Episode 7 - Commotion
I put down the phone and retrieved an older laptop and the hand controller for the RC pickup. If the coming investigation moved indoors, I didn’t want anyone to know about Irma and her abilities.
“Irma, please load the camera image files onto this video card,” I said, inserting an SD card into a reader. “I want you to bookmark the frames showing the packages. I’ll need to access them quickly.”
“Done, Colin.”
I transferred the card to the laptop, accessed the files, and made sure I could find the bookmarks.
“Irma, the police are going to be here in a few minutes. Please go silent. Don’t answer the phone, access the internet, or make any electronic noise. Record everything that happens.”
“OK Collin. Going silent.”
The first Sheriff vehicle blocked the east drive at the highway. Five minutes later, a State Police cruiser blocked the Jameson Road entrance.
Sergeant Ramy arrived a little later and parked on the shoulder of the highway. I met him as he walked toward the station. He pointed to the laptop. "Are the pictures on that computer?"
I nodded and he motioned for me to follow him back to his cruiser. Ramy waved to a deputy and a State trooper and they joined us as I put laptop on the trunk of his car and showed them the images.
“How did you get these pictures?” he asked.
“I put a camera on a radio controlled truck and drove it under the Power Wagon.”
“What do you think they are?” the deputy asked.
I couldn’t admit that I knew the answer. I had to play the role of a victim. “I don’t know, but they certainly don’t belong under the truck. I’ve been working on that old beast for years and I know every inch of her like the back of my hand.”
I turned to Ramy and asked, “What do we do now?”
The Deputy counted off points on his fingers, “We cordon the area, protect the public, and wait for the professionals. Is anyone else in the building?”
“No, just me.” I felt a mental twinge that I didn't feel when telling other lies to the policeman. Irma felt more like ‘people’ every day.
“Then we wait." Ramy nodded to the officers and they left to pass the word. "Bomb disposal and the crime lab folks are on the way.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Ramy cut me off. “They’ll get here when they get here!” he said sternly, mistakenly anticipating my concerns.
I smiled sheepishly and nodded.
More emergency vehicles and a news van arrived over the next hour and we eventually started collecting curious onlookers. My anxiety was building exponentially. Was I doing the right thing? I could imagine Max and Mama Leonie telling me that I was being a damn idiot, but the die was cast. I had to ride this one out.
Fortunately, the deputies kept the news crew away from me.
The gossipy excitement of the onlookers gave way to worried looks when the heavy bomb disposal van rolled up with its containment trailer. Ramy intercepted the vehicle and talked briefly with one of the team members.
The officers walked to the patrol car where I was foundering in a sea of doubt. Ramy made the introductions. “Lieutenant Kenko from the State Police Bomb Squad, this is Colin Mercer, the homeowner who contacted us.”
“Sergeant Ramy said you have video of the packages.”
“Yes,” I said and we went through the images again.
“How did you get this video?” Kenko asked.
“I put a camera on a radio controlled pickup and drove it under the Power Wagon.”
Kenko grunted and gave me a sharp look. “You said one of the packages is in the drive tunnel just behind the transmission and the other is on top of the hitch channel?”
I nodded.
“Nasty places to get a look at.” Kenko pointed to the computer. “Can I borrow the laptop?”
I was reluctant to part with it. “Do you need the laptop or just the video card? The images are on the card.”
Kenko frowned but Ramy gave him a nod. “I’ll take the card for now but we'll need the laptop if we have any trouble reading the card.”
I nodded and ejected the SD card from its slot. As the Lieutenant moved away, I turned to Ramy, “Sorry, I don’t want to lose the laptop.”
The Sergeant smiled faintly, “My oldest son feels the same way about his electronics.”
“You want some coffee?” he asked.
The offer surprised me. “Sure, black if you have it.”
Ramy nodded and beckoned to a newly arrived officer. The deputy came our way carrying a large a large thermos and a stack of Styrofoam cups. My anxiety levels subsided a little as we leaned against the patrol car and sipped the hot beverage.
