Seattle Quake 9.2 (A Jackie Harlan Mystery Book 1) Read online

  He took another deep breath and once more ran his shaking hands through his red hair, "The fire is about fifteen blocks north. At least we don't have to worry about that just yet. The twin towers of the Westin Hotel are still there, though they are badly damaged and one is leaning two or three feet to one side. The Monorail flew off its rails and is sticking out of the roof of Times Square. And the jail collapsed, the new one we just built. Hopefully, the prisoners who survived will have left town by the time we get out of here."

  Jenna's short temper abruptly flared up again, "The new jail collapsed, how is that possible? Wasn't it strong enough? Didn't they build it right?"

  It was Seely who answered, "Sugar, new buildings are built to withstand an 8.0, not a 9.1. An earthquake measuring 9.1 is huge and no one knows how to build a building that strong."

  "Why didn't everything fall then?"

  "I don't know. Go on Timmy, what else?"

  Tim glanced at his trembling hands, and then tucked them between his wobbling knees. He managed to steady both. "Well, the building directly across Third Avenue hit us. It's the darnedest thing I've ever seen. The top is imbedded in this building, about ten or twelve floors down.”

  "So that's why we stopped swaying. Go on," Seely said.

  "There's a tanker truck on fire on the freeway, about six blocks south of us and the freeway is a tangled, twisted, buckled mess. And, the top of the bus tunnel collapsed, street and all. There's a deep gash all the way down Third Avenue and I can see people still alive down there with water around them. They must have built the tunnel below the water level. It looks like some buildings fell into it and more are leaning that direction."

  Seely put a hand up to stop him. "Wait, wait. I can't absorb this much at once. Is anyone helping the people in the bus tunnel?"

  "A few, but real help won't arrive any time soon."

  "Why not?"

  "There are tons of glass and garbage in the streets. I could barely see the tops of cars."

  Seely lowered her eyes and hung her head, "How could we let this happen? We knew about the fault under the city."

  "Yes, but by then it was too late. What were we supposed to do, move Seattle to Boise?"

  The wind was picking up, lifting the corners of loose papers and threatening to send them airborne. The haunting 'shhhh' of the illusive train yet seeped up from the ground below, and once more the building began a slow, sorrowful groan as more weight settled on the devastated foundation. All three held their breaths until the building quieted.

  Finally, Tim broke the eerie silence, "Without a chopper, we're never gonna get out of here."

  Seely nodded, "I think you're right. What else did you see?"

  Tim suddenly chuckled, "You know the Smith Tower? Well it's still standing."

  Seely's mouth dropped, "I don't believe it. It's the oldest high-rise in the city."

  "Go figure. They must have known how to build back then. Not only that, it got taller. Looking south to the next block down Third Avenue, I can see ground."

  "What do you mean, ground?"

  "Raw dirt, maybe twenty or thirty feet high. And the rest of Third Avenue, the part on top of the cliff, shifted away from the Bay. The Grant Building is in the middle of the street. The train station is demolished and the train tracks moved over. The fire station is flat on the ground. Seely, I think the whole city shifted, only in different directions. We moved toward the water and the south side moved away from it. Are you getting what I mean?"

  Seely looked deep into Tim's eyes for a long moment and then looked away. "We're sitting on the fault?"

  "Right smack dab on the line. I can't imagine why we're still alive. And if we do find a way to get down, we can't go south because of the cliff. We've got fire to the north, water to the west and the sunken bus tunnel out our front door to the east. The only way to get out of here is by chopper and..."

  Seely closed her eyes and slowly shook her head, "And there are thousands of Saturday shoppers down there needing more help than we…if any of them are still alive."

  Jenna glanced at Tim, and then looked back at Seely, "Aren't any of the other buildings still standing. I thought some were on rollers. Isn't the Parkland Hotel on rollers?"

  "I don't know," Tim answered. "Next time, I'll look for it. I'm feeling a little braver now, and yes Jenna, some of the other buildings are still standing. The US Bank building is still there, although it's not so pretty with all its glass blown out. One Union Square is up and so is the Columbia Tower. There's a guy hanging off the top from cables, poor guy."

