Chapter Eighteen

The firemen were spread out along the former elevated railway of the High Line on the lower west side.

The old steel viaduct had been built strong enough to hold two freight trains on separate tracks. Transformed from derelict railway to a park in the sky and, enhanced by landscaping amid the old tracks, it became an aerial greenway with convenient benches along its route.

But today it was a sanctuary above the rat infested concrete at street level. Here, exhausted from a morning of fighting the calamity that had befallen New York, firemen were on their break, scattered along the walkway on benches and on the ground, jackets open, helmets off, in some cases boots off, faces to the sky absorbing the heat of the midday sun. Volunteers moved amongst them dispensing coffee and sandwiches.

“Hey O’Shea!” Cafferty shouted coming through.

John, who was sitting on one of the lounger shaped chairs set in along the High Line raised his head and gave a tired grin.

His old friend and long term colleague, Cafferty sat, pushing John’s feet to one side to make room.

He put his lunch box between himself and John.

“I hear you are sleeping at the station,” Cafferty said.

“My apartment is a crime scene,” John reminded him. “I’m waiting for the crime scene contract cleaners. Once they get through I can move back in.”

“The chief was looking for you. He’s heard you’re bunking full time at the station, I think.”

“Awful day,” John said, changing tack. “Did you see what the rats did to that girl on Lexington?”

“John it’s lunch time. Anyway they say she slipped and hit her head. Probably didn’t feel a thing.”

“For her sake I’d hope so but I doubt it.”

Cafferty opened his lunch box with a flourish.

“What?” John asked.

“I told Margaret that you were sleeping rough at the station so she packed a lunch for you.”

“Phillip Cafferty, you tell your good lady wife that I am ok. I don’t need to be fussed over.”

“Relax John and eat your lunch.”

“I already had a charity sandwich.”

“Have another.”

John took the sandwich to be polite. Then they took two coffees from one of the volunteers.

“Move,” Cafferty said, slipping beside John on the double lounger. They turned their faces up the sun and relaxed. In another fifteen minutes they’d be back on shift.

A shadow got between John and the sun. He opened an eye in query. Then he sat up. It was the Fire Chief.

“Boss?” he said.

“Cafferty shift your ass elsewhere,” the Fire Chief instructed. “I need a word with John here.”

Cafferty rolled off the lounger and sat on the ground trying to stay within earshot. “Move,” the Chief said.

Cafferty moved out of hearing range.

Satisfied, the Chief sat where Cafferty had been but did not lounge back. John felt he ought to sit up and pay attention.

“I hear you are sleeping in the station full time John?” the Chief began.

“Well boss...” John began but the Chief silenced him by lifting a hand.

“John, I know you lost a colleague, friend and partner and understand that you might not want to live where you did but you know the Department does not approve of those not on duty using the sleeping quarters.”

“Sorry Boss, if it’s a problem I’ll start to look elsewhere. My place is off limits until I get it cleaned. I have to use a specialist crime scene cleaner service. I have it in hand and I’ll move back in soon.”

“Any progress on the crime,” the Chief asked with a frown.

“No Boss, not that I know of.”

“Watch it John, if the cops don’t get a lead you might become the suspect.”

“No worry Boss, I have an alibi. As it happened I was on duty with Cafferty here.”

John decided not to mention his suspicion that it was he and not his partner that had been the target of the crime. As far as the Chief and others in general were concerned it was a burglary that went wrong.

“OK, but that’s not what I came to talk about. As far as I am concerned John if you are using the facilities full time then you are on duty full time.”

“Understood Boss,” John said, wondering where this was going.

‘“And I’m pleased with this John because you have no family worries and I need someone to work around the clock on a project. That someone is you.”

“What Boss?” John asked.

“John do you know the scale of the New York water system?”

“They say it’s the biggest in the world, and can store nearly five and a half billion gallons of water,” John countered.

“Right, it has a nearly two thousand square mile watershed with nineteen reservoirs and three controlled lakes,” the Chief expanded.

“Yeah, like I said big,” John replied with a grin.

“Most of this water is unfiltered but before it enters the city pipes it is treated with fluoride, phosphoric acid and sometimes other minor chemicals. And it is monitored so that reaches health standards all the time.”

“Yes Chief until it turned red and began to cause skin irritation,” John added.

“The Mayor is going to declare a State of Emergency once he gets the go ahead from the President,” the Chief explained.

“About time,” John said, sitting up straight and stretching. It was nearly time to get back on shift.

