Stolen

by James Hunt

  Jake eyed the second pair of tire tracks, which ran parallel to ones that led to Lena’s car. He knelt down, getting a level look at the road and the directions both parties had traveled. “Some bruised ribs. Cuts and scrapes. She’s all right, though.” And she was telling the truth about the second truck, at least.

  “I found a liquor bottle in the grass next to the wreck out there. It was completely empty.” Longwood searched for his next words slowly. “Did she seem… out of it at all?”

  “She was run off the road, and beaten.” Jake pulled out a pair of gloves on his way to the wreck. “Of course she was out of it.” He circled the car, taking note of the white and brown paint that clashed with the black of the sedan. He shone his flashlight into the cabin and crawled through the open door and into the driver’s seat.

  Jake checked the floorboards, the backseat, and the center console but found nothing. He ran his gloved hands over the dashboard until he found the handle of the glove box. With the car upside down, the contents spilled onto the ceiling.

  “Find anything, Sheriff?” Longwood asked, ducking to try and get a peek inside.

  Jake sifted through the napkins, gum, candy wrappers, and insurance and registration documents, but when he saw the small, clear baggy with crystals in it, he froze.

  “Sheriff?”

  “No.” Jake stuffed the bag of meth inside his jacket before he backed out. “Nothing here. Go ahead and call the wrecker. We’ll try and get that paint analyzed at the lab, see if we can pull any prints off the bottles of liquor or the door handle of her car.”

  “Sure thing, Sheriff.”

  Longwood returned to his squad car, and Jake reached into his jacket, examining the ounce of drugs. “Damnit, Lena.”

  5

  Lena kept her arm around the wound on her ribs, the tight wrap that engirded her torso keeping a steady pressure, which felt like an anaconda squeezing her to death. She looked to Mark in the driver’s seat. He hadn’t said a word all morning, not even when she asked him to drive her to the office. “Didn’t you break your ribs once?”

  “Yup.” Mark kept his eyes on the road.

  And that was all she was going to get. Lena rested her head against the window and watched the open fields pass by. When she looked north she saw the gas flares from the fracking site. “We talked about this last night.”

  “Well, I remember you talking about it, and then I remember me talking about it, but I must have missed the part where you had to go back in to work today.” Mark finally looked over to her. “But, I mean, you were almost killed last night, so what would I know about taking it easy for a day.”

  The ache in Lena’s ribs only itched the frustration brewing below the surface from the passive aggressive attacks she’d endured all morning. “The vote is tomorrow. I just need to make sure everything is ready to go. That’s all.”

  “Yup.”

  The rest of the car ride was in silence. Mark dropped her at the office and didn’t wait around as she limped toward the door. The morning’s paper rested on the stoop, and in bold letters the title of the front page read: State Legislator Celebrates Before Town Hall with a Drink and a Drive. Below the caption was a picture of her totaled car along with the falsely planted liquor bottle. Lena picked up the paper and tossed it in the trash on the way to her desk.

  Janine emerged from the kitchen and nearly dropped her coffee mug. “Oh my god, Lena, what happened?”

  Lena slowly lowered herself into her chair, doing her best to hide the pain. “I got in a car wreck last night when I was coming back from the hospital. Some truck ran me off the road.”

  “Did you tell Jake?”

  “Yeah, he’s chasing down some leads. But there’s nothing we can do about that now. Did I have any messages?”

  Janine paused, looking at the cuts and bruises on Lena’s face, then blushed when she realized the length of her stare. She grabbed a few Post-It notes from her desk and shuffled through them. “The governor called this morning. Early. He said he wanted to speak with you immediately.” She placed the note on her desk and then folded the others away. “That was the only important call.”

  Lena furrowed her brow. “What are those others?”

  “Nothing.” Janine answered quickly, keeping the notes in her hand hidden behind her back. “Do you need anything else?”

  “Head over to city hall, make sure they have everything they need for tomorrow. I have a feeling it’s going to be a large turnout.” Janine dismissed herself, and Lena reached for the phone, already knowing what the governor would want to talk about.

