Chapter 12 Unplayable Lie

There are times in my life when I'm convinced I'm invincible. It's usually just before something happens that proves I'm not.

It was one o'clock in the morning on a late February Sunday when the phone rang. Unfortunately, the phone was in the hallway and I'm sure it must have rung several times before my brain registered that I should answer it. Catherine was still asleep, or maybe just pretending so that she didn't have to get up. I had a premonition this wouldn't be good because of the insistence of the ringing and the time.

"Hullo?" was about the best I could manage.

"Mr. Monahan, it's Jerry out at the golf club. There's a fire in the new clubhouse and the other building. I called the fire department but you better get out here. Somebody set it on purpose."

"Shit! I'm on my way. Are you okay, Jerry?" I asked, suddenly wide awake.

"Yeah ... it didn't catch here at the trailer or the portable. Just the new buildings. Should I call the cops?"

"No ... let the fire department handle it. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Okay, I can see the fire trucks coming now. I gotta hang up. See you then."

I walked back to the bedroom and turned on the bedside light. Catherine was awake now, wondering what was going on.

"The security guy says there's a fire at the club. The new buildings. He said he thinks somebody set it. I'm going out now and see what's going on. You stay here and I'll call when I know more."

She was wide awake now.

"No ... I'm coming too. Wait for me," she announced as she jumped out of bed and headed quickly to the closet.

We got dressed in record time and headed for my car. I broke a few speed limits on the way, but at that time on a Sunday morning we weren't encountering any traffic. When we arrived at the club the fire was out, or so it appeared. The lights from the fire truck and our lamp posts showed lots of smoke but no flame that we could see. Maybe they caught it in time.

My hopes were dashed pretty quickly as we parked the car and moved toward the new clubhouse. Half of it was charred black and the fire department was still pouring water on it. I turned to look at the new pro shop and it was gone. Just a pile of blackened rubble when the framed and sheathed structure was a few hours ago.

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut by a heavyweight prizefighter. I was standing and looking at the destruction of my dream and I could barely breathe. It took a minute or so to realize Catherine was hanging on to my arm with a look of horror on her face as well. She was just as devastated as I was.

Jerry must have called Scotty as I saw him wandering around outside the perimeter the fire department had established. He had a look of shock on his face that told the tale. We weren't prepared for something like this. We had been so single-minded about this project that it never even dawned on us that disaster could strike.

Oh sure, we had insurance and we would be covered all right. But what about time? How long would it take to get back to where we were? Thank God no one was hurt, but any idea we would be opening this summer had vanished.

I looked around for Jerry, our security guy that night, and saw him talking to what I assumed was the fire chief. He was pointing something out to him and I assumed it was what he had seen. I remembered he told me that this was no accident. I had a hunch who might have had a reason to burn the buildings.

I caught Scotty's attention and waved him over as Catherine and I walked toward the portable. I unlocked the door, flicking on the lights and Catherine immediately set about making some coffee.

"What a mess," I said to no one in particular.

"Aye. Bloody shame. The lad says someone set it. D'ye ken something like that?"

"No ... doesn't make sense. I saw him talking to the fire chief, so they'll be on it right away. I wonder what he saw?"

It was at that point there was a knock on the door and it opened and the man I guessed was the fire chief looked in.

"Are you Mr. Monahan?"

"Yes, I'm Terry Monahan. Come in. We're just making some coffee."

"Thanks," he smiled carefully. "I had a talk to your security guy and he told me he saw someone on the TV monitor with what looked like a gas canister, sneaking around the outside of the big building. He has the disc recording of it and I've got a copy to turn over to the inspector when he gets here this morning."

"Can I see it? I'd like to know who would want to burn down our buildings."

"I've got the disc sealed for the inspector, but your security guy has it on his hard drive he told me. He can probably show it to you."

I nodded as Catherine brought the coffee to the table with some cream and sugar as well.

"If it is arson, how long will it be before we can clear the site and go back to work?" I asked.

"Hard to say. We'll be looking for evidence, of course. That can take a few days or longer sometimes. We want to catch this person or persons."

"Understood. I guess I'll have to cross my fingers that it doesn't take too long."

"I will too, Mr. Monahan. My wife and I used to play this course and I was really looking forward to you opening it again. Everything I saw you doing out here looked great. We'll try and get you back in business as soon as possible, I promise."

"Thanks, I really appreciate that."

A half-hour later, Jerry Dahlman knocked on the door and came in.

"Mr. Monahan, the chief said you might want to have a look at the video of what I saw. I've got it on my computer in the trailer."

"Yes ... thanks Jerry. I would."

"There's a pretty decent look at the guy's face in one part, so I'm sure the investigators will have something to go on."

"Let's go," I said, with Scotty and Catherine right behind me.

