Prologue

Steve pulled into Colledge road, ahead he could see the flashing lights of emergency services up the road, as he got nearer he was stopped by a deputy.

He had driven six hours north from Miami after being called by a friend Dale. The FBI want someone they could trust to move some dirt for them. After some haggling they agreed terms Steve packed a bag, loaded his jeep on the trailer behind the front end loader and was on his way.

He bought the big Kenworth to a gentle stop and wound down the window, the deputy shouted over the big prime movers engine, “Roads closed, you’re going to have to backup buddy.”

Steve shutdown the engine and in the quiet said, “I got a call from the FBI to come out they want help at a fire, agent Dale South.”

The young officer moved off and using his radio and made a call. A few minutes later he came back and said, “You can pull off the road just past the next cruiser, the officer there will take you to the command post.”

Steve thanked the deputy and restarted the Kenworth, he drove it two hundred yards further down the road, he eased off the road just past next cruiser where another young deputy walked Steve to the command post as a light rain fell.

The mobile command post was located across from the property where the local fire department was still pouring water on it. Outside the command post a heated discussion was in progress between firemen, DEA, FBI, EPA and the US Marshals.

Steve thought it was nice that they all wore their agency’s jackets. He could imagine the discussion already in his head as he had participated in this type of confrontation before.

The fireman was probably a Fire Marshal or investigator and was not allowing anyone to interfere with his crime scene, the EPA was worried about run off pollution, the FBI want access to investigate the real crime behind the fire, the DEA likewise wanted access as there were drugs on the property, while the US Marshalls were there as there was a possibility of further misadventure.

As Steve and the deputy approached one of the FBI agent detached himself from the discussion and held out his hand, Dale had known and worked with Steve on and off for a while. He quietly said, “Hi Steve, it’s like the fire in Miami last year, their flexing their muscles.”

Steve nodded and as they shook hands saying, “Thanks for the call Dale, are they at the compromise stage so that we can get some work done?”

Dale, “it’ll be another half hour or so, go inside and grab a coffee, pots by the door.” He handed Steve an FBI tech ID and said, “Put it on it will stop the locals hassling you and have a look at the site.”

Steve said ok, put the ID on and grabbed a coffee, he walked back across the road and through the open gates. As he past them he noticed they had been rammed and the locking pin wrenched from the ground?

The gatehouse to the right had sustained some damage as well. It looked as if someone had sprayed it liberally with machine gun fire, the wall were pock marked with four broken window in the side facing the drive.

At the main house the firemen were still pouring water on it, it resembled a pile of hastily stacked oversized concrete playing cards. It looked as if someone had blown it up and the falling concrete panels had settled wherever they fell.

Steve looked at the pile and knew that there could still be people alive in the pile, however the amount of explosive used would preclude survivors, it was something he had seen a lot of in the sand death by concussion blast.

Steve walked around the fire staying out of the firemen’s way, trying not to piss them off as they would be working together soon. At the rear of the house was an open grassed area separating the pool from the house, only a few large chunks of concrete marred the area. The fire department had two hoses draining the pool to feed the fire engines.

Dale came up to Steve and asked, “Ready to be the voice of reason?”

Steve smiled and said, “As always, we’re going to need a crane and a rock breaker or saw.”

Dale, “You make the calls, we’ll do it the same as Miami, they bill you and we pay plus ten percent, are you going to be able to lift the panels enough to get the fire out?”

Steve said, “I shouldn’t have a problem with that, is there a reason the fire department isn’t using their heavy lift bags to open the space between the panels to put the fire out?”

Chapter 1 »