Deluge (The Best Thrillers Book 2) James Best (best e book reader .TXT) 📖

of ground. Make sure each team has a supply of GPS markers and have them mark each body the way O’Brian did.”

“What about—”

“Forget it,” the sheriff said impatiently. “The Red Cross has it in hand by now. Your job is search and rescue. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then why are you still standing here?”

“What about us?” Evarts asked after the deputy hastily departed.

“Grab a cup of coffee, a sandwich, and meet me over there.” Lopez pointed at an incongruous red-and-white-striped tent.

When Lopez saw their expression, he simply said, “County Fair.” He walked away without further comment.

Lopez failed to tell them where they could find coffee and sandwiches, so Evarts looked around for a makeshift buffet. O’Brian tapped him on the shoulder and pointed with a hooked finger at another garish tent. As they walked over to the tent, Evarts again tried to call his wife. No luck. He checked his watch. Should he be worried? He didn’t think so. Traffic getting out of Sacramento must be horrendous, and weather had probably fouled cell communication. She was with capable people in a sturdy vehicle on a good highway. No call for alarm. Yet.

Long fold-up tables lined the periphery of the tent’s interior. Every fast-food joint, coffee shop, and restaurant must have rushed over all the food in their kitchens. People milled everywhere. Funny how people gathered around food even when they weren’t eating. Evarts grabbed two cold Arby’s roast beef sandwiches and a coffee.

As he walked back to the red-and-white-striped tent, Evarts asked, “How’d you know that was the food tent?”

“You were looking. I was smelling,” O’Brian said. “Gotta use all of your senses in SAR.”

“SAR’s volunteer. What’s your regular job?” Evarts asked.

“Thief,” O’Brian said in his flat tone.

“Oh, yeah,” Evarts said, going along with the joke. “What do you steal?”

“Other people’s stuff.” After a stand-up comic pause, he added, “I’m a repo man.”

“Really, you repossess cars?”

“I repo anything … as long as it has enough value to make it worth my time.”

“You must be popular with your neighbors,” Evarts kidded.

“I am. But I never repo around home.”

“Which is?”

“Gaviota. Off Hollister Ranch Road.”

Evarts whistled. “Pricey digs. Repo must pay well.”

“It supplements my government pension.”

“I’m surprised we haven’t run into each other. Do you repo Santa Barbara?”

“On occasion, but mostly Lompoc, Buellton, and Santa Maria. You rich folks know how to protect your property from people like me.”

Evarts chuckled as they entered the tent. Sheriff Lopez was bent over a table, looking at a laptop screen. When he spotted them, he waved them over. On the screen, Evarts saw a map of Lompoc, a military town on the coast next to Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Lopez explained the situation. “Solvang felt the brunt of the disaster, but despite appearances, we’re getting things in hand here. SAR teams will soon be crawling all over that flood plain. Buellton survived the flooding with little difficulty, but about a half hour ago, Lompoc got hit hard. Buellton sensibly built homes away from the river, but Lompoc built practically inside the riverbed. Here’s the bad part. The police chief and his lieutenants were standing on the Route 246 bridge in anticipation of seeing some grand show. Guess what happened?”

“Aw, hell,” Evarts said. “The bridge washed away. Are Chief Matthews and his men okay?”

“Not sure, but it doesn’t look good. They’re searching downstream for them as we speak. Greg, I need you over there. There may be no law enforcement leadership. Plus, I need some trustworthy eyes on the ground.” He turned to O’Brian. “Jim, I want you to direct the Lompoc SAR teams. Are you both okay with these assignments?”

Lopez was being polite. According to the Standardized Emergency Management System, his position had been designated head honcho for Santa Barbara County. That meant he was the boss and could send them anywhere. Or at least he could send Evarts anywhere. O’Brian, as a volunteer, was a different story. He could decline to serve, but while he remained an active volunteer, he was also under the command of Sheriff Lopez.

Both men nodded.

“I have a request though,” Evarts said.

“Spit it out.”

“As long as we’re in a state of emergency, you have the authority to fill any public safety position as you see fit. If Chief Matthews is dead or injured so badly he can’t perform his duties, then I suggest you assign Captain Standish from my force as acting police chief for Lompoc. She lives in the town, so she knows the people, and she’s active in the community.”

“And you?”

“I’ll go to Lompoc until she can settle her responsibilities and get there herself,” Evarts answered. “After that, I hope you’ll allow me to run my department.”

Lopez chuckled. “Greg, you’re a regular politician now. Everybody knows you’ve been grooming her to become a chief one day, but I’m not sure a disaster is the proper time to test her mettle.”

“It’s the exact right time,” O’Brian interjected. “You find your real leaders in traumatic times. I know Standish. She’s an excellent choice.”

“Well, thank you for your opinion, Jim,” Lopez said, a bit miffed. “Oh hell, it’s a good recommendation … but don’t call her for a couple hours. Let’s not bury Chief Matthews yet.” Lopez chuckled. “I should have guessed two ex-army intelligence officers would bond on a stressful assignment. Now you have me outnumbered.”

O’Brian flinched slightly at Lopez’s revelation.

The sheriff saw the startled look between the two of them and laughed. “Too busy to trade personal histories?”

“Something like that,” Evarts said.

“That’s neither here nor there. Okay, are we good with this then? I got other things to get to.”

“Yeah,” Evarts said, giving O’Brian a weary look.

Lopez smiled at their discomfort. “Then go. I want you there within the hour. Oh, and in case you bright boys haven’t figured it out, you can’t get there using 246. You’re going to have to go the long way around, using Highway 1.”

“Is it clear?” Evarts asked.

“If not, the only way in or out will be by air or ship.”

Lopez picked up his phone to make