Ted stopped typing. “What are you talking about?”
“He claims they’ve got the area shut down.”
“Who’s ‘they’?”
“Chicago PD. He’s tried three different routes. Nothing but roadblocks.”
Ted walked over to the assignment desk. Missy pointed to a map she’d pulled up on one of the monitors. “He’s been here on Madison. Then went south and looped around. Then doubled back and came in on Ogden. Dino says it’s a perimeter.”
“What the fuck does Dino know about a perimeter?”
“He says he saw them hauling in fencing.”
“Fencing?”
“He shot some footage but couldn’t get close enough to see where the trucks were going.”
Ted sat down beside Missy and studied the map some more. “What’s been on the scanner?”
“I told you. A possible level-three haz mat. Came across about ten-thirty. One repeat, a half hour after that.”
“Any address?”
Missy shook her head. “Just a Garfield Park locator.”
“And nothing since then?”
“Nope. No police. No fire.” Missy took a sip of her soda, tapped her foot, and waited.
“Anyone else running after this?” Ted said.
“Five might have sent someone over, but I’m not sure.”
“Can you find out?”
“Maybe.”
“What time is the chopper up?”
“Four a.m. I can call it in earlier.”
Ted began a slow drift back to his desk. “What’s the latest on the outbreak over at Cook?”
“Mayor did a gangbang at the hospital around six. Said everything was under control. Then they cleared us out. We led with it at ten.”
“How many sick?”
“Eleven confirmed deaths. Nothing specific on total number of sick.”
“What’re you hearing?”
“Latest speculation is E. coli. Before that it was bird flu and H1N1. There’s a rumor the CDC’s got its nose in it, but nothing official. It’s the West Side, so who knows?”
“We have anyone at Cook now?”
“I told you, they cleared us out. All statements are coming from downtown. I’ve got a crew staked out there all night.”
“Get Dino on the phone and transfer him over.”
Missy reached for the two-way just as one of her inside lines lit up. She cradled the receiver between her shoulder and ear as she composed another text to her cameraman. “Yeah? What’s that?” A pause. “Where?”
Ted swung his head in her direction. Missy found herself pointing at him for no particular reason. “Hang on a second.” She put the call on hold.
“What is it?” Ted said.
“They took a call on one of the outside lines. Some guy from Oak Park. Claims police are rounding up people with guns. Says they’re wearing masks and some kind of protective suits.”
“Oak Park?”
“That’s what they said.” Missy could hear the dry patch in her voice and forced herself to swallow.
“Have you talked to the guy?” Ted said.
Missy pointed to a blinking light on her console. “He was in his car and got cut off. The operator who took the call is on two.”
“Get Dino on the phone. And put the operator through to Jim’s line.”
Ted began to wind his way back to the privacy of the news director’s office.
Missy punched on the blinking line. “Did you get the guy’s name and number? Okay. I’m going to put you through to Ted Henderson. Hold on.”
A third line lit up in front of Missy. Another inside call. This time from security. Missy picked up.
“Busy back here, guys.” She listened for another moment. “Hang on.”
Missy yelled across the newsroom. “Ted?”
Ted Henderson was walking through the Channel Six Weather Control Center when Missy called his name. He stopped and squinted. In khaki pants and a pullover Brooks Brothers sweater, Ted suddenly looked awfully young, awfully pale, and awfully alone.
“We’ve got company,” Missy said.
“What’s that?” Ted ran his fingers through his hair.
“Three guys from Homeland Security. They’re up front. Want to come back and talk to us.”
Ted Henderson sat down in a straight-backed chair and stared hard at an empty Doppler radar screen. The clock over his head read 12:43 a.m.
CHAPTER 35
The blue van rolled down the alley, through patterns of wet light and darkness. Marcus watched with the others as it pulled into the loading dock, and the warehouse door rattled down behind it.
Four men got out. They ignored the gangbangers circling and focused on Ray Ray. One of them opened up the back and showed him what was inside. They pulled out maps and cigarettes. Ray Ray listened and nodded. The men talked for almost an hour. They unloaded everything and stacked it all against a wall. Then the men got in their van and left.
Ray Ray called everyone close. There were maybe forty of them. Marcus kept near the back, left hand wrapped as best he could. Ray Ray showed them what the men had brought. Gasoline. Power nail guns. Cans of red paint. Jace dragged two flat metal boxes to the center of the room. Ray Ray put a boot on one and began to talk.
They’d all seen the choppers. Heard about the fences. Some fools wanted to hit the streets. Some already had. But Ray Ray held the Fours in his fist. Wouldn’t let them off the chain. Until now. He told his crew what needed to be done. Then Ray Ray flipped open the boxes. In one were the shotguns. In the other, gas masks. They had five hours until sunup. And an entire neighborhood to burn.
CHAPTER 36
The Blue Line train made its way west, running parallel to the Ike and moving slowly. I looked out the window, at columns of dirty smoke drifting across streaks of early morning sun.
“Fires?” I said and turned to Molly Carrolton, who looked up reluctantly from her iPad.
“Hmm?”
I jerked a thumb outside. “Anyone notice the West Side’s burning down?”
“I told you, there were reports of violence all night. Some blocks torched in K Town. That’s all anyone really knows.”
I’d spent most of the night in a suite at the Colonial Tower, watching the mayor and his pals explain to the world what was happening in Chicago. The star of the show had been the fence line, backlit at dawn and guarded by men in NBC suits. Pretty much said it all.
Molly had knocked on my door at a few minutes after six. Wilson had asked her to get me out of the quarantine zone. Without the feds finding out. She’d suggested the L. And so, here we were.