  The governor’s secretary answered, and it wasn’t but a few seconds later that he picked up, the tone in his voice surprisingly cordial. “Good morning, Representative Hayes.”

  “Good morning, Governor.”

  “I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

  “I can try, sir.”

  “Well, I made a bet with Senator Banks yesterday evening on the odds of whether or not your district would pass your bill. He said that you lacked the political experience for anything significant to come about, while I touted your resume as a lawyer and the sheer grit with which you campaigned yourself to a win in the legislative assembly.”

  Lena spoke slowly after a lingered silence. “I appreciate the support, Governor.”

  “I know you do. But I was hoping you could tell me why I read an article online this morning about you driving under the influence? Because I can tell you right now, Hayes, that this is the type of stupidity that can sink a bill before it even gets off the fucking ground!”

  Lena leaned her ear away from the phone as the governor raised his voice. Once he was finished, she treaded lightly. “Governor, I can promise you that whatever you read is nothing more than tabloid journalism.”

  “I don’t care if it’s true or not. The damage is already done. You don’t think the oil company is going to pounce on this? You think people care about the truth?” The governor scoffed. “They care about gossip, Hayes, and this article has enough of it to keep the church ladies busy for the next month!”

  “We’ll run a counter story for tomorrow’s paper. My blood levels were checked by the doctor, and they’ll come back this afternoon. I’ll put that in the article, and people will know what really happened.”

  “I’m getting calls from your fellow state legislators all over North Dakota. They’re worried about what happens if the bill doesn’t pass in your town. We need the momentum that will come with your city.”

  “It will pass, Governor. I promise you that.”

  “For both our sakes, I hope you’re right. I’ve already publicly supported you on this. Don’t make me look like a fool, or I promise you that your career will be over before it even had a chance to get started.”

  The call clicked dead, and the pain in Lena’s ribs flared up. She gently rested her elbows on the table and rubbed her temples. She knew the governor was right. If the bill didn’t pass in her town, then it was dead in the water. And that meant more sick kids, more deaths on the job, and the exploitation of their land’s natural resources. She was so deep in thought that when the front door opened and the woman stepped inside, Lena didn’t notice until she heard Janine’s voice.

  “Can I help you, ma’am?” Janine asked.

  The woman had wavy blond hair with dark-brown roots. Her eyes were circled with the dark lines of mascara, and her lipstick was hot red. She dressed in a plain white tank top and torn-up jeans, with a pair of boots on her feet. She crossed her arms, hugging herself, keeping a sheepish distance from Janine. “I was hoping I could speak with Lena Hayes?”

  “It’s all right, Janine.” Lena waved, curious as to the woman’s identity. “You can come on back.” She gestured to the chair in front of her desk, and as the woman moved closer, she recognized her from the trial last year. She extended her hand, wincing from the pain in her stomach. “You’ll have to forgive me, but I don’t remember your name.”

  �
��Kelly Coleman.” She took a seat and inched the chair closer to the desk. “I was—am Reese Coleman’s wife.”

  “Of course, my apologies, Mrs. Coleman.”

  Kelly pointed to her face while staring at Lena’s. “What happened?”

  “Car accident. What can I do for you?”

  Kelly bit her lower lip and shifted in her seat. “It’s about Reese. I think something’s wrong.”

  Lena opened her drawer and reached for a pen and paper. “What do you mean?”

  “He’s been working a lot lately.” Kelly fiddled with the ring on her finger, picking at it as if it were a scab. “He worked a night shift the other day, and he never came home. When I called the company they told me that he clocked out at the end of his shift and left. For him not to at least call me isn’t like him. I’m worried.”

  “Have you told the sheriff about it?” Lena asked.

  Kelly cast her eyes down. “No, I didn’t want to make anything official. I just thought that Reese might have reached out to you if something was going on. I know the two of you spoke a lot during the trial last year.”

