The Children's Corner
Chapter 36
"Who did you borrow the van from?" Alexis asks as she and Dana travel across Queens to a janitorial supplier.
"Jerry in maintenance. I helped him track down an electrical fault screwing up some of the equipment in a bio lab. So he's just returning the favor."
"It was nice of him to lend it to you anyway."
"It helps a lot, especially since Kompetent Kleaning is the only place in the city selling orange oil cleaners with the highest concentration of D-limonene. From what I understand, the truckers at a logistics company walked out, stopping shipments from Florida. And the purest form is too flammable to go by air. So we were lucky to reserve some of what they still have in stock. But if we don't get it today, they'll sell it to another buyer."
Alexis regards the increasing traffic, checking her watch. "When does the store close?"
"Six p.m."
"We'll make it in plenty of time. We're only a few miles out. Oh no! Do you see that dark smoke rising ahead of us? It must be a pretty big fire. I hope everyone got out in time."
"Me too. And Kompetent Kleaning isn't the only chemical distributor out here. There could be toxic fumes."
"But the traffic isn't backed up, so the police haven't blocked off entry to the area yet," Alexis assumes. "Oh, wait! I'm starting to hear sirens. Emergency responders must still be on their way."
"If it is a chemical company, there should be a fire-proof box on the outside of the building with a list of hazardous materials and an emergency plan," Dana notes.
"I know," Alexis agrees. "Sometimes that information gets passed onto C.S.U. if a fire inspector suspects arson. Let's hope none of that is necessary."
Dana merges into the right lane. "Our exit is coming up, and we'll be heading toward the smoke. We should see what's happening pretty soon."
As Dana gets within a half-mile of Kompetent Kleaning, Alexis realizes that the smoke is coming either from their destination or somewhere very nearby. Soot is already darkening the windshield. "We're never going to make it in. And if we go any further, we could be in the way of the emergency vehicles."
"You're right," Dana agrees, looking for a place to turn around. "This is a bad one. But it's a long drive back to Manhattan. So let's find somewhere to sit with burgers or a pizza or something until we can pick up some news about what's going on. Maybe Kompetent Cleaning is OK, and we'll still be able to get what we need. Or if we stay around, maybe we can help somehow."
"That's a good idea. I saw a Pizzabalooza sign when we were getting off the freeway. Their pizza can't touch Stephano's, but they have free wi-fi. We'll be able to keep up on anything going on."
Dana drives back toward their exit ramp. "Pizzabalooza it is."
Kate pulls up a chair across from Rick at his desk. "I just heard from Giles Mallory. The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office has Mitchell Meadows in custody. The sheriff got assistance from the parks department to get to the cabin, and state troopers backed up the sheriff's deputies. But Mitch didn't put up a fight. The only weapons in the cabin were an ax for chopping wood and knives. And the knives were the kind Mitch would have used for food preparation. He kept insisting that everything would have been all right if the lights were on schedule, but he didn't put up a fight."
"Sounds like when someone from the 54th fetches him, their first stop could be Bellevue," Rick observes.
"I agree, which means there's nothing more we can do on the case."
"Uh-huh and – oh, wow!"
"What?"
"A news alert just flashed on my phone. There's a big fire in Queens. The F.D.N.Y. says that toxic chemicals may be involved. And because of the nature of the fire, they can't put it out with water. So helicopters are dropping foam. The N.Y.P.D. has blocked the roads in, and everyone, including residents, is warned to stay away."
"Is anyone hurt?"
"This doesn't say. It's a developing story. But it might not be a bad time to ask your mother to pass on a message to the big guy."
"She's always claimed she doesn't have any pull up there, but she can ask Rafael to put in a good word."
Alexis scans through the breaking news only slightly less rapidly than her father did. "This looks bad, really bad."
Dana slides over in their booth to see her screen. "It does. And I don't think combustion products of limonene would call for this strong a response." He pulls out his own phone. "I'm going to see what else is near Kompetent Kleaning. The area should be on Google Earth. Uh-oh! There's a company that manufactures racing bikes. And you know what that means."
"Magnesium, a lot of it. That's what will burn underwater."
Dana nods. "We should get out of here. Maybe we can help later, but there's nothing we can do now."
Alexis pushes away what's left of their pizza. "Yeah."
In another van, rented this time, Dana and Alexis make a quiet trip to Newark, New Jersey, where a load of limonene arrived by ship. Neither one of them can think of much to say. Other than joining the push to gather relief supplies, they could do nothing for the people the fire forced to evacuate their homes. Somehow, it seems wrong to go on with their personal business, but they have no choice. They'll need to move to the Silverstein apartment on time, which means making it nominally habitable.
Alexis checks the navigation on her phone. "We're almost there."
"I know. I've been here before to pick up lab equipment," Dana explains. "But I can't stop thinking about that fire. There was something about the statement the hazmat squad released that didn't sound quite right."
"It sounded incomplete," Alexis offers. "With Kompetent Kleaning and the bike factory and all the facilities around them going up, there must have been a list of toxic combustion products a mile long. And the way the wind shifted, they would have spread. But all the release did was caution residents to clean off outdoor surfaces before eating around them. There was nothing about reporting unusual symptoms to a doctor or the health department. I think someone's trying to sweep something under the rug."
"With your criminalistics mindset, you would. And you may be right," Dana allows. "But think about how long all the analyses would take, even if the lab were doing nothing else. Which we both know it wouldn't be. They're probably not even close to halfway through. They might not even have all the air and soil samples yet. It's going to take a while to figure out what's there. And the politicians would have a fit if an announcement scared people unnecessarily."
"They should have a fit if the public isn't adequately warned," Alexis protests.
"I agree with you. But at this moment, I don't think either one of us knows what that warning should be. Still, we both know our colleagues. Right now, I'm guessing the lab is working 24/7 to figure out what to do about the whole mess."
"I'm sure it is. And it will. Just as long as some higher-up doesn't put a lid on the results."
Dana's lips tighten. "Let's hope that doesn't happen."