Project Far Reach

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Eddy sat in the back of the ambulance in handcuffs, a towel drooped over his shoulders. Rain beat down on the sides and top of the vehicle, creating a booming sound. The lighting had subdued and most of the wind was gone. Two forensic specialists were examining every part of his bloody ensemble. Shirt, pants, shoes, and even the dirt under his finger nails were being analyzed, collected, and place in to small labeled plastic bags.

Detective Daniel Hardy was just arriving at the scene of fire trucks, ambulances, and squad cars. The citizens of Orange County didn't like having their houses blown up. Initially, the fire team said the fire was due to a gas leak. Hardy was just getting off his shift when he got the call. Looked like there were possible signs of struggle and arson involved.

From what he was getting black powder had been detected, embedded into the pieces of aluminum propane tank behind the building. That was original. Hardy turned the car off. He grabbed his umbrella and got out into the pouring rain.

His first stop would be Officer Jeramey Holder, first on the scene. Most of the fire was put out. There was nothing left. Rescue teams found one body that was unrecognizable. They would have to wait for dental records to come back just to make sure it was her. It was Hardy's job to spot inconsistencies. He had made a career having a keen sense of perception. Little, if anything, got by him.

First impression of the Officer was that he might have been a little slow. He was a short man and a little pudgy. His hair was buzzed short with no facial hair, and his lip hung curiously low. The officers on the scene had set up a tent for a temporary command base and shelter from the ensuing storm.

Hardy walked under the shelter, closing up his umbrella as he came. "Officer Holder?"

"Yes sir." Holder put his thumbs on the inside of his belt standing straight up.

"Fill me in on the situation Officer." Hardy sat the umbrella on a plastic table. He took a second to look around at all the papers. Schematics, sewer lines, power, gas lines, water mains; it was like they were preparing to assault the home that lay in ruins.

The younger officer looked nervous, "yes sir. Well, when we started examining the propane tank. I put some of the pieces together and noticed that there was a perfectly round blast hole. I used to be in the Marines, bomb disposal duty. Looks like somebody used a shaped charge to melt straight through the aluminum housing and ignite the propane."

Hardy thought about it for a moment, "and the black powder?"

"I ran a chemical check on some residue around the rim of the blast hole and it came back a match for simple explosives." Holder showed the Detective the chemical analysis comparing the two substances, 97 percent match.

The Detective looked at the read out. These fire teams were getting better everyday. The men effectively had a whole laboratory set up under the kind shelter of the awning. "Any chance on tracing it to the seller?"

Holder laughed. "Black powder is one of the least traceable explosives you could use. You can buy it at Walmart, pawnshop's, sporting stores; the possibilities are endless. You can even make yourself if wanted. It's not that hard."

"So who ever did this, not only knew how to blow up the place with style, they also knew how to be discrete at the same time." Already Hardy was thinking this was the work of a professional.

"Yea pretty much."

"So, who was the victim?" Hardy asked.

"Sara Johnson, wife of two years to Edward Johnson. Says he was just arriving at the house when it blew."