It was pretty crowded in the little trailer as we huddled around the monitor. Jerry brought up the video from earlier that night and let it run.

"I was just back from doing a tour around the site and grabbing a sandwich from the fridge. I don't think I was away from the monitors for more than two or three minutes. I saw something or someone moving near the big building and I zoomed in on it. I couldn't tell what he was doing, but I was about to call the office when all of a sudden I saw flames coming from the smaller building. He must have turned to look in that direction because I got a decent look at his face then."

Jerry took the mouse and stopped the video at that point, zooming in on the face.

"Well, well," I said with a sigh. "Do you see what I see, Catherine?"

"Oh my God ... that's Norman Fears! He did this?" she asked in wonder.

"Looks like it. I wondered if this might be some of his handiwork. I better get the chief back in here."

I took off out the door and began looking for the fire chief. I spotted him on the other side of the clubhouse giving some of his men instructions.

"Chief ... sorry to interrupt, but I think we've identified the man who set these fires. The video recording clearly shows the face of a man both Catherine and I know."

"All right. I'll let our investigator know to see you first. He should be here by eight this morning."

I looked at my watch. It was coming up four am and that meant a four hour wait. There was nothing I could until then so I headed back to the portable.

"It'll be four hours before the fire investigator gets here. We can show him the video then. When do you get off work, Jerry?"

"I get relieved at six, but I'm going to stick around. I'm sure they'll want to talk to me about this. My boss will be here by then.

"Okay. Scotty, you can head home or stay, whatever you think. There isn't much we can do until this is all settled. I'll call Garth at Wilford and let him know what's happened. He'll have to reorganize his crews. We'll let Brett and James know later on if they don't hear it on the radio."

I stopped and sat down. My head was spinning with the implications of this fire. It wouldn't be just time. No matter how good our insurance was, it was going to add to our costs one way or another. Again, I had that hollow feeling in my gut. I had my head in my hands when I felt two soft arms wrap around me and hold me.

"It's going to be okay, Terry. We'll get past this. Everyone will pitch in and help ... I know they will," she said softly.

I leaned back into her. I wondered what I would be like at this moment if Catherine hadn't been here with me ... not just now after the fire, but all along. It was our first crisis and I needed to clear my head and begin thinking about what to do and when to do it. Unfortunately, most of that was out of my hands until we were given permission to go back to work.

I started to think about all the things that had to be done between now and then that I had absolutely no control over. Insurance for one. How long before there would be a payout. Not soon, I guessed, considering there was no doubt it was arson. I'd need more money until then. Could the remaining part of the clubhouse be saved? Who would look after the demolition and site remediation? Would our contractor still be available to bring the job to completion? Questions upon questions upon questions.

Catherine was the steady one that morning. She sat down and made a list of the people we would have to notify and the changes that would probably have to be made. Little things like the projected opening dates in the promotional brochures. I watched her concentrate as she thought of all the things that might need to be addressed. It was like watching her play in a tournament. Complete focus on her task. I shook my head in admiration. She was the steady one and I was the guy who was lost for what to do.

I poured us both another coffee and she looked up and smiled. She must have seen the concerned look on my face.

"Relax, Terry. This is just like having an unplayable lie. You wait for the official, declare the ball unplayable, then take the ball back along the line of entry and carry on. Yeah ... it costs you a shot or two, but it doesn't mean you lose the game. We'll get past this," she smiled.

I had to believe that. She did, so I had to as well.

Although the Gresham Fire Department responded to the call, the inspector would be provided by the Multnomah County Fire Service. John Bryson arrived promptly at eight that Sunday morning. After a brief conversation with the chief, he headed for our security trailer. I had thought about going over there to hear the conversation but thought better of it. Let him do his job I scolded myself.

A few minutes later, Jerry and the inspector walked the short distance to our trailer and knocked on the open door.

"Come in, please," I said extending my hand. "I'm Terry Monahan and this is my fiancée and administrative assistant, Catherine Walston. Would you like a coffee?"

"I would, thank you. I had to skip my usual Sunday morning breakfast when I got the call from Chief Reiter. Mr. Dahlman tells me you think you can identify the person who might have set this fire."

"Yes, I'm pretty sure we know who it is. We might even know why."

"That would be a big help, provided you can positively identify him. I looked at the video and it was fortunate that our perpetrator gave us a good view of his face."

He pulled a disc from his pocket and passed it to me.

"Why don't we have a look at this together and you can tell me what you believe."

I nodded and slipped the disc into the disc drive on my laptop. I let Jerry set the video to just before he saw the movement. He let it run and pointed out what he saw. Within a few seconds, the flames from the new pro shop lit up the scene and Jerry paused it at that point. He zoomed in on the now lit-up face of the man.