Hampton Manor

area was under one foot of water and the Old Brooking Water System was out of operation. The town of Old Brooking, Connecticut was without their water supply. Perfect execution!

The Assassin smiled as he checked the box next to “A” on his timetable. He started up his car and took a last look in his rear view mirror. He could see people heading toward the perimeter of the manmade lake, a few even wading into the water with their pants rolled up as he used to do as a small boy. The people seemed to be fascinated by the water. Enjoy it. It will be around for a while, only you’re not going to be able to have water where you really need it; at home.

He checked his watch, 7:20. Time to move on to the warehouse. During the short drive he had to pull over to let an emergency vehicle pass. Good luck, fellas, a lot of good you’re going to do. As he passed a residential area people were at their front doors trying to figure out what caused the loud explosion several minutes earlier. It wouldn’t take them too long to figure it out once they tried to run water in their houses.

It took him only five minutes to arrive at his second observation spot. Again he had a clear view of his target. He picked up the remote marked “B”, followed the same procedure as before and at 7:30,on the dot, the abandoned Parker Brothers Lumber warehouse became an inferno. He knew he could linger awhile and observe how the Old Brooking Fire Department handled the fire without a fresh supply of water.

The “fleet” consisted of only four pumpers, since the one tanker they had suffered major engine problems and the town voted against the funds to replace it. The remaining apparatus was less than two years old. The pumpers were each equipped with thousand gallon tanks.

The Assassin watched as they approached the blaze, amused by the flurry of activity. They must know by now that the hydrants are dry. This will be like taking a leak on a forest fire. He smiled as he thought, You guys must be wishing that you had three miles of hose so you could pump water from the new lake in the center of town. I bet your next request for a Fire Department levy will pass overwhelmingly. You don’t have to thank me. Glad to be of help.

The two thousand gallons that the two pumpers carried dissipated quickly as they hosed down the adjacent buildings even though they were vacant; that was the protocol. After that, all they could do was direct traffic and watch as the flames enjoyed the feast of aged wood. The sirens of the remaining two engines could be heard in the distance You guys should have brought some marshmallows. It’s a crying shame to waste such a nice fire.

He looked at his watch, then back at the firemen doing their thing. He couldn’t help but think, So much for Old Brookings’s rendition of the “Keystone Firemen”, but I must be off. The Assassin had a deep respect for police and firemen and all those who put their lives on the line, but this was business. He checked the “B” box on his timetable. It’s time for the coup de grace.

On the way to Hampton Manor he encountered more pedestrian and vehicular traffic than he anticipated including a five minute delay for an accident caused by two gawkers more intent on watching the fire than they were driving their cars. One driver paid with his life for this lapse in judgment. There is always the risk of collateral damage with any job; innocent people in the wrong place at the wrong time. It just couldn’t be anticipated or avoided.

Mayhem was the order of the day in the town of Old Brooking.

Chapter 42

Adam arrived home about seven. Milton met him at the door.

“You look as if you’ve had a particularly difficult day, sir” he said as he reached for Adam’s coat and briefcase.

“You can’t even begin to imagine. I’m going to freshen up first and have a drink before dinner. I’ll be in about 7:30. I’ll be in the den until then.”

“That’s fine, sir. Is there anything else I can do?”

“I don’t think so. I know you told me at breakfast what were having tonight, but it slipped my mind.”

“Roast duckling in a plum sauce.”

“I remember now. I’m looking forward to it. Would you do me a favor and remind John that I’m visiting with my father at 8:30 tonight.”

“I’ll take care of that right away, sir.

Adam washed up and went to his den. He made a Rusty Nail and sat back in his recliner. He wasn’t surprised that Bootsy and Flopsy were already playing bookends with his chair. Bootsy was always on the right and Flopsy on the left. He smiled as he thought about how some things never changed. As he got settled he heard the sound of the explosion at the water system and a felt a mild tremor. He looked at the clock; it was 7:15. The dogs started barking and ran out the door towards the kitchen passing Milton on his way to the den.

“What on earth was that noise?”

“I have no idea, sir. It felt like a mild earthquake, but that noise sounded like something exploded. I’ll make a few calls, and let you know.”

“Thanks, Milton,” he said as he returned to his chair and drink”

He returned ten minutes later. “I’m afraid I have some rather bleak news. I spoke with Jim Wesson, the head of the Town Council. He said the pumping station exploded and broke the main water conduit. The water towers drained into the hole. Downtown is about a foot underwater right now. The town is without water and Jim thinks it may take several days to restore service, but, he was just hazarding a guess. He hasn’t spoken to any of the system engineers yet.”

“You better check on the back-up generators in case the flood waters knock out the town’s power. I remember what happened when we had that hurricane.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll do that right away. I’ll tell the staff to conserve water until service is restored. I took an inventory of the bottled water the other day. We have twenty five-gallon bottles stored under the grand stairway. We’ll need to ration them until we know the status of things.”

“I know I can count on you to manage things. Do the best you can. If it’s going to take too long, we’ll just move out until things return to normal. The West Wing will be a problem, though. Tomorrow, when we know more, we’ll see if we can move my father to a private facility. In the meantime let’s not keep that duck waiting. Suddenly I have a ravenous appetite.”

At 8:30, Adam entered the West Wing. John greeted him and Adam filled him in on the water situation and plans to evacuate the wing if the water problem became prolonged. “See Milton about getting some extra water bottles for the toilet tanks. Set the floaters lower to preserve what little water we do have.”

“I’ll take care of that right away. I’ll bring four bottles and store them in my office.”

“Adam picked up his father’s chart, scanned it for any warning flags, and motioned to John that he was ready to meet with his father.

John turned to one of the nurses. “Neil, will you make sure Mister Hampton is ready to visit with his son.”

“Sure, John.”

As Neil was leaving the reception area, John turned to Adam. “I shut off the recording devices as you requested.”

“Thanks John. Why don’t you keep the dogs here with you tonight. They distract my father sometimes and I need his full attention.”

“Not a problem. I have some dog biscuits and some squeaky toys that should keep them amused for a while. I enjoy their company.”

Neil returned, and held the door open for Adam.

Adam headed back to his father’s den determined that by the time he left he would know the name of the “mystery heir”.

Adam was surprised to find his father dressed in a blue suit with a red “power” tie. His father gestured to Adam to sit in the chair opposite him. John should have warned me. The old man is acting as if he’s