To Coi Than Tien.
66.
THE FENCE SURROUNDING COI Than Tien, the barn, and most of the shacks, were all in flames. Ben saw people fleeing their homes, their dearest possessions on their backs, their children clutched to their chests. Others scrambled around trying to fight the blaze, to little effect.
Someone on the ground was organizing a bucket-brigade line from the well to the nearest point of fire. He couldn’t make out the face on the slender body, but he had a strong hunch who it was.
Sheriff Collier and Loving hauled Ben into the helicopter. It was crowded—five people in a small helicopter—but he wasn’t about to complain.
Before Ben could get his bearings, he was astonished to feel Loving wrap his arms around him—and hug him.
“Are you all right, Skipper?” An expression of profound worry crossed his macho brow.
“Yeah, I’m all right,” Ben said awkwardly. “But Christina isn’t. She needs medical attention.”
“No,” Christina said. She was staring out the window, watching Coi Than Tien fight the flames. “We have to go down there and help.”
“I can’t land too close,” Mike said. “Portia’s blades could fan the flames and make the blaze worse than it already is. But there’s a clearing on the other side of the settlement.”
Ben protested. “But I still think—”
Christina shook her head. “Take us down.”
As Ben suspected, Belinda had organized another brigade to fight the rampaging fire. This fire was several times as great as the one they had fought before, but this time Belinda had many more hands. She had three different lines aimed at different parts of the fire, radiating from the well like spokes from the hub of a wheel.
Most of the residents of Coi Than Tien had returned to fight the blaze, and many citizens of Silver Springs were there as well. Mike explained to Ben that the fire had broken out while he and Sheriff Collier were at Coi Than Tien investigating the latest death. Collier radioed for help. Every officer, off duty or on, turned out, and on their way out of town they raised the alarm at the Bluebell, Hatewatch, and just about every other place they could find people this time of night.
To Ben’s amazement, he saw Grand Dragon Dunagan standing on the sidelines with two of his ASP followers. He wasn’t helping, and for a reason: he was wearing handcuffs on both wrists.
Ben took a place beside Mike in one of the brigade lines. “How did you find us?” he shouted over the noise and the smoke.
“I got Portia fixed this afternoon,” Mike explained, “so I flew her to Coi Than Tien. When the fire broke out, we ran toward the church and saw all these ASP creeps in costume bolting out the back door. Collier and I arrested Dunagan and a couple of the others on suspicion of arson.”
“I don’t know about that,” Ben said, passing another bucket into Mike’s hands, “but I can give you some even juicier charges to work with.”
“Great. They wouldn’t tell me where you were at first, but after I leaned on one of the sidekicks, he told me you and Christina were still inside the church. I knew I couldn’t get through that wall of fire on foot, so I decided to try an aerial rescue.”
“How did you get him to talk?”
“Oh, you know. Held his head close to the fire. Threatened to handcuff him to the front door. That’s all.”
“Oh, well,” Ben said. “Nothing the Supreme Court would disapprove of, I’m sure.”
The buckets of water continued to fly down the human spokes of Coi Than Tien. The fire had spread to almost all the buildings, but it didn’t seem to be getting any worse. At least they were containing it before it devastated the entire countryside.
Ben had been on the line a full fifteen minutes before he noticed that the man passing buckets to him was none other than Sheriff Gustafson. Ben hadn’t even noticed. Their eyes met, but neither said a word.
Ben scanned some of the other lines. The other deputies were there, and he saw District Attorney Swain, too. Mac was there along with several of the Bluebell regulars. John Pfeiffer and Frank Carroll were there with Belinda. Pham and his contingent formed an almost continuous line. Colonel Nguyen was helping them, with a boy Mike identified as Nhung Vu. He had a patch over his right eye, but he seemed strong and able.
And then a miracle occurred. Ben heard the wailing of the siren first. The sound grew in pitch and intensity as it Doppler-shifted closer to them.
Ben saw the large red vehicle drive through the entrance gates of Coi Than Tien. It was a fire truck—a real one. And it was carrying ten professional firefighters.
“Thank God,” Mike said. “Collier called them in from Yell County.”
“You knew they were coming?”
“Yeah. But I was afraid the fire would be out of control before they arrived.”
The firefighters unhooked their hoses and started to work. The brigade lines kept going, but they cleared a path and tried not to get in the professionals’ way. The truck didn’t have access to a hydrant, but they dropped a sump pump in the well and had a limited supply of water on the truck.
It was slow going, but it was making a difference. The citizens had brought the fire under control, and the pros were now extinguishing it. They killed the fire at Coi Than Tien, then put out the remaining flames at the church and the outlying areas. By two in the morning, the fire was gone.
But so was Coi Than Tien. All that was left was black, smoking embers. The barn was the only building still standing, and it had suffered, significant damage. The church was gone, all but the charred remains. Worse, the mountain countryside between the two was ruined.
The fire had taken its toll on everyone. And everything.
67.
BEN STOOD IN THE center of what was once Coi Than Tien, barely able to contemplate all the waste and mindless destruction. Where would these people go now? he wondered. What would they do? What could they do?
Mike approached him, hauling Dunagan along by the short chain of his handcuffs. “You had something you wanted to tell me about this man?”
“Damn straight.” Ben continued to gaze at the pitiful ruins. “Well, Dunagan, it looks like your mission is accomplished. I hope you’re happy with yourself.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t set this fire.”
“Maybe not, but you set into motion the forces that made it inevitable.” Ben saw a face he recognized running past. “Pham!”
Dan Pham stopped. “What do you want?”
“I’d like a few words with you.”
“I have matters to attend to—”
Ben grabbed Pham and pushed him toward Dunagan. “We’re all going to talk. And if you won’t stay voluntarily, Mike will arrest you on suspicion of arson.”
“Arson? What are you talking about? Are you suggesting I set fire to my people’s homes?”
“No. But I think you torched the ASP church, and that fire blazed out of control and spread to Coi Than Tien.”
Pham folded his arms across his chest. “You have no proof of these accusations.”
“You told Colonel Nguyen you planned to retaliate tonight. You must’ve heard about the ASP meeting just like I did. What I don’t know is how you found their secret meeting place.”
A tiny smile crept across Pham’s countenance. A smile Ben didn’t like at all.
“You followed me,” Ben said. “I led you to it.”
“I have had a man following you since you became counsel for that hatemongering killer.”
Ben grabbed Pham’s shirt and shook him with all his might. “How dare you? How dare you use me to further your terrorism!”
“Terrorism? Are we the terrorists? All I did was defend my home. They are the terrorists!” He pointed an accusing finger at Dunagan. “I saw more than just a church meeting tonight. I saw two men painting a black truck in the church garage. The pickup that has been used to strike against Coi Than Tien time and time again!”