Hampton Manor (20 page)

“I’m glad I got my release in writing. It’s bad enough that one of us has to go through this. How did you make out with 9-1-1?”

“That turned out to be another hassle. They hooked me up with the Police Department. I explained in detail about the calls. They told me that it followed the pattern of juvenile prank. They said they get dozens of reports like mine every month. They can’t do anything to investigate the calls unless the caller makes a direct threat against a person or property. In other words, they don’t intend to do anything.”

“Gee, it’s comforting to know that Old Bookings’ finest are out there protecting their citizens. That’s an interesting policy towards crime prevention.”

“The good part, if you can call it that, is that the calls have stopped. The phone rang right before I called 9-1-1 and when I answered it I told them that they had better stop because I was calling 9-1-1. There was no reply, but since then the phone hasn’t rung.”

“I guess we should take that as a good sign. Just to be safe, though, why don’t you disconnect your land phone and we’ll only use our private cell phones. I wonder what that bastard is going to do next to harass you? I can’t believe that he has the time to spend on this when his whole world collapsing around him.”

“I can’t imagine anything else he can do to me.”

“You know, we don’t have any reason to hang around this town. There is no need for us to be sitting ducks for that sicko. Anything we need to do, we can do from anywhere. Why don’t we go to my place in Wooster Square?”

Marcia thought about his offer. She knew that they would run off somewhere, eventually.
Why not now?

“You’re right. I could be ready by noon tomorrow.”

I haven’t seen any strange cars around, so we should be able to make a clean getaway.”

“You make it sounds like we’re desperados taking it on the lam.”

“Well I did promise you a life full of adventures. Let’s make this our first one.”

Kane poured the last of the second bottle of wine and asked, “How did things get so out of whack?”

“I’ll tell you how. It’s because we’re involved with Adam Hampton.”
 

Marcia sat back with the last glass of wine. As she did, trepidation
swept into her brain and guided her thoughts, .
Adam Hampton is bringing out the worst in me. I’ve got feelings rolling around inside of my head that I never thought I could entertain. That man should have backed off when he had the chance. Now he’s going to see a side of Marcia Bloom that he’ll wish he hadn’t awakened.
Nothing is going to stand in the way of my happiness with Kane.

Chapter 27

“Mister Masterson, this is Tom Bertilomi at Messenger, Carson & Wilson. I’m afraid have some bad news for you.”

Messenger, Carson & Wilson is a New Haven law firm that Kane retained for his personal legal matters for over the past four years.

“Who did you say you were?”

“Tom Bertilomi at your attorney’s office.”

“What happened to Bert Wilson, he usually handles my legal matters?”

“That’s true, sir, but Bert is in the hospital with an emergency appendectomy. He expects to be away from the office for the balance of the week. He asked me to call.”

“Look, Tom, I was just getting ready to drive back to my home in Wooster Square. Can whatever it is wait until later this afternoon?”

“Well, sir, I’ll let you decide. It’s about a pending Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of fraudulent transactions connected with your stock dealings at Preston Industries.”

“What are you talking about. I haven’t heard anything from the SEC? How would you guys hear about it?”

“An attorney at Hampton Industries owed Bert a favor and gave him the heads up. Bert tried to reach you at your hotel early last evening and they told him that you had checked out. That was right before his appendicitis attack.”

“This is ridiculous. It sounds like something Adam Hampton would conjure up in that sick mind of his. It’s a witch-hunt. Have you done anything to trace the rumor?”

“Well, Mister Masterson, we believe that it’s more than just a rumor. We made a preliminary pass at the SEC. They are definitely working on something, but they won’t comment on it until they begin an official investigation. Public Relations at Hampton refuses to comment, as well.”

“Now there’s a surprise. Look, Tom, this is a lot of bullshit. What am I supposed to do, sit around and wait until they finish checking these false allegations?”

“I’m afraid that that’s the way it works, sir. If they’ve already started an inquiry at Hampton/Preston then they should be close to making it official. I know that you haven’t asked for my advice, but it would probably be better if you didn’t leave town at this time. The investigation will be conducted out of the SEC’s Regional office in Boston. Since all the vital securities records for Preston are now housed in Old Brooking, they will no doubt conduct their hearings there. It would help expedite matters if you were available for questions within minutes rather than hours.”

“Can’t they ask their questions on the phone or over the internet? I thought all these agencies were highly automated.”

“One would think so, but many of the documents they look at are corporate records that require on-site viewing. Most of them are current and may not as yet be recorded. It’s too interactive a process not to be done in-person. Of course, I’m going by what they’ve done in the past. It’s always possible that they may not want to talk to you for several weeks or maybe not at all. That will depend, of course, on their initial findings and the pace of their inquiry.”

“Who will I be dealing with at your office? Will you be my point man?”

“Actually, I’m just a para-legal. If anything happens this week, Mel Thurber will be the man. After that, Bert expects to be back handling things for you.”

“Okay, I’ll stay put, but this better be resolved soon. I can’t get out of this town fast enough.” He gave him Marcia’s address and the cell phone number.

He went to the kitchen and gave Marcia the news. She was angry at the turn of affairs that was keeping them from leaving. He poured a large glass of orange juice and went out on the balcony. He sat down on one of the cushioned chairs to mull things over. All he could think about was getting revenge
against Adam Hampton
.
It looks like Adam wants a showdown. Apparently he’s not happy just acquiring Preston Industries
,
he wants to draw blood too. Well, that isn’t going to happen, Adam. I’m going to stop you before you do any more harm. I’m going to blindside you with a massive pre-emptive strike. I know things you don’t know. That puts me in the driver’s seat. You and your father won’t know what hit you until it’s too late. You shouldn’t have messed with me.

