Chapter 13 - The Wrong Side of the Wall
At 10:51, Ortiz's team found the truck beneath an abandoned rail bridge. Its drum was turning, though the work permit on the dashboard was dated for the following morning. Two workers ran when officers approached. A third pointed toward the drainage opening and said he'd been told to fill it completely.
"By who?" the officer asked.
"The boss. The one with the expensive watch."
A heavy hose already disappeared into the dark mouth of the tunnel. Fresh concrete crawled down it like gray mud.
Nadia's voice came over the emergency channel. "Disconnect that pump. If the bypass is obstructed, stopping the pour is the only thing preventing a full blockage."
The workers obeyed. But the concrete already inside the pipe was moving toward the gate with the water. A county crew opened the inspection cover on Hawthorne Row and found the channel almost full.
At the hospital, Claire watched the location dots on Ortiz's map and felt helpless in a way that made her want to scream. Emma stirred. Claire reached through the crib rail to stroke her daughter's tiny foot.
"I'm here. I'm right here."
Nadia called back. "We need the original maintenance sequence. The modern plans don't show it. Did your mother leave instructions?"
Claire spread Ruth's letter beside Emma's chart. GATE 4. EAST BYPASS FIRST. The words were clear. What wasn't clear was how to operate the bypass.
She remembered Ruth banging a wooden spoon on the kitchen table and saying, "Never push against the river. Give it somewhere to go."
Claire flipped the map over. On the back, so faint it was almost invisible, were three numbers and an arrow: 2-1-3, EAST TO WEST.
"She left us the order," Claire said.
May you like
Nadia went silent for one beat. "That could be it. Three control wheels. We can test the first before touching the others."
Then an officer at the rail bridge shouted through his radio, "The concrete pump just started again. Nobody's at the controls!"
