The Blade Man

by Debra Purdy Kong

  Casey turned back to the garage. At least the cinderblock walls were intact, but what about the contents? She listened to occasional shouts from firefighters and cops. The controlled chaos was both mesmerizing and horrifying. She spotted Gwyn Maddox near the entrance to the yard, talking with a cop.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” Anoop said as he drew nearer. “How could I have missed the arsonist? I walked through and around the garage just a couple of minutes earlier. Barely made it to the admin building before the explosion.”

  “Why were you patrolling?” she asked, hoping she sounded calmer than she felt. “Wayne was supposed to be here.”

  “He asked to swap shifts at the last minute.”

  Wayne had joined the security team only a month ago and had already called in sick twice.

  “Firefighters said the back window was broken.” Anoop adjusted his glasses. “But it wasn’t when I’d walked by. After it happened, I ran back down there, but the gasoline smell was so strong I started choking. It was like the whole building had been splashed with it.”

  “Someone could have been watching you.” Casey kept her voice low as she surveyed the spectators. “Waiting for you to move out of the way.”

  Anoop gazed at the ground. “I should have called you, but I tried searching for the suspect and then firefighters and cops and Gwyn showed up.”

  “It’s all right. Don’t lose sleep over this,” Casey said. “If the guy was watching you, he’d make sure you couldn’t see him.”

  “Mr. Verma was being watched,” a voice behind them said.

  Casey turned to find Travis’s anxious face peering at her. His straight brown hair reached his shoulders. How long had the kid been standing there?

  “What brings you here, Travis?”

  “I drove out to Hedley’s. He lives near here, and since I hadn’t seen the yard in a while . . .” He shrugged.

  “You’re driving now? I thought you suffered from motion sickness.”

  “Not if I’m behind the wheel.”

  Casey folded her arms. “I heard that you’ve been monitoring the premises.” Travis averted his gaze. Yeah. Busted, buddy. “Were you actually on the property?”

  “No, I didn’t even plan to get out of the car.” He hesitated. “But then I spotted someone on the east side of the garage, just before it went up.”

  “Did you get a look at his face?”

  “No. Sorry. At first, I thought it was just the shadow of a tree branch, but the movement didn’t look right. After the explosion, I saw someone jump the fence and run down a side street.”

  “Did you try and find him?”

  Travis fidgeted. “I should have, but the fire freaked me out.”

  “You did the right thing by staying put. The guy’s dangerous.” She noticed the way Travis’s shoulders relaxed, as if he realized he wasn’t in serious trouble for snooping around. “Could you tell if the individual was tall or short, thin or heavy set?”

  “Short.” Another hesitant glance. “Thing is, I think he was wearing a driver’s uniform.”

  Casey glanced at Anoop, whose mouth fell open. “I didn’t see any drivers before the garage lit up.”

  Casey absently watched a few flames, still sputtering for life. Why would a driver be dumb enough to wear his uniform while committing arson?

  “Travis, you need to tell the cops what you saw.”

  Hedley rode up on a bicycle and stopped. “Travis texted me about the gar—”

  His words were cut short by an exploding vehicle parked half a block down the street.

  “Holy shit!” Travis yelled.

  Spectators shouted and scattered while firefighters dashed toward the burning vehicle.

  “My car!” Gwyn Maddox ran toward his Mercedes.

  “Oh no,” Anoop murmured. “He’ll blame me.”

  “He can’t. You’ve been with me these past few minutes.” Although Gwyn would probably try. Casey scanned the pedestrians, looking for anyone who might be leaving the area, especially one in a bus uniform. No one appeared to be.

  The police shouted at Gwyn to stay back. He started arguing with them, but soon complied.

  “Has anyone been hurt?” Hedley asked.

  “Hope not,” Casey answered, stepping forward for a closer look, but all she saw were firefighters and cops ordering people back.

  “How could someone pull that off with all these people around?” Travis asked.