Chapter 28

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I get them both. Call me as soon as the money has been deposited.” The Assassin was accustomed to conversations like this. In his line of work he was known as the best; a man who took great pride in his profession. His legit business, a construction company in East St. Louis, Illinois, was a perfect front for the techno-killer.

“I heard you talking. Who’s the target this time?” an associate asked, as he entered the office.

“There are two of them; Adam Hampton III and his father Adam Hampton II. Both live in Old Brooking, Connecticut. My client was specific that he wants both of them dead and their Manor destroyed. Apparently Hampton Manor is symbolic of something.”

“They want you to burn down the mansion with the two of them in it? What the hell is that about? Sounds like some kind of a vendetta to me.”

“It certainly does. I don’t have any of the detail and I don‘t really want to know. I’ve been waiting for an exciting challenge like this for some time.”

“They didn’t happen to specify what they wanted the victims to be wearing at the time, did they?”

“There is no need for sarcasm,” the Assassin answered. “I do my best work under the pressure of rigid client specifications. We’ve got two weeks and a lot of planning to do, so let’s get to work. First I’m going to need the schematics for the Old Brooking Municipal Water System. I’ll need the location of their pumping stations, reserve tanks and the water main system. See if you can affix construction dates to everything.”

“What do you need all that stuff for?”

The Assassin rolled his eyes.
How
do
some
people
make
it
through
life
with
just
enough
gray
matter
between
their
ears
as
it
takes
to
lace
up
their
shoes
? He smiled as he realized that the invention of Velcro strips even made that task less challenging for some. Patiently, he explained, “If our fire is going to accomplish what we’re setting out to do, the odds will improve greatly if attempts by the Old Brooking’s Fire Department to extinguish it, are unsuccessful. Especially, if they are out of business.”

“You mean that you’re gonna knock out their Fire Department?” the associate asked, in disbelief.

“Not the Fire Department, stupid, just the water they need to extinguish the fires.”

“Oh! Now I get it.”

The Assassin smiled.
He gets it
.
The Planet can rest easily now. “
Get to work and get me those blueprints and maps. Then I’ll show you how it’ll be done.”

The next morning a pile of paper rested on the Assassin’s desk. He spent four hours poring over the network of water mains, periodically referencing the list of construction dates. A brochure from the Old Brooking Water District boasted about the use of concrete water mains chosen for their ability to withstand corrosion and internal and external pressure, minimizing the likelihood of ever cracking or leaking. On the downside concrete mains were more difficult to shut down should that ever be necessary. The decision as to whether a water main or the pumping station should be taken out was a difficult one for him to make. The water main section supplying water to the Hampton mansion was only twelve years old and was constructed with steel reinforcements, making it difficult to create a structural collapse. The pumping station, on the other hand, was “ancient” by any standard. No improvements had been for over thirty years due to budget restrictions. A spate of recent breakdowns made the Old Brooking Municipal Pumping Station an “accident waiting to happen.”

Finally, the Assassin settled on a two-pronged approach. The last pump between the station and the mansion was “jerry-rigged” to supply water through a seventy-five foot section of twenty foot diameter conduit which was only ten feet below the ground and not reinforced by steel. Damage to this section, some of which was directly under the electrical control panel, would effectively shut down the station and the town’s water supply for at least several weeks until water could be diverted from nearby towns.

He decided on taking out the electrical grid starting with one of the transformers. The resulting explosion would set off a chain reaction throughout the grid and cause the pump to implode down into the main. Failure of the electrical grid would automatically cut off the flow of water from the reservoir. Reserves stored in the town’s water towers would drain quickly into the streets. Within an hour Old Brooking would run dry. All that would be needed to complete step one would be twenty five pounds of strategically placed Nitrex and given the absolute lack of security at the facility, that would be the easiest part of the job.

He was counting on the fact that Nitrex was a powerful explosive that could be set off by a remote control device. It was mostly used at construction sites to remove large boulders. His construction company had a supply on hand. Over the years he falsified the inventory records so that he would have an untraceable supply of Nitrex for his private use. Nitrex was also difficult to detect before and after use, making it a perfect choice for high impact explosions. Best of all it wouldn’t leave his “signature” behind.

The fire at Hampton Manor required more elaborate planning. He would first need to torch a building on the opposite side of the town for a diversion. With the water supply shut off, what little water was in the system or in storage would soon be depleted by that blaze. He chose, as his target, an abandoned warehouse that was once a lumber yard. The proximity to other businesses meant that the fire department would make it a priority to contain the fire, rather than just let it burn to the ground; a catch 22 for them.

Up-to-date blueprints of Hampton Manor were easily obtained from the Old Brooking Planning Commission since, several years back, blueprints were filed for the major reconstruction to the West Wing of the mansion to house Adam Hampton II. The Assassin spent over three hours poring over the prints, looking for the weak spots. The first was a narrow shaft between two bedrooms on the second floor that dropped down to a space behind the control room in the West Wing. It could be accessed from a panel in the wall of a closet in one of the bedrooms. The interior of the shaft was one foot wide and two feet long with an eight inch diameter pipe in the center. More than enough space remained to lower a Nitrex package into the wing. The oxygen and nitrogen tanks, known to be stored nearby, would assure that the wing would be an inferno within minutes.