First power and phones, now
water. "Jenny, I'm really busy up front. I'm sure it's nothing."
I think you ought to look. In case, like, there's another
bomb or something."
A bomb in the pipes would almost be fitting for Barcester.
No important buildings to blow up, so first they blow up dirt
and bushes, and then they blow up the sewers.
Jenny twisted her hands. "Please, could you just look?"
Alexis squatted down and shined her penlight into the drain.
And sat back hard when she actually saw something-
"What!" Jenny cried. "What's there?"
-something reptilian.
She had to get a grip. This was a weak moment, that's all.
Nothing was down there. To prove it, she put her face almost
flush with the grate and looked into the drain. The narrow
beam of light showed metal pipe, dull with age. Was that something gray and silky far below? Just a bit of vapor backwashing
into the pipes.
"There's nothing there, jenny."
"I heard something, Ms. Latham. I know I did."
"It's an old building. Things creak."
Jenny shivered, rubbed her arms. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. You don't have to worry, hon. You're here, and
you're safe." She smiled and handed jenny another box of
cupcakes. "Go ahead, you and Kate enjoy. Just save a couple for
Tripp"
After a last glance at the shower drain, jenny went back to
the front of the store.
Alexis picked up the spilled cupcakes and tossed them in
the trash. Three dollars and fifty cents wasted, but what could
you do?
Hysterical girls would be-well, hysterical girls.
chapter twenty-three
HLOE PUMMELED JON WITH HER FISTS. "Don't you
ever"-whack-"do that"-slap-"again!"-shove.
"Hey, trust me. I have no intention of ever doing
that again." Jon pawed mud out of his eyes, trying not to lose
his contact lenses.
Chloe burst into tears and squeezed him like she'd never
let go.
"I'm all right. Shush." Jon kissed the top of her head, his
hand to her throat so he could monitor her pulse. From the
moment that pregnancy stick glowed positive, he had had an
irrational fear of losing the baby. It was as if he thought that
by factoring profound happiness into his life, something dire
would be required to balance the equation.
Chloe pulled away, now covered with mud. "I know what
you're doing. Stop it."
"Making sure you're OK is a crime?"
"Playing hovering husband is downright felonious. Besides,
you're the one who went swimming in primeval ooze, not me."
"And I, for one, cannot thank you enough." Thomas Hansen
squeezed mud out of his shirt. "Hey, you guys hear that?"
Chloe squinted. "What?"
"That."
Something dragged on the roof of the car.
"Mudslide!" Jon yelled.
As he pushed Chloe toward the exit, the ceiling creaked and
bowed. The weight of the mud deformed the door. He leaned
his shoulder into it but couldn't budge it.
"Get out of the way!" Hansen kicked the door off its hinges.
They jumped out and ran a few hundred feet down the
walkway before daring to glance back. The top of the Quanta
car bent but hadn't collapsed.
Chloe stared. "First fire, then mud."
Hansen doubled over, then sat hard on the walkway.
"Are you hurt?" Jon asked.
"I jammed my ankle busting through the door. Not as tough
as I thought I was. What's this about a fire?"
As Chloe explained, Hansen shook his head, incredulous. "A
fire that burns without fuel. Maybe you two were delirious or
something. From the explosion."
"So you think that's what it was?" Jon said. "An explosion?"
"What else could it be?"
Chloe met his eye. Jon didn't even blink. This guy was
sharp-he'd pick up anything between them. They helped
him up and started walking. Fifteen minutes later, they were
back at the access stairway.
Hansen stared at the fire, mouth ajar. "Impossible," he
finally said.
"It's reality," Chloe said. "Therefore it cannot be impossible."
"It hasn't diminished one bit," Jon said. "Maybe it's an underground pocket of gas feeding the flame."
"We should try to find a way past it to the
water. "Jenny, I'm really busy up front. I'm sure it's nothing."
I think you ought to look. In case, like, there's another
bomb or something."
A bomb in the pipes would almost be fitting for Barcester.
No important buildings to blow up, so first they blow up dirt
and bushes, and then they blow up the sewers.
Jenny twisted her hands. "Please, could you just look?"
Alexis squatted down and shined her penlight into the drain.
And sat back hard when she actually saw something-
"What!" Jenny cried. "What's there?"
-something reptilian.
She had to get a grip. This was a weak moment, that's all.
Nothing was down there. To prove it, she put her face almost
flush with the grate and looked into the drain. The narrow
beam of light showed metal pipe, dull with age. Was that something gray and silky far below? Just a bit of vapor backwashing
into the pipes.
"There's nothing there, jenny."
"I heard something, Ms. Latham. I know I did."
"It's an old building. Things creak."
Jenny shivered, rubbed her arms. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. You don't have to worry, hon. You're here, and
you're safe." She smiled and handed jenny another box of
cupcakes. "Go ahead, you and Kate enjoy. Just save a couple for
Tripp"
After a last glance at the shower drain, jenny went back to
the front of the store.
Alexis picked up the spilled cupcakes and tossed them in
the trash. Three dollars and fifty cents wasted, but what could
you do?
Hysterical girls would be-well, hysterical girls.
chapter twenty-three
HLOE PUMMELED JON WITH HER FISTS. "Don't you
ever"-whack-"do that"-slap-"again!"-shove.
"Hey, trust me. I have no intention of ever doing
that again." Jon pawed mud out of his eyes, trying not to lose
his contact lenses.
Chloe burst into tears and squeezed him like she'd never
let go.
"I'm all right. Shush." Jon kissed the top of her head, his
hand to her throat so he could monitor her pulse. From the
moment that pregnancy stick glowed positive, he had had an
irrational fear of losing the baby. It was as if he thought that
by factoring profound happiness into his life, something dire
would be required to balance the equation.
Chloe pulled away, now covered with mud. "I know what
you're doing. Stop it."
"Making sure you're OK is a crime?"
"Playing hovering husband is downright felonious. Besides,
you're the one who went swimming in primeval ooze, not me."
"And I, for one, cannot thank you enough." Thomas Hansen
squeezed mud out of his shirt. "Hey, you guys hear that?"
Chloe squinted. "What?"
"That."
Something dragged on the roof of the car.
"Mudslide!" Jon yelled.
As he pushed Chloe toward the exit, the ceiling creaked and
bowed. The weight of the mud deformed the door. He leaned
his shoulder into it but couldn't budge it.
"Get out of the way!" Hansen kicked the door off its hinges.
They jumped out and ran a few hundred feet down the
walkway before daring to glance back. The top of the Quanta
car bent but hadn't collapsed.
Chloe stared. "First fire, then mud."
Hansen doubled over, then sat hard on the walkway.
"Are you hurt?" Jon asked.
"I jammed my ankle busting through the door. Not as tough
as I thought I was. What's this about a fire?"
As Chloe explained, Hansen shook his head, incredulous. "A
fire that burns without fuel. Maybe you two were delirious or
something. From the explosion."
"So you think that's what it was?" Jon said. "An explosion?"
"What else could it be?"
Chloe met his eye. Jon didn't even blink. This guy was
sharp-he'd pick up anything between them. They helped
him up and started walking. Fifteen minutes later, they were
back at the access stairway.
Hansen stared at the fire, mouth ajar. "Impossible," he
finally said.
"It's reality," Chloe said. "Therefore it cannot be impossible."
"It hasn't diminished one bit," Jon said. "Maybe it's an underground pocket of gas feeding the flame."
"We should try to find a way past it to the
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