  “Uh, Travis, we’d better go,” Hedley said, watching Gwyn. “Maddox is heading this way.”

  All of the Friends were well aware that Gwyn wouldn’t welcome their presence. They hurried off, merging with spectators as Gwyn bulldozed his way through another cluster of people.

  “Casey!” Even under the streetlights, she could see red splotches on his pudgy round face. “First thing tomorrow, find out which of the companies around here have cameras. Someone must have the suspect on tape somewhere. And talk to witnesses before they leave.” Gwyn glanced at the approaching cop. “For all we know, the slimeball arsonist is still here, watching his handiwork and plotting his next move to destroy me.”

  “We’ll handle the interviews, sir,” the cop said.

  “That is my car.” He pointed to the burning Mercedes. “And my garage! Miss Holland is my employee and a senior member of my security team. She’s probably interviewed more people than you have. How old are you anyway? Barely twenty-five, I bet.”

  The awkward endorsement made Casey look away.

  “Sir, I’m asking you and your team to let us do our job.”

  “For god’s sake, we’ve assisted VPD a number of times, so let her damn well help,” Gwyn retorted. “Witnesses could leave any minute. Do you have enough officers around to interview thirty or so people before they take off? I think not!”

  The cop stared at him, then turned to Casey. “All right, but we’ll require a full briefing when you’re done.”

  “Sure.”

  “Brief me too,” Gwyn demanded. “I expect results!”

  She could practically hear the or else behind his words.

  The cop didn’t acknowledge him as he headed toward a cluster of folks near the burning vehicle.

  “You didn’t do your job,” Gwyn said, pointing his finger at Anoop, “I should fire you right now!”

  “I’m really sorry,”Anoop mumbled.

  Although Anoop was much taller than Gwyn, Anoop’s manner made him seem smaller. No way would she let Gwyn roll over him.

  “Gwyn, if you want all witnesses interviewed before they leave, then I really need his help. Anoop isn’t your enemy. He’s a valued member of the security team whose diplomacy and compassion make people want to talk to him, and we’re short-staffed as it is, so please don’t fire him.”

  Gwyn muttered a curse. “All right, for now. But if you two don’t come through for me—the guy who signs your paychecks—then why should I keep either of you around? Guards aren’t hard to replace.”

  For the first time, Casey began to truly understand Lou’s desire to quit. With her experience, did Gwyn really believe she wouldn’t find new employment quickly?

  “One of my employees has to be behind this.” Gwyn glared at her. “Tomorrow, start questioning every damn one of them if you have to. Judging from the endless gossip around here, somebody knows something.”

  Casey swallowed back her anger. “That doesn’t mean they’ll want to talk to me.”

  “Then make it clear there’ll be serious repercussions if they don’t.” He stomped off.

  Casey swore under her breath. No way in hell would she threaten colleagues, and no way would she tell him that someone in a driver’s uniform was seen fleeing the scene. She couldn’t be certain that an MPT driver had caused the explosion. What if the culprit had stolen a uniform to implicate a driver? Although it was hard to imagine why someone would do that.

  “Anoop, there’s a couple of people behind you,” Casey said. “See if they saw anything.”

 
; “Okay.”

  ID in hand, Casey approached three people whose dark eyes, pointed noses, and thin mouths identified them as a family. Daughter, mother, and, based on his sparse, white hair and hunched shoulders, possibly the grandfather.

  “Excuse me.” She displayed her ID. “I work over there at Mainland Public Transport, and I was wondering if any of you saw someone near the car just before it exploded?”

  All three shook their heads. “We did see a bus driver running down the street as we were heading here.” The older man gestured toward the short street that led to the condo towers.

  “Which way did he go?”

  “Down that side street,” the grandfather answered, “heading south.”

  Casey looked at the road that led to more industrial properties and connected with a busier street. There’d be many hiding places. She doubted anyone would find him now.

  “Are you sure he was in a driver’s uniform?”