  Reese Coleman had been one of the few workers to openly testify against his own company, but it just wasn’t enough. All Reese Coleman had was water cooler gossip. The man had never been able to produce any hard evidence. “Has he been experiencing any trouble at work because of what happened at the trial?”

  Kelly rubbed her arms, shivering in the chair. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here.” She jumped out of her chair and backed away. “I’m sure he was just partying with some of the guys and passed out on one of their couches.”

  “Mrs. Coleman, wait.” Lena jumped too quickly and nearly collapsed, but she knuckled the desk for support. Sweat collected on her forehead, and she clutched her stomach as she hobbled to the door. “If there’s something your husband told you, you can tell me.” She placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder. “I can help.”

  Kelly shifted her weight between her feet, trembling. “We haven’t really talked a lot lately. B-Because he’s been working so much,” she added quickly. “He seemed like he’d been a little on edge though, you know? Like something was bothering him.” She shook her head. “He just wouldn’t tell me what it was.”

  “You should tell the sheriff,” Lena said.

  Kelly nodded. “Yeah, maybe I’ll do that. Thanks again, Mrs. Hayes.” She pushed the door open and hurried down the sidewalk, glancing over to the diner, where the regular crowd of rig workers watched her leave, and Lena wondered just how far the oil company would go to keep their profits flowing.

  The phone on Janine’s desk rang, and she answered quickly. “Okay.” She covered the receiver with her palm. “Lena?”

  “Yeah.” When she saw Janine’ face, Lena felt her own cheeks grow pale. “What’s wrong?”

  “Something happened at Gwen’s school.”

  Men in hard hats and safety vests roamed the grounds as Jake passed the New Energy sign at the front gate. Flares from the gas runoff blasted into the sky, adding to the heat of the day. Jake kept his eyes peeled, but most of his concentration was on the call with the doctor. “So she was clean? Nothing in her system? Great. Thanks, Doc.” He ended the call, parked, and exhaled a sigh of relief.

  Outside, the clank of metal and bursts of gas runoff filled the afternoon air. A group of workers passed, and Jake grabbed one of them by the arm. “I need to speak with Scott Ambers.” The worker jerked his arm away and then pointed over to one of the observation decks that surrounded the rigs, muttering under his breath as he walked in the opposite direction.

  Scott Ambers stood on the edge of the platform’s railing, shouting to the workers below, his voice just as commanding as the structure on which he was perched. “It’s only noon, and we’re already behind schedule. Let’s move your asses, boys!”

  Jake ascended the steps of the platform, forgoing the hard hat offered to him on the way up, refusing to remove his cowboy hat. When he reached the top he maneuvered around the narrow steel crates to where Scott presided over the edge. “Mr. Ambers, I need to talk to you.”

  “Hold on, Sheriff.” Scott pointed to a man near the drilling’s core. “Knox! Get in there and make sure the pressure’s steady! The damn thing was acting up last night. I want everything recalibrated.” He wiped the spit from his mouth and then turned to Jake. “What do you want, Sheriff? I thought I filled out everything I needed to last night.”

  “Look, it’s no secret that my sister’s bill is a thorn in your boss’s side.” Jake kept his thumbs hooked in his belt, his eyes nearly hidden under the rim of his cowboy hat. “And I know it’s your guys who’ve been vandalizing her office.” His boots thumped against the steel grates as he walked forward, each heavy thud slow and ominous. “There was definitely another car involved in Lena’s wreck. I need to look at some of your employee records. Check to see what kind of vehicles they drive.”

  Scott tipped the lid of his hard hat high onto his forehead, the sweat from the day’s work glistening in the sun. “Well, that’s not gonna happen without a warrant.”

  “Things will go a lot easier for you if you just cooperate. We don’t have to make it a legal thing.”

  “I think your sister has already done a fine mess of that.” Scott wiped his forehead and repositioned his hard hat. “She should consider herself lucky after all that booze she drank and got behind the wheel. She could have killed somebody.”