  "Are there any people in the streets?" Jenna asked.

  "Alive you mean?" Instantly Tim regretted his abruptness. He watched the sorrow in Jenna's eyes a moment, and then took hold of her hand. "Yes, I saw a few trying to dig out. But Jenna, even if we could get out of this building, it would take weeks to walk out of downtown."

  "I don't care if it takes weeks. I've got to get home. My mom..."

  Tim wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew Jenna closer. "We'll get out. Just you wait and see. We'll go up to the top floor, some nice man in a helicopter will let us in and we'll all go home, okay?"

  "Okay."

  *

  With cold sodas, a full tank of gas and the ease of interstate driving, James took the onramp back to Interstate 90 westbound and continued up the winding, gradual incline to the crest of the Cascade Mountains. The higher they climbed, the cooler the air, a welcome relief from Yakima's 96 degrees. Again, he switched off the truck radio in favor of the Ham and before she could protest, flashed Heather a warning glance. Soon, he located the emergency frequency being used by Hams south of Seattle.

  Heather folded her arms and frowned, "I'd rather listen to Max."

  "I know. But we need to know how bad it is in the South end. That's where we're going, you know."

  Heather fumed a while longer, and then started talking again just to keep her brother from listening, "So, what are the bleeps?"

  "The repeater does that. It beeps three times to alert other Hams of an emergency. That way, they stay off this frequency."

  "Oh. Then why does..."

  "Heather, I'm trying to listen!" James watched his sister use her thumb and forefinger to pretend to zip her lips, and then turned his attention back to the Ham radio.

  "WG7LRS"

  "LRS, this is net control, go ahead."

  "WG7LRS, I've got a report of two pit bulls out of their cage in South Tacoma. Last seen headed west on 66th. The dogs have been trained to kill and the owner says they are extremely dangerous, over."

  "WG, copy. Okay, we're stacked up here. Stand by…okay, K7EQ, go ahead."

  "K7EQ, Tacoma Police are asking our assistance. We got anyone available? Over."

  "EQ, stand by. All Operators able to assist Tacoma Police check in, over."

  Heather let the cool wind blow her short, brown hair. Quickly over her latest irritation, she watched the passing scenery, listened to the call signs reporting in on the radio, and then turned to her brother. "What'll they do with all the dead bodies?"

  James shifted positions in his seat and glanced at her, "I don't know. They'll put them in body bags, I guess, until they can bury them."

  "I've only seen one dead body."

  "Heather, we're going to help the living. Try to remember that."

  She stared out the window a while longer, and then asked another question, "When we get there, will you know where to go?"

  "Sure. Mom's worked for the Red Cross for years and took me there lots of times. The Red Cross warehouse is easy to find, once you know where to look, and if we can't get to that one, we'll go to another one. There are dozens in Seattle."

  "Yes, but will they have enough food and water stored up for this?"

  "I hope so. If not, they'll fly more in. What they need most right now are people like us willing to help distribute the food and keep records of who's alive."

  Heather got quiet again, gazing at the mountains and wondering al
oud, more to herself than to her brother. "We still haven't heard much about downtown. How come they don't have any Hams downtown? James, do you think we should try to reach Max and tell him South Center is on fire? His wife is there, you know."

  "I've been thinking about that. I don't want to be the one to tell him. He'll hear soon enough."

  "You ever meet him?"

  "Nope. Just talked to him over the radio. Don't even know what he looks like. Turn the radio on, will you?"

  "Which one?" Heather asked.

  "The truck radio."

  "Cool."

  *

  Just as the FCC required, Collin regularly turned the volume down on the Amateur Radio to give the station's call sign and frequency. Next, he launched a new round of instructions for the sake of people who recently managed to find a radio. Yet, each station break reminded him of the amount of time passing without word of Beth. Faithfully, he reported the number of bodies laid out near the collapsed building across the street. When he was finished, he put the mike close enough to pick up the Ham transmissions and turned the volume up.

  He tried the phones again. Still dead, not even a dial tone. He got up, walked to the window and looked out. Less than a dozen people struggled to toss the rubble away, brick by brick and board by board -- feverishly working without the benefit of equipment, engineers or even one police officer. Nor were there any Ham operators available to report the severity of the injuries. At length, he turned away.