  “Yes,” the woman replied. “I ride those buses all the time.”

  Oh hell. She’d been hoping there’d been a mistake. “Is it possible that he might have been chasing someone?”

  “I didn’t see anyone else.” The woman looked at her companions, who shook their heads.

  “Only one person was running,” the girl said, “and he was fast.”

  “Did any of you see the driver’s face?”

  All three shook their heads.

  “What driver?” Gwyn was suddenly next to Casey, his round face perspiring.

  As the grandfather told him about the running driver, Casey stifled a groan.

  “How long ago did you see him?” Gwyn asked.

  The family looked at one another with puzzled expressions.

  “Maybe ten, fifteen minutes ago,” the grandfather answered.

  “Thank you for the information.” Gwyn took Casey by the arm and led her away. “Damn it! The suspect’ll be long gone now. The only ones we can exonerate are the drivers who just pulled in and the ones still on the road. Although I suspect any driver could loan a uniform to an accomplice.”

  “The culprit could have stolen a uniform,” Casey replied. “I can’t picture a driver implicating himself that way. It’s not that late. He’d have to know people would be around.”

  Gwyn frowned. “Why would the suspect want us to think he’s a driver?”

  “No idea,” Casey answered. “All I know is that anyone can enter our building and locker rooms during business hours.”

  The lack of security during the day had concerned her and Stan for some time. While Gwyn had taken measures to improve security after 6:00 PM, he hadn’t thought it necessary during regular business hours. Casey suspected that he and the other executives simply didn’t want to be punching codes and swiping badges to go in and out of the building.

  “A stranger wouldn’t know where my office is located or what I drive,” Gwyn said. “I want daily written reports on everything you learn. Liaise with the cops.”

  Casey sighed. Right. She’d be about as welcome as head lice.

  “No one’s exempt from scrutiny, understand? Get a list of all current and former drivers and start establishing alibis.”

  Seriously? “There has to be a hundred names and I’m already doing two jobs.”

  “Stan should be back soon. Get other staff to help once you’ve cleared them.” Gwyn wiped his brow again. “Find someone else besides Verma to patrol the premises tomorrow night. In fact, get me a list of the top three security firms and their rates. I need skilled, unbiased outsiders.”

  As Gwyn stomped off, Anoop approached Casey. “Bad news.” He hesitated. “Someone saw a fairly short man in a driver’s uniform run across this road, away from the garage.”

  She nodded. “I heard the same.”

  “Do you really think the arsonist’s an employee?”

  “Maybe.” Not something she wanted to discuss right now. “Anoop, why don’t you go home. There’s no need for further patrols tonight. The fire department will be here a while.”

  “Thanks.” He glanced up and down the street. “Good thing I parked on the street. The plan was to keep a low profile, not that it did much good.”

  “I’m not sure anyone could have stopped our firebug. If the suspect’s familiar with MPT’s schedule, then he’d know drivers would be returning and dispatchers were inside.” Casey paused. “Gwyn’s office was torched after 1:00 AM, but this one happened just after 11:00 PM, which means he doesn’t care if employees are still around.”

  “Think he wants to hurt someone?” Anoop asked.

  “Good question.”

  “Scary,” Anoop murmured.

  “Yeah.” A knot twisted in Casey’s gut.

  SIXTEEN

  When Stan entered the security department, Casey jumped out of her chair. Relief washed over her.

  “You’re back!” He looked pale, though, and wasn’t moving fast.

  The T-shirt and sweat pants totally caught her off guard. The only time Casey had seen Stan dress casually was during the occasional weekend shift. Even then it was jeans and a button shirt. This new look rattled her.

  “Couldn’t stay away from all the excitement.” He smiled. “But I’m only part-time for now.”

  Three days ago, Casey had phoned him to discuss the arsons and whether the suspect was an employee or someone who wanted the world to think an employee was responsible. She’d also sought his advice on developing an effective strategy to carry out the internal investigation Gwyn demanded. Stan told her to hold off until he talked to Gwyn. Was this the reason he’d returned to work just five days after someone tried to slice him open?

