Carter asked. He had driven his car - with the lights off- down to where West Street T'd into Route 117. The building that stood here was a Texaco station that had closed up in 2007. It was close to town but offered good cover, which made it convenient. Back the way they had come, the fire whistle was honking six licks to a dozen and the first light of the fire, more pink than orange, was rising in the sky.
'Huh?' Junior was looking at the strengthening glow. It made
him feel horny. It made him wish he still had a girlfriend.
'I asked where you're going. Your dad said to alibi up.'
'I left unit Two behind the post office,' Junior said, taking his
eyes reluctantly away from the fire. 'Men Freddy Denton's together.
And he'll say we were together. All night. I can cut across from here.
Might go back by West Street. Get a look at how it's catchin on.' He uttered a high-pitched giggle, almost a girl's giggle, that caused Carter to look at him strangely.
'Don't look too long. Arsonists are always gettin caught by goin back to look at their fires. I saw that on America's Most Wanted!
'Nobody's wearing the Golden Sombrero for this motherfucker except Baaarbie,' Junior said. 'What about you? Where you going?'
'Home. Ma'll say I was there all night. I'll get her to change the bandage on my shoulder - f**kin dogbite hurts like a bastard. Take some aspirin. Then come on down, help fight the fire.'
'They've got heavier dope than aspirin at the Health Center and the hospital. Also the drugstore. We ought to look into that shit.'
'No doubt,' Carter said.
'Or... do you tweek? I think I can get some of that.'
'Meth? Never mess with it. But I wouldn't mind some Oxy.' Oxy!' Junior exclaimed. Why had he never thought of that? It would probably fix his headaches a lot better than Zomig or Imitrix. 'Yeah, bro! You talk about it!'
He raised his fist. Carter bumped it, but he had no intention of getting high with Junior. Junior was weird now. 'Better get goin, Junes.'