“What made you inspect the truck so thoroughly?” Ramy asked.
I took a sip from the cup savoring the bitter warmth. “I went over the vandalism video and I noticed that one of the guys was really interested in the Power Wagon. When I finished the camera repairs, I started looking at the truck. I couldn’t see any damage, but something didn’t feel right.”
“When was the last time you drove it?”
“About three weeks ago. I picked up a bathroom vanity at Chelsea Lumber.”
“Which store?”
“The one in Saline.”
“My nephew works there. He’s in Contractor Relations.”
“He a fisherman too?”
Ramy laughed and shook his head. “He has a new wife, a fixer-upper house, and a little one on the way. Fish have nothing to fear from him.”
The buzz of conversation increased when the van lowered a ramp and a tracked vehicle trundled down the incline trailing a thick cable.
“Oh shit!” I gasped.
Instantly alert, Ramy said, “What?”
“The robot uses a cable rather than radio controls. If there was a radio-activated device under the truck, and I sent a radio-controlled car to look things over...”
“Boom!” Ramy nodded, looking at me expectantly.
“I’m surprised the Lieutenant didn’t tear me a new one.”
“Well, you survived your stupidity and it gave him another data point for his risk assessment.” Ramy's sardonic response did nothing to minimize my anxiety. Another idiot move on my part.
“Lovely," I said.
The robot finished its imaging runs and retrieved the packages, placing them on the gravel driveway. The team decided the packages weren't bombs but they still sent a fully padded team member to open them. Each package contained a circuit board, coiled wires, and a flat battery pack.
The lieutenant walked over to Ramy’s car and gave him a terse final summation. “There were two packages held in place by some kind of glue. No explosives were found and no other objects were located in our search. The scene is yours.”
“Thanks for your help,” Ramy said extending his hand.
Taking the proffered hand, the Lieutenant replied, “No problem, Sergeant.”
Ramy walked away to give instructions to the rest of the team. The ambulance, fire, and most of the police units were dismissed. Crime scene technicians started photographing the area while the news crew interviewed Lieutenant Kenko. I decided to make myself scarce and headed for the station. As I walked toward the door, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen next.
“Irma, please load the camera image files onto this video card,” I said, inserting an SD card into a reader. “I want you to bookmark the frames showing the packages. I’ll need to access them quickly.”
“Done, Colin.”
I transferred the card to the laptop, accessed the files, and made sure I could find the bookmarks.
“Irma, the police are going to be here in a few minutes. Please go silent. Don’t answer the phone, access the internet, or make any electronic noise. Record everything that happens.”
“OK Collin. Going silent.”
The first Sheriff vehicle blocked the east drive at the highway. Five minutes later, a State Police cruiser blocked the Jameson Road entrance.
Sergeant Ramy arrived a little later and parked on the shoulder of the highway. I met him as he walked toward the station. He pointed to the laptop. "Are the pictures on that computer?"
I nodded and he motioned for me to follow him back to his cruiser. Ramy waved to a deputy and a State trooper and they joined us as I put laptop on the trunk of his car and showed them the images.
“How did you get these pictures?” he asked.
“I put a camera on a radio controlled truck and drove it under the Power Wagon.”
“What do you think they are?” the deputy asked.
I couldn’t admit that I knew the answer. I had to play the role of a victim. “I don’t know, but they certainly don’t belong under the truck. I’ve been working on that old beast for years and I know every inch of her like the back of my hand.”
I turned to Ramy and asked, “What do we do now?”
The Deputy counted off points on his fingers, “We cordon the area, protect the public, and wait for the professionals. Is anyone else in the building?”
“No, just me.” I felt a mental twinge that I didn't feel when telling other lies to the policeman. Irma felt more like ‘people’ every day.
“Then we wait." Ramy nodded to the officers and they left to pass the word. "Bomb disposal and the crime lab folks are on the way.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Ramy cut me off. “They’ll get here when they get here!” he said sternly, mistakenly anticipating my concerns.
I smiled sheepishly and nodded.
