'Okay, the Geiger counter.'
'I was thinking I'd speak to Al Timmons about that.'Al was the Town Hall janitor, and a regular at Sweetbriar Rose. Barbie got on well with him.
Julia shook her head.
'No? Why no?'
'Want to guess who gave Al a personal no-interest loan to send Al's youngest son to Heritage Christian in Alabama?'
'Would that be Jim Rennie?'
'Right. Now let's go on to Double Jeopardy, where the scores can really change. Guess who holds the paper on Al's Fisher plow.'
'I'm thinking that would also be Jim Rennie.'
'Correct. And since you're the dogshit Selectman Rennie can't quite scrape off his shoe, reaching out to people who owe him might not be a good idea.' She leaned forward. 'But it so happens that I know who had a complete set of the keys to the kingdom: Town Hall, hospital, Health Center, schools, you name it.'
'Who?'
'Our late police chief. And I happen to know his wife - widow - very well. She has no love for James Rennie. Plus, she can keep a secret if someone convinces her it needs keeping.'
'Julia, her husband isn't even cold yet.'
Julia thought of the grim little Bowie funeral parlor snd made a grimace of sorrow and distaste.'Maybe not, but he's probably down to room temperature. I take your point, though, and applaud your compassion. But...' She grasped his hand. This surprised Barbie but didn't displease him. 'These aren't ordinary circumstances And no matter how brokenhearted she is, Brenda Perkins will know that. You have a job to do. I can convince her of that. You're the inside man.'
'The inside man,' Barbie said, and was suddenly visited by a pair of unwelcome memories: a gymnasium in Fallujah and a weeping Iraqi man, naked save for his unraveling hijab. After that day and that gym, he had stopped wanting to be an inside man. And yet here he was.
'So shall I - '
It was a warm morning for October, and although the door was now locked (people could leave but not reenter), the windows were open. Through those facing Main Street, there now came a hollow metallic bang and a yelp of pain. It was followed by cries of protest.
Barbie and Julia looked at each other across their coffee cups with identical expressions of surprise and apprehension.
It begins right now, Barbie thought. He knew that wasn't true - it had begun yesterday, when the Dome came down - but at the same time he felt sure it was true.
The people at the counter were running to the doer. Barbie got up to join them, and Julia followed.
Down the street, at the north end of the town common, the bell in the steeple of the First Congregational Church began to ring, summoning the faithful to worship.
5
Junior Rennie felt great. He had not so much as a shadow of a headache this morning, and breakfast was sitting easy in his stomach. He thought he might even be able to eat lunch. That was good. He hadn't had much use for food lately; half the time just looking at it made him feel throw-uppy. Not this morning, though. Flapjacks and bacon, baby.
If this is the apocalypse, he thought, it should have come sooner.
Each Special Deputy had been partnered with a regular full-time officer. Junior drew Freddy Denton, and that was also good. Denton, balding but still trim at fifty, was known as a serious hardass... but there were exceptions. He had been president of the Wildcat Boosters Club during Junior's high school football years, and it was rumored he had never given a varsity football player a ticket. Junior couldn't speak for all of them, but he knew that Frankie DeLesseps had been let off by Freddy once, and Junior himself had been given the old 'I'm not going to write you up this time but slow down' routine twice. Junior could have been partnered with Wettington, who probably thought a first down was finally letting some guy into her pants. She had a great rack, but can you say loser? Nor had he cared for the cold-eyed look she gave him after the swearing-in, as he and Freddy passed her on their way to the street.
Got a little leftover pantry space for you, if you f**k with me, fackie, he thought, and laughed. God, the heat and light on his face felt good! How long since it had felt so good?
Freddy looked over. 'Something funny, Junes?'
'Nothing in particular,'Junior said. 'I'm just on a roll, that's all.'
Their job - this morning, at least; - was to foot-patrol Main Street ('To announce our presence,' Randolph had said), first up one side and down the other. Pleasant enough duty in the warm October sunshine.
They were passing Mill Gas & Grocery when they heard raised voices from inside. One belonged to Johnny Carver, the manager and part owner. The other was too slurry for Junior to make out, but Freddy Denton rolled his eyes.
'Sloppy Sam Verdreaux, as I live and breathe,' he said. 'Shit! And not even nine-thirty.'