Smoke Stack Read online

  SMOKE STACK

  Also by Andrew Gruse

  Zack Stack Series

  Stacked Case

  Stacked Lies

  Smoke Stack

  Andrew Gruse

  SMOKE STACK

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the work of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Andrew Gruse

  All rights reserved. No parts of this may be reproduced, transmitted, replicated, or anything else like that in any way, shape, or form, without express written consent of the author. Thank you for protecting an author’s rights.

  Besides, stealing is wrong so don’t do it.

  Yes, I simply borrowed section from the last book. I am curious if anyone reads this part?

  ISBN-13: 978-0-578-64661-9

  To my dad, Thomas F. Gruse;

  December 17th, 2019 sucked. Like mom, you were too damn young and if this is part of someone’s grand plan, I’d like to ask him WTF?

  May you rest in peace.

  We miss you

  SMOKE STACK

  CHAPTER 1

  The explosion shook the house. Windows shattered. Leaves and small limbs blew off the oak tree in the front yard. The blast wave rocked the car then died. Two people rose from behind the car and stared at the inferno.

  “Someone could be in there.”

  A fire consumed the wood barn behind the house. A silo teetered from the explosion and collapsed. A cloud of dust and smoke rose into the air. Another barn smoked, and flames erupted on the south side of the structure. A door kicked open; three horses bolted from the barn and raced into the field behind it.

  “There’s a car there. Someone could be inside.”

  Zack Stack stepped away from the protection of his Honda Accord towards the house, but Julie Fletcher grabbed his arm and held him back.

  “No, it’s too dangerous.”

  “Jules, someone could be inside.”

  Another small explosion from behind the house blew part of a wall out. More windows on the home blew out. Zack moved but Julie strengthened her grip.

  “NO! You’ll die if you go in there.”

  Zack looked at her, saw the fear on her face. “Shit,” he said. He grabbed his cell phone about to call 911 but heard the sirens of fire trucks as they raced to the fire. Zack looked at the house. The rear of it engulfed in flames. Zack conceded Jules may have been right. He might not have gotten out. Please let it be empty.

  They heard more sirens. A department raced from the south on the county highway that teed off the state highway headed east-west. Another department came from the west, followed by two trucks of a different color. Lastly, a department raced to the scene from the east.

  Zack and Julie stayed by their car. Zack stopped it on the side of the road just west of the house. They passed it at sixty mph when they saw the flames. Zack skidded to a stop and was about to jump into action when the silo exploded.

  The fire trucks assembled, unloaded, and hoses unraveled. Water filled the lines, but it was too late. The house burned, the hay barn burned, the horse barn burned, the garage burned, and even an equipment barn behind the complex disappeared under the unchecked aggression of the flames.

  Four different fire departments. Then two county police cars stopped at the scene and blocked traffic. One of the county cops walked up to Zack and Julie.

  “Hey, you need to move away from that fire. Do you live there?”

  “No, we were driving by and saw it,” Zack said.

  “Well, move your car. You’re too damn close!”

  Zack got in the car and drove it ahead a hundred yards, just past the police barricade. He and Julie exited the vehicle. The cop walked to them.

  “Are you the ones who called the fire department?”

  Zack shook his head no.

  “Then who did? Is someone in the house?”

  “I don’t know,” Zack said. “When we got here, the silo exploded. I saw orange smoke; the shockwave rocked the house, then another explosion behind the house blew out the windows, and I saw flames through the roof.” He felt defeated, and his exhale said so. “I couldn’t do anything.”

  The cop stared at them. “Orange smoke?”

  Zack nodded. “Yeah, from the silo blast.”

  “You familiar with fires?”

  “No, sir. I was in the Marines and served in a few combat zones. I saw plenty of fires and explosions, but I’m not an expert.”

  “Where you two from?”

  “Maryland,” Julie said. “We’re traveling through on vacation.”

  Zack sighed. “We didn’t start the fire, officer.”

  The cop wrote down Zack and Julie’s information. “Why don’t you two get the hell out of here. You don’t look like the type, but if we suspect anything, we’ll be on you like flies on manure. You understand?”

  Zack smiled. “Colorful but effective. We understand, officer.”

  They got back in the car and drove west. “Jesus Christ,” Zack said after they were back on the highway. “That was intense.”

  Intense and a complete disaster. All the structures were destroyed. The fire departments scrambled, but they lost that battle. The bright blue skies of that mid-morning Saturday turned black above the farm, but the light winds dispersed the smoke plumes as they blew past.

  “Are you Ok?” Julie grabbed his hand on the center console and squeezed it.

  “I’m fine. Are you Ok?”

  She nodded. They were silent and saw a sign for the next two towns. Clyde 9 miles, Hobby 19 miles. The flat farm country in early spring that hadn’t been planted yet did little to offer something to discuss.

  Julie turned in her seat to face him. “You’ve been awfully quiet lately. Want to talk about anything?”

  “Like what?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe about how we drove through Indiana yesterday, and you still have ideas of going back there. I know it’s bothering you.”

  “So is you delaying our wedding,” Zack said. He looked at her briefly but kept his eyes on the road.