More emergency vehicles and a news van arrived over the next hour and we eventually started collecting curious onlookers. My anxiety was building exponentially. Was I doing the right thing? I could imagine Max and Mama Leonie telling me that I was being a damn idiot, but the die was cast. I had to ride this one out.
Fortunately, the deputies kept the news crew away from me.
The gossipy excitement of the onlookers gave way to worried looks when the heavy bomb disposal van rolled up with its containment trailer. Ramy intercepted the vehicle and talked briefly with one of the team members.
The officers walked to the patrol car where I was foundering in a sea of doubt. Ramy made the introductions. “Lieutenant Kenko from the State Police Bomb Squad, this is Colin Mercer, the homeowner who contacted us.”
“Sergeant Ramy said you have video of the packages.”
“Yes,” I said and we went through the images again.
“How did you get this video?” Kenko asked.
“I put a camera on a radio controlled pickup and drove it under the Power Wagon.”
Kenko grunted and gave me a sharp look. “You said one of the packages is in the drive tunnel just behind the transmission and the other is on top of the hitch channel?”
I nodded.
“Nasty places to get a look at.” Kenko pointed to the computer. “Can I borrow the laptop?”
I was reluctant to part with it. “Do you need the laptop or just the video card? The images are on the card.”
Kenko frowned but Ramy gave him a nod. “I’ll take the card for now but we'll need the laptop if we have any trouble reading the card.”
I nodded and ejected the SD card from its slot. As the Lieutenant moved away, I turned to Ramy, “Sorry, I don’t want to lose the laptop.”
The Sergeant smiled faintly, “My oldest son feels the same way about his electronics.”
“You want some coffee?” he asked.
The offer surprised me. “Sure, black if you have it.”
Ramy nodded and beckoned to a newly arrived officer. The deputy came our way carrying a large a large thermos and a stack of Styrofoam cups. My anxiety levels subsided a little as we leaned against the patrol car and sipped the hot beverage.
“What made you inspect the truck so thoroughly?” Ramy asked.
I took a sip from the cup savoring the bitter warmth. “I went over the vandalism video and I noticed that one of the guys was really interested in the Power Wagon. When I finished the camera repairs, I started looking at the truck. I couldn’t see any damage, but something didn’t feel right.”
“When was the last time you drove it?”
“About three weeks ago. I picked up a bathroom vanity at Chelsea Lumber.”
“Which store?”
“The one in Saline.”
“My nephew works there. He’s in Contractor Relations.”
“He a fisherman too?”
Ramy laughed and shook his head. “He has a new wife, a fixer-upper house, and a little one on the way. Fish have nothing to fear from him.”
The buzz of conversation increased when the van lowered a ramp and a tracked vehicle trundled down the incline trailing a thick cable.
“Oh shit!” I gasped.
Instantly alert, Ramy said, “What?”
“The robot uses a cable rather than radio controls. If there was a radio-activated device under the truck, and I sent a radio-controlled car to look things over...”
“Boom!” Ramy nodded, looking at me expectantly.
“I’m surprised the Lieutenant didn’t tear me a new one.”
“Well, you survived your stupidity and it gave him another data point for his risk assessment.” Ramy's sardonic response did nothing to minimize my anxiety. Another idiot move on my part.
“Lovely," I said.
The robot finished its imaging runs and retrieved the packages, placing them on the gravel driveway. The team decided the packages weren't bombs but they still sent a fully padded team member to open them. Each package contained a circuit board, coiled wires, and a flat battery pack.
The lieutenant walked over to Ramy’s car and gave him a terse final summation. “There were two packages held in place by some kind of glue. No explosives were found and no other objects were located in our search. The scene is yours.”
“Thanks for your help,” Ramy said extending his hand.
Taking the proffered hand, the Lieutenant replied, “No problem, Sergeant.”
Ramy walked away to give instructions to the rest of the team. The ambulance, fire, and most of the police units were dismissed. Crime scene technicians started photographing the area while the news crew interviewed Lieutenant Kenko. I decided to make myself scarce and headed for the station. As I walked toward the door, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen next.