Everlyn Chapter 10 #3
Immediately, I was filled with dread and wondered if something had happened to the temporary pipe. Was there another rupture? Or had they discovered something else? Those questions all ran through my head as I posed my question to Liam.
“What happened, Liam?” I asked.
“I was about to call you, Everlyn. I’m sorry. I don’t know how this shit happened,” he muttered.
“How what happened?” I asked.
At the same time, Zephyr asked, “What shit are you talking about? The literal or figurative kind?”
Liam glanced over at my man and grimaced. “Both. Come see.”
We didn’t go far, just to the main trench that had been dug where the original rupture had occurred.
It was where we’d installed the secondary pipe and temporarily diverted the sewage flow.
The smell of raw sewage, which had faded, was back and overpowering.
Glancing down into the trenches, I saw it.
The temporary line was split at the seam where two sections had been secured and sealed together.
The whole trench was filled with human waste, soaking into the ground.
All our efforts to clean up and mitigate the harmful effects had been erased.
“What the hell happened?” Zephyr snapped.
“We don’t know. But I can tell you that it’s not a normal break. That connection was sealed tight. There’s no way it just unsealed itself,” one of the other guys muttered.
“You’re saying it’s sabotage,” Zephyr stated.
“Yeah, but we can’t prove it,” Liam added.
“Why can’t we? What do the security cameras show?” I asked.
We had security cameras up at every location like this. You could never be too careful. Plus, things often got stolen. There was no way to lock up every possible piece of equipment used on any given day.
“Not a damn thing,” Liam muttered.
“What do you mean? There was no one here?” I asked.
“I mean that there’s nothing on the feed. Somehow, they were disrupted and went offline for an hour last night. When the cameras came back on, there was no one around the trench until we got here this morning. We can’t prove it was sabotage,” Liam told me.
A sick feeling centered in my gut. This incident would not only set the project back but also hurt the company’s reputation if people thought our efforts didn’t work. And that didn’t include the harm to the water, animal, and plant life, as well as people.
“I’ll call the EPA. They need to be apprised of this new development.
Get another crew out here to start fixing this.
I’ll call corporate and let them know. I’ll also work on getting some nighttime security out here.
If we can’t rely on cameras, then we’ll have to use people.
As for the rest of you, you know what you need to do.
Go ahead to work. We can’t do anything about this at the moment.
You called the sewage plant to shut down pumping through this section, I see. ”
There was no rise of the sludge in the trench as we watched.
“Yeah, it was the first thing I did when I saw it. I wanted to get something under control before calling you,” Liam admitted.
“Good thinking. Do whatever you need to do. I’ll start handling my end. I’ll be in the trailer if you need me.”
My words were directed not only to Liam but to the rest of the men. They nodded, then scattered. Without delay, I went to the trailer and entered. Liam must’ve opened it up when he got here. I went straight to the desk. Zephyr came in behind me.
“I don’t know what time I’ll be off tonight. We’ll have to reschedule our plans. Thanks for coming with me. I’m sorry you ended up seeing a mess. I’ll call you if I can see you tonight, though I might be here most of it,” I told him.
“Regarding finding someone to watch at night, do you have a company you usually use for times like this?” he asked calmly.
“Not anyone specific. We ask around and then hire someone local. Why?”
“Let me make the call on that one. It’ll be one less thing on your plate. As for not seeing or talking to you tonight, I don’t see that happening,” Zephyr added as he removed his cell phone from his cut pocket.
“Why not?” I asked, confused.
“Because I’ll be here with you. There’s nothing at Passages or at the compound that requires my immediate attention.
This situation has to be contained. You’ve got a second pair of hands and a brain if you need it.
Before you protest and tell me I don’t have to, understand that I’m here to support my woman.
Anything that’s important or pertains to you is important to me.
You get to making your calls, and let me handle the security.
I’ll be right over on the couch if you need me. ”
I sat there after he kissed me and moved to the other end of the trailer, staring at him, speechless.
I hadn’t had anyone to cover me like this, except Jeremiah.
If it were outside of the work, then I had Allegra, but that had always been it.
A wave of warmth erupted inside of me as I lowered my head and made the call to my boss. He wasn’t going to be happy.