  The leather of Jake’s belt groaned as he tightened his grip and stepped forward until his chest pressed against Scott’s arm. “You know, it is kind of ironic how you managed to get to my sister so soon after the crash. Especially considering how hard the company you work for campaigned against her in the election. Are you helping your new boss with a little payback?”

  Scott kept his gaze straight ahead. “You can check my car, Sheriff. And my alibi. Neither have any marks on them. Now get the hell off this property before I call security.”

  Jake peeked over the side of the railing to the ground at least sixty feet below. “A lot of accidents happen around here.” He looked back to Scott. “I’d be careful.” He stepped backward and headed for the stairs.

  One step down and a blast of heat and fire shot fifty feet up into the sky. The explosion of the rig to Jake’s right erupted in a plume of earth, concrete, and steel. The platform that overlooked the rig rattled, and Jake clung to the railing for support. He looked down to the wreckage below, men sprinting in all directions.

  Scott knocked Jake in the shoulder as he sprinted down the stairs, his face as red as the flames. “Hoses! Get the hoses!”

  Screams erupted from inside the inferno, and Jake quickly descended into the chaos. Faces covered in oil and soot were pulled from the base of the fire. Heat scorched the side of his face as Jake helped in the rescue.

  Once at a safe distance, Jake pressed his fingers into the neck of one of the workers and checked for a pulse, and another bloodcurdling scream bellowed from within the depths of the blazing fires. He squinted into the flames and saw the outstretched arm of a man pinned under collapsed steel beams.

  Two paramedics relieved Jake of the unconscious man, and he sprinted toward the structure. Even when he turned his face away he felt the heat of the fire burn his skin from a distance of ten feet. He lifted his arms to shield himself, but it did little to help. Smoke filled his lungs and stung his eyes. He stumbled through the inferno nearly blind. Twice Jake fell to his knees in a fit of coughing.

  “Help!”

  Jake tilted his ear to the right where the faint cry echoed. He dipped under one of the fallen beams and found the man, his hand still outstretched. Blistered and blackened flesh had replaced the right side of the man’s head. His hair had been singed off, leaving behind only a few wisps of charred ash that sprouted from his skull. He was on his stomach, the back of his jumpsuit so black Jake was unsure of what was flesh and what was cloth. “Hang on!” Jake knelt by the man’s side, checking to see where he was
pinned, and the man curled his burnt fingers around his arm.

  The worker’s screams slowly faded the longer he lay, and it wasn’t long before he was completely still. Jake saw that the beam that had pinned his legs had melted and formed a steel cast. A rain of molten fire fell all around, and Jake hooked his arms under the worker’s armpits and pulled. The steel around the leg added another hundred pounds, but Jake drove his heels through the ground, his muscles burning, and pulled.

  Fire and steel rained everywhere, and Jake looked behind him to the narrow opening and the group of workers shouting and waving him onward. A few drops of fire set Jake’s jacket ablaze, and he felt the heat eat through the fabric and graze his skin. He screamed but didn’t let the man go. With one last heaving pull he yanked the burned man out of the flames, and the two collapsed onto the grass.

  Jake ripped his jacket off, smothering the flames in the dirt. His face was covered in soot, and he doubled over, losing what remained of his breakfast. The burn of vomit stung his throat, and he hacked and coughed from the smoke inhalation.

  Paramedics quickly swarmed him and the worker, pulling them closer to safety. One of the medics ran his blue-gloved hands over Jake’s body and gave him a mask of oxygen that helped clear the carbon from his lungs.

  A solid column of tar-black smoke billowed into the sky. Everyone that could have been pulled from the disaster was being given medical attention, and the crew dousing the flames with water kept their distance as they tried to tame the chaos. Jake looked over and watched the man he pulled from the rig be loaded onto a gurney and shoved in the back of an ambulance.

  Scott walked over and slapped Jake on the shoulder. “You all right, Sheriff?”

  Jake nodded, keeping the mask on his face, sucking in a few more breaths of the precious air before he removed it. “What the hell happened?”