  “Have the police been in touch?” he asked.

  “No, and I have a feeling they won’t want to share.”

  “I’ll see if Gwyn’s heard anything.”

  While the HR and accounting staff were calling out greetings, Stan waved and assured everyone he was fine. Casey had her doubts. Had she or Gwyn given him the impression that she was in over her head?

  Nora’s comment that Stan might consider retirement weighed on her. With all of his kids married and having their own children, why wouldn’t he consider it? On the other hand, Stan was one of those people who thrived on work. He didn’t play golf, bowl, volunteer, or have any hobbies that she knew of. Casey couldn’t imagine him ending his career because of one freak with a knife. Or was this what she needed to tell herself?

  She followed him into his office.

  “Holy shit.” Stan gaped at the haphazard stacks of papers on his desk. “Gwyn’s doing?”

  “Yep. Your filing system confused him.”

  “Shut the door.” Groaning slightly, Stan eased into his old chair. “Gwyn phoned yesterday to say he won’t be coming in too often over the next few days.”

  It was the best news she’d had all week. “Good, because I think someone’s out to destroy his company.”

  “Looks that way.” Stan slowly leaned back in his chair. “Who hates him that much?”

  “Should I list them on an Excel spreadsheet?” she remarked. “That way we can add more names as we think of them and alphabetize everything.”

  Stan smiled. “Sadly, you’re not far off the mark.”

  “It’s because a lot of staff are upset about you and Benny and feel that Gwyn hasn’t done enough to protect us,” Casey said. “To show that I’m doing what he wants, I’ve spoken to a couple of drivers about the fires.” She paused. “I didn’t tell you that Gwyn expects daily written reports of every interview and alibi that I can confirm.”

  “I’ll be meeting with him shortly and have a word.” Stan ran his hand over the brush cut that had begun to grow out. “The man’s really rattled, Casey. Just between us, he’s making noises about selling the company.”

  “You’re joking.”

  “I don’t think he’ll follow through. Probably just an emotional response to the fires.” Stan shifted in his seat. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Must be the damn painkillers.
”

  Different scenarios flashed through Casey’s mind, some of them good, most of them bad. A new owner could be a positive change. But if Gwyn couldn’t find a buyer, would he close the company? The thought of no more MPT frightened her. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she truly wasn’t ready to quit, let alone be forced out. Not yet anyway.

  “You look stressed,” Stan said. “Let’s talk about something fun, like your wedding. It’s just over three weeks away, right?”

  “Yes.” Casey appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood, but right now her wedding was the last thing on her mind. “Everything’s pretty much done.”

  “Summer must be excited.”

  Casey’s smile slipped. She couldn’t help it.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Summer’s feeling a lot of emotions these days, but excitement isn’t one of them.”

  Stan sat back and crossed his arms. “What’s going on?”

  If there was anyone she could tell, it was Stan. He and Nora had raised four kids and had suffered through their share of bad boyfriends and broken curfews.

  “She’s been seeing her ex-boyfriend’s brother behind my back, and she lied about not being at the riot. Gwyn had me review CCTV footage of that night. To my horror, I spotted her and Tyler drinking beer. A week later, Summer missed curfew and came home completely wasted.”

  “She’s testing the waters like a typical teen. Stupid mistakes will happen,” Stan replied. “Summer’s got a good head on her shoulders and won’t get herself in too deep, so be patient and supportive, but firm about your expectations.”

  “I’m trying, but she seems so troubled. Summer’s showing a disturbing amount of disdain for her mother these days and I don’t know why.”

  “Keep talking to her. Communication’s crucial right now.”

  “I will, thanks, and enough about my problems.” Casey shifted in her chair. “I’ve been thinking about all four attacks by this maniac they’re calling the Blade Man.”

  Stan snorted. “I heard that dumb reference on the news.”