  Julie turned back straight in her seat. “It’s not that I don’t want to marry you because I do. It’s just that after what happened last fall and winter, the timing isn’t right.”

  Zack understood. The previous fall was terrible for both of them. They were separated by an ocean for a few weeks. A job opportunity for her drove them straight into a conspiracy, which nearly killed Zack and damaged their relationship. This trip was a vacation Zack always wanted to take during the beginning of spring migration through the Midwest in search of birds. Getting Julie away from Baltimore, he believed, would help them heal. All he wanted was to be with Julie.

  To Julie, it was a trip to reconnect with Zack. To jumpstart their relationship and find the spark that didn’t die but weakened after her ordeal with a corrupt Senator. Both needed to just get away from Baltimore. Together.

  “Well, Barnes bet me a hundred bucks you would never get me to walk down the aisle, and I’m not paying him one dime, so don’t think I’m giving up on marrying you.” Zack looked at her with a straight face, winked and smiled.

  She smiled, leaned over, and kissed the side of his face. “Good. We’re going to Kleinfeld’s in New York to pick out my dress, by the way. You can’t see it, though.”

  “Then why do I have to go?”

  “Oh, you’re taking me and my mother and Stefani and maybe Michelle. I think that group would know what you would like but also what looks best on me,” Julie said. “I think it’s important the women in your life know you’re with me too, so there’s that added bonus.”

  Zack chuckled. “Th
at’s a little teenage-girlish, but if that’s what you want.”

  “It is what I want.” Her slow exhale exuded confidence. “Good. Now, let’s get back to us and this trip. What am I looking for while you drive?”

  Zack smiled as she grabbed his hand again. “Horned larks, kestrel’s, maybe we’ll get lucky and see pipits or longspurs.” Zack turned his attention back to birds. “When we get closer to the river, that’s when we’re looking for Snow Geese and Eurasian Tree Sparrows.”

  “And what are those?”

  Zack looked at her. “Geese, only white and the sparrows look like House Sparrows, only prettier. Remember? I showed you the difference when we were in Europe.”

  Julie looked out the window. “Oh yeah, how could I forget?”

  The sarcasm wasn’t lost on Zack. He let out a deep breath. “Here comes Clyde. I am sure there’s a Ma and Pa’s Diner here. Should we stop for lunch?”

  “Hey, you’re the one that insists that this is how you see the real America.”

  Zack smiled. “The true character of this country cannot be learned from the Interstate.”

  “Yeah, you keep telling me that,” Julie smiled with a roll of her eyes.

  “What’s this on the left?”

  “Looks like a high school band practicing. Let’s stop, honey. It will be fun.”

  Zack saw the welcome sign to the town and read it aloud: “Welcome to the town of Clyde. Where it all begins,” he finished. “I don’t like the sound of that. We should keep going.”

  Julie laughed. “A new beginning? What’s wrong with that? Pull in, honey. I want to watch.”

  Zack pulled the car into the parking lot and parked near the marching band. They stepped out of the car and listened to the band play Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller.’

  “I think every high school band ever has to learn that song,” Zack said, but his attention was drawn to the school a few hundred yards away.

  “Oh, don’t be a Debbie-downer. They’re good,” Julie said.

  The school was L-shaped. The original building with a giant smokestack behind the three-story structure rested between two new additions, new being a relative term Zack surmised. To the east stood a gymnasium while the other addition north of the main building contained classrooms. Atop the roof of the oldest edifice caught Zack’s eye.

  “Is that smoke?”

  “What? Where?” Julie shifted her focus to the school.

  “Just to the right of the smokestack. See it?” Zack grabbed his binoculars from the backseat of the car and focused on the smoke.

  “Probably just a vent or something,” Julie said.

  Zack saw it wasn’t just a vent. Black smoke increased, and as he focused on the smoke, he saw flames. “Sonofabitch, Jules. There’s a fire.”

  “What?”

  Zack tossed the binoculars inside the car and headed for the building.

  “Zack, what are you doing?”

  “Getting anyone out of there. Call the fire department,” Zack yelled as he broke into a run towards the building.

  “No, Zack, don’t!” Julie called, but it was too late.

  Seconds later, one of the students yelled, “FIRE!” The kids stood still, not knowing what to do as the flames intensified, windows shattered on the top floor, and a couple of girls screamed.

  “MISS LOCKETT IS INSIDE!”

  Julie turned to the kids. The band leader stared in awe as the flames shot from the roof before he ran towards the building. Julie turned again, but Zack disappeared inside the building.

  CHAPTER 2

  Zack ran through the front entrance, grabbed the handle of the first alarm he saw, pulled it down, but nothing happened.

  The main door opened, and the male bandleader entered. He stopped when he saw Zack.

  “Molly Lockett is inside,” he said. “So is the principal.”

  “Where are they?”

  “Molly is probably in her room on the second floor. The principal’s office is that way,” the man pointed to the north in the newer addition.

  “Ok, I’ll find Lockett. You get the principal out of here and keep everyone else away. Where is her room?”

  “Room 222.”

  Zack shook his head. “WHICH WAY?”