“The water system relies on a combination of tunnels, aqueducts, and reservoirs to meet the daily need,” the Chief continued.

“Right,” John agreed. He knew it was unwise to try hurrying the Chief to the point.

“There is a lot of bureaucracy involved with about six thousand employees and three bureaus in charge of respectively, Upstate water supply systems, the City water and Sewer operations plus waste water treatment,” the Chief added.

“Do we know where the contamination is hitting the system?” John asked.

“The distribution system is made up of an extensive grid of water mains stretching over six and a half thousand miles,” the Chief added.

“All contaminated?” John asked.

“Just Manhattan Island.”

“And can they trace the source?”

“This is the funny thing John. Like I said there are a lot of engineers in the employ of the water authorities and as you’d expect they’ve been working flat out to solve this.”

“So far no success?” John guessed.

“The water spontaneously becomes a reddish color and is irritable to the skin.”

“And?” John prompted.

“They traced back, sampling along the system, but there is no consistency. The water is reddish but the water then clears and goes normal and then the color springs up spontaneously elsewhere as if by magic. They are completely foxed.”

“But people can still drink the water?”

“John it’s getting more serious. We think the problem emerged in the waste water system but it appears to be working up stream. We think that if it continues at the present pace, drinking water reservoirs will be contaminated by tomorrow in some areas and everywhere on Manhattan by the end of the week.”

“Undrinkable?”

“Red in color but tests say still drinkable but hard on the digestion. Still just on Manhattan. And this is just as well because if it spreads to New York boroughs we will need to let nine million people have water every day including a million people upstream.”

“And the Water Authorities don’t know what is the cause?” John asked.

“They have done a myriad of tests and they even said that the color could be mercury which might be nuclear contamination but it does not come up mercury on the spectrograph analysis. The truth is they don’t know what it is.”

“Will they have to evacuate the city?”

“Worst case scenario. Manhattan possibly,” the Chief said.

“If people decide they can’t drink the water?” John surmised.

“Right, but so far we are keeping things calm. And New Yorkers are pulling together. Great to see. They are tackling the rat infestations with vigor.”

“And?” John prompted.

“The usual nutters and do-gooders are popping up asking how we know the water is safe. Truth is we think it is, drinking wise. But long term until we find out what this is...who knows?”

“What do you want me to do?” John asked.

“We have an environmentalist. A scientist on the Fire Department payroll outside the water people.”

“What do you mean, outside the water people?”

“John, the fire department is involved on the fringes in the sense that we are part of cleaning up the problem, but not charged with investigating the source of the contamination.” the Chief began.

“And putting out the fires started to smoke out rats,” John added.

“Yes, exactly. All our resources are stretched but with the State of Emergency the National Guard will come on board.”

“Great,” John said.

“The environmentalist is called Doctor Jane Schmidt,” the Chief said.

“Don’t know her,” John admitted.

“I want you to help her. She knows her science but you John, you know New York.”

“Help her to do what?”

“John, I want a small task force, that is, you and Dr. Jane to get on to the problem outside the normal pathways.”

“Why Chief, surely there are hundreds working on this?”

“Exactly, bureaucracy gone mad. I want you to work outside the box. Brainstorm it. I’ll give back-up resources as needed. Just call me.”

As he spoke the Chief made to stand.

“Why me?’ John asked.

“Hero of nine-eleven and on duty full time with no home to go to. And you’ve got a nose John. We both know that. Nothing may come of this. If conventional routes solve the problem well and good, I’ll let you know if anything breaks. But I think a look outside the box will do no harm,” the Chief said with conviction.

“When do I start?”

“Now John, you’re off shift and on assignment. Go find this Jane person back at Station and talk to her and see what line of enquiry you favor.”

With that the Chief was gone.

“Trouble?” Cafferty asked, coming back beside John.

“Keep it close but they think it may get worse before it gets better.”

“Shit!”

“Tell Margaret to store water in a bath or somewhere but to say nothing. If this spreads there’ll be total chaos.”

“I’d better say nothing John. Margaret is incapable of a secret, she’d ring her sister and then all New York would know.”

“You’re right.”

“What next?’ Cafferty asked, adding, “by the way I’ll buy some bottled water on the way home.”

“OK, but I’m off the shift. I have to escort an environmental scientist for the Chief.”

“See you later,” Cafferty said. He could see that the rest of their shift team was beginning to make a move back on duty. “I’ll tell the boys you got a job from the Chief.”

“And nothing else,” John cautioned.

“And nothing else,” Cafferty agreed.