  "A7BB."

  "BB, go ahead."

  "Sarah, the Coast Guard got one of its fire ships running. Looks like they're going to try to put the fire out from the Bay. I don't know if they can, though. Don't think they can shoot their spray that far. On the other hand, maybe they've got some sort of extensions for the fire hoses. Oh well, not my problem. The Aircraft Carrier is dropping anchor and I saw a couple of divers jump into the water. Wait…Sarah, something big just blew up way down south. Man, I can see the flames from here, over."

  "BB, anybody come to help you off that cliff yet? Over."

  "A7BB, not yet. Hope it rains soon, I'm starting to get a little thirsty."

  Sarah nervously giggled, deepening the dimples in her cheeks. She was getting tired and her southern drawl was becoming more pronounced, "BB, Rain in Seattle? Be serious. Can you tell what blew up?"

  "I'm too far away. It's about as far south as that other big fire only farther toward the west. A7BB, over."

  "BB, copy."

  "AY7MMO."

  Sarah winced when she heard the call sign. She paused, rolled her eyes, and then answered, "MMO, go ahead Mister Mayor."

  "This is AY7MMO. Sarah, you tell your people I'm sending plows down Highway 99 to clear it for emergency vehicles. I catch anybody else on it, I'll have them arrested. You hear me?"

  "Nice to know you're unharmed, Mister Mayor. I hear you. By the way, did you know we're on the air…the commercial airwaves? Tell me, you ever take the time to review Seattle's disaster plan, or are you still too new on the job? Over." Sarah waited, but AY7MMO did not answer. "Okay, KG7SD, you're next."

  "KG7SD, this is University Hospital. We're in fairly good shape. Damage is only moderately heavy, generators are working so far and we have two operating rooms functional. We need more personnel, supplies and as much morphine as we can get. We have fifty-six dead, 123 critical and more than 200 serious so far. The Red Cross is understaffed, but setting up in the Hester Carson Building as soon as our engineer says it's safe. Meanwhile they're using a park across the street. People are walking in, some carrying injured and some injured themselves. Roads are impassable until we can get some of these uprooted trees and downed power poles out of the way, over."

  "Copy that SD. Can you see the fissure from there?"

  "Negative net control. But I took a walk that direction a little while ago. It's still wide open. Scariest thing I've ever seen. KG7SD, out."

  "NP7WS."

  "WS, net control, go ahead."

  "NP7WS, Sarah, the Navy wishes to pass along a message, how do you read?"

  "Loud and clear WS, go ahead."

  "NP7WS, Navy has your man on the cliff in sight. They will attempt a rescue when they can, over."

  "Thanks Navy. A7BB says he saw Navy launch choppers. Can they give us a report? Over."

  "NP7WS, stand by, I'll ask." For several seconds, a soft static filled the Ham frequency air waves while NP7WS talked to someone on the USS Carl Vincent Aircraft Carrier. Then NP7WS came back on, "Net control, we have one ferry missing on Elliott Bay. Navy has divers in the water now. A tsunami hit shortly after the first quake and another after the second. All hospitals and government services have gone to disaster mode. Stand by." Again Sarah waited until finally, he returned, "Navy says the death toll reached seven hundred about ten minutes ago. They're getting ready to take injured aboard ship. Red Cross is mobilizing all across the country and the Canadian's are sending all the help they can, over."

  Sarah heaved a big sigh of relief, "God bless Canada, over."

  "One more thing, Sarah. Tell Max his little station just went nationwide. The whole country is listening in. NP7WS, over."

  Sarah's lip began to quiver and her eyes suddenly filled with unexpected tears, "God bless America." She paused, breathed deeply and cleared her throat, "This is Net Control, thanks. Navy, can you tell us about the fire down south?"

  "WP7WS, stand by. ...Navy doesn't know what just blew up, but they report several fires South of Seattle. They are Sherwood Library, SeaTac Community Center, Air Traffic control, one city block in Thorndyke, South Center has been burning since the quake, a warehouse in Tukwila, gas explosion in West Seattle, half a block..."