  The bandleader pointed to his left towards the fire. “Down the hall is the stairs. Go up and turn left. Her room will be on the right down the hall.”

  “Keep everyone far away after you get out.”

  Zack ran down the dark hallway. He sprinted up the stairs three at a time. He smelled smoke, saw another fire alarm, and pulled that one. Nothing. Why the HELL doesn’t the fire alarm work? It has one purpose.

  Zack looked both ways, saw no movement, and ran towards Room 222. He saw the number on the closed door as smoke filled the hallway. Flames snapped; the heat made Zack sweat. A ceiling tile fell only feet away from Zack. Fire and smoke belched from the ceiling. Where is she?

  A long folding table blocked the door. A fluorescent fixture crackled, popped, and exploded from the ceiling. Zack ducked as sparks and part of the light rained down. Zack saw the number above the doorway but moved on. She can’t be in there. Why would the door be blocked?

  Zack moved further down the hallway, closer to the blaze, and saw the next door was also numbered 222. This one was not blocked.

  Zack kicked the door handle with the base of his foot. The door jamb splintered, and the door burst open. Zack looked but saw no one inside. This is starting to upset me.

  “MOLLY LOCKETT.” No reply. He saw another door in the corner by the outside wall. Zack ripped it open, but the square room twelve feet square was empty except for shelves lined with containers of flammable liquids. One quick take and Zack realized what the place was for: Molly Lockett used the room to develop pictures. Oh, this keeps getting better and better.

  Where is she? The conflagration closed in on the room. Zack hunched over with his shirt held over his mouth and nose. Smoke hurt his watering eyes. More of the building crumbled in the hallway. Zack knew he was moments from being trapped inside. Then, he saw a large coffee container on the desk. The bathroom!

  Zack entered the hallway, looked both ways, and saw the restroom sign on the wall closer to the fire. The smoke thickened; Zack coughed as he made his way to the women’s bathroom. He pushed open the door. The light switch did nothing, and the room remained dark. Zack coughed but saw no one.

  “Molly Lockett?” No answer. He walked to the first stall and pushed open the door. “Molly? Are you in here?”

  He heard a noise two stalls down. He leaned over, but there were no feet visible. “MOLLY.” A voice made a small yelp. Zack reached the door, pushed it. It was locked, but Zack rammed his shoulder through it.

  The woman screamed as she sat crouched on the seat, her feet on the lid.

  “Come on,” Zack said. “We have to get out of here.”

  She stared at him, fear in her eyes. Zack saw her hands shake; her face white.

  “We have to get out of here. The place is on fire.”

  “What?”

  Zack grabbed her hand. “We don’t have time. Come on.”

  A small explosion rocked the area. A wall caved and crashed to the floor. Zack, with her hand in his, pulled the restroom door, but the blast wedged it shut. He pulled it again, it didn’t budge; he grabbed with both hands and yanked it as hard as he could. Finally, with a loud yell and one foot against the wall for leverage, the door let loose and flung open. Both Zack and Molly fell to the ground.

  The hallway filled with smoke as flames choked each end of the hallway. Lockers blew off the hall and cluttered the hallway. Room 226 was the nearest doorway and the only exit from the inferno as it spread closer. Zack pulled Molly down the hallway with him.

  The fire spread fast. Faster than Zack thought it would in a building of mostly brick. The ceiling sagged and dropped to the floor. The deafening sound suddenly silenced as the air sucked out. Zack knew what was next. He kicked open the door in Room 226 and leap
ed inside, pulling the woman with him.

  A fireball exploded, engulfed the hallway, and entered the room. Black and gray smoke blinded them, and red-hot flames chased them. Sweat covered Zack’s body; he felt like his clothes were on fire. The woman beside him crawled away from the doorway as the fire incinerated everything in its path.

  Zack rushed to the windows in the back of the classroom, looked out with his burning eyes. The fire trapped them in the room.

  “Mister, I don’t know who you are, but this doesn’t look good.”

  Zack coughed and looked around the room. “I’ve been in worse.”

  * * * *

  Julie stood with the kids and tried to keep them calm. She made a 911 call, and as she looked, she saw most of the student band members on their phones. Some took a video of the fire; some may have been calling for help. Others likely called their parents or friends. Julie heard one student, a male with long hair, acne, and chubby fingers laughing on the phone to what she guessed was one of his friends.

  “Dude, you gotta get down here. This is epic!” Julie heard the student say.

  She found no joy in the situation. Neither did most of the onlookers. Some students hugged each other as tears flowed down their faces. Stunned was the look she saw most. Even if they hated high school, Julie thought, this was not right. This was part of their lives going literally up in smoke.

  A county sheriff’s car raced into the parking lot. Julie recognized the sheriff from the farmhouse fire.

  Another police car blocked part of the road to keep vehicles from stopping on the street or blocking the path of the fire trucks that didn’t seem to be anywhere near. The deputy pushed back the crowd in the parking lot. The band leader exited the school but moved his car away and stayed near the road to help crowd control.

  Windows shattered, and glass rained down on the ground around the school. Flames shot off the roof high into the air. The crowd watched the fire eat its way through the school. An explosion knocked out the main windows on the entranceway.