  *

  Collin grabbed a cigarette, a lighter and walked to the window. His hands were shaking when he struck the flint and he couldn't hold the flame. Again he struck the flint, again the flame went out. When it finally lit, he struggled to bring the flame closer to the end of his cigarette. Suddenly, Max was beside him, steadying his hand. He took a long drag, blew the smoke out and allowed the tears to stream down his cheeks. "I can't go on without her, there is no point. Beth is all I have."

  "We don't know they're dead. They were gone a long time. Maybe they headed back before the quake."

  "You think so?"

  "Yes. I've thought about it a lot. The boys are a handful in a shopping center and Candy shops quickly. For all we know, they're sitting at the bottom of the hill trying to figure out how to get up the counterbalance. It's pretty steep, you know."

  "I need to talk to Beth. I've gotta tell her something."

  "Okay, go for it. We're on the air, talk to her."

  Collin stared at Max for a moment, and then wiped the tears off his cheeks. He walked back to his stool, sat down, grabbed his mike, and then watched Max turn down the volume on the Ham Radio. "This is Collin Slater at KMPR in Seattle. As you know, we've had an earthquake. Max and I said good-bye to our wives this morning, just like we do every morning. We climbed the stairs to this attic studio and went on the air. How could we have known we might never see them again? Beth and Candy took Max Taylor's three little boys to South Center and as you just heard, South Center has been on fire since the Quake.

  And if I had known I might not ever see Beth again, I would have told her this. My love…there are no words eloquent enough to tell you how much I adore you. I love your laughter. I love candlelight flickering in your eyes. And when you are asleep in my arms, I know I'm home…really home. Come back to me Beth. Please be alive."

  Max bit his lip hard and turned the volume back up on the Amateur Radio. The Amateur airwaves were quiet.

  *

  In the front yard of a house belonging to people he didn't know, Sam Taylor slumped to his knees. Traffic had not moved on Greenwood Avenue North since the quake and the cars were deserted. The air was crisp and fresh. Birds flew into the tops of trees and landed, the wind managed to cool the temperature and people were helping each other. But Sam noticed none of it
.

  He eased his headphones off his ears, placed his hands together and bowed his head. "For Thou art my candle in the darkness, my strength when my heart is heavy, the forgiver of my grievous sins, and the Savior of my soul. If it be Thy will, Lord, please let Beth, Candy and my grandsons be alive." Sam lifted his head and started to get up. Then he quickly retook his position, "Oh yes, and these cigarettes are not for me, they're for Collin. Amen."

  CHAPTER 14

  In the parking lot of the Cleveland Department Store, twenty-seven year old Mattie Campbell was fresh out of tears when she pushed the speak button on her hand-held and brought it to her mouth, "WJ7V."

  "WJ, go ahead."

  "Sarah, we've found a little girl. She's four years old and buried just inside the wall. She says her leg hurts, but she's alive. We need better equipment. There's a cement slab just above her and the building keeps settling, over.

  "WJ, do you have any help there yet?"

  "Not much, but people are doing what they can. Even injured people are digging. We need equipment, but there's not much chance of that. The parking lot is a mess and the streets are jammed with cars. Trees are slanted every which way and some are uprooted. We had a live power line to worry about, but one of the guys got it shut down. WJ7V, over."

  "N7ORM."

  "ORM, go ahead."

  "Sarah, John Snider is with me. He owns a construction company and wants to help. Can you give us Mattie's location again? N7ORM, over."

  "ORM, she's at the Cleveland Department Store on North 97th, just off Wallingford Avenue, over."

  "Roger Sarah. Traffic is jammed, but we'll try our best to get there. N7ORM, out."

  Collin thought for a moment, and then lifted the mike, "This is Collin Slater at KMPR, 760 AM in Seattle. Folks, I know a lot of you are trying to find loved ones, but please, if you've deserted your cars, go back. Pull them to the side as far as you can. Park on sidewalks or in yards if you have to, but clear the streets. It's the only way we're going to get help to that little girl and the hundreds of others trapped in buildings." Gently, he laid the mike back down near the Ham Radio speaker.