Terror Flower (River Sunday Romance Mysteries Book 5) by Thomas Hollyday Page B

to keep forward speed.
    “Katy tell you I want to drive your dragster?”
    Tench said, “You sure Kate wants you driving?”
    “Shit man, she don’t say what I do.”
    Tench smiled. “We got those disc brakes installed to slow her down. Still, you got to hold her straight.”
    “Man can press as much as I can, you bet I can handle it.” They drove in silence for a few miles until Smiley motioned ahead where the wrecked container truck was coming into view.
    “Boy, he really smashed, didn’t he?” said Tench.
    He left Smiley with the GMC and reported to the Sheriff who, in his gray outfit was directing, more like yelling, at the impatient drivers who were lined up back almost a half mile waiting to get on to the Island. Tench had no idea how many had to halt on the other side of the Nanticoke River waiting to drive across in the opposite direction. The truck driver sat beside the road, his face in his hands, the Sheriff standing next to him.
    Satter said, “Tench, I want you to pull the trailer out soon’s Mister Stagmatter get offs his freight.” The iron support bars of the bridge, as rusty and worn as they were, had collapsed around the top of the trailer creating an inextricable maze of bent spars infested with bits of torn canvas.
    “Let’s start pulling the truck now.”
    “I’ve got my orders. He’ll get the freight free first and then you can tow away the truck.”
    Stagmatter who stood at the side of the wreck was directing the services of a self-propelled crane which had arrived just before Tench arrived. The overseer seemed concerned with the cargo and his African crew retrieved large wooden boxes once stored under the trailer tarpaulin. They lifted each and placed it on the green Strake farm trucks. At Stagmatter’s side, checking off on a clipboard what was apparently a freight manifest, stood Marengo, his face unusually worried.
    The last box had been damaged by the girder of the bridge and had split open. Tench pointed to shiny flat sheets of aluminum which were exposed to the sunlight.
    “What in hell?” he asked Smiley.
    Just then, Marengo jumped up on the deck of the crane and ordered two of the Africans to rush some plywood sheets to recover the metal in the box. The men hustled the big sheets of wood upward and using hammers and nails, the aluminum was quickly covered from sight.
    “Big cars,” said Smiley.
    “Yeah,” agreed Tench. “Not like the panels of any car I’ve ever seen.”
    “Me either,” said Smiley. “Anyway, the truck is clear. We better get started.” He reached forward, started the truck engine and put the transmission in gear.
    Smiley moved the GMC closer. The crane was pulled off to the side of the road and Satter and his men allowed some of the waiting traffic to pass by the wreck. Stagmatter drove off with the last carton, saying nothing more to Satter.
    Tench and Sheriff Satter conferred on the best procedures to free the truck wreck. The GMC was attached to the trailer. Air pressure in the trailer tires was reduced and the driver was ordered to run his tractor in reverse as Smiley pulled backward. Smiley revved the GMC and with a slight hesitation the trailer broke loose bringing one of the rusted bridge struts with it. The strut itself then fell off and tumbled into the Nanticoke River while the trailer, its rear-most carriage almost toppling off the road and into the water, finally caught on the edge of the highway and was pulled by the GMC towards Tench. After it was fully back on the blacktop, Smiley eased off.
    When they were finished and traffic was running smoothly, Tench decided to take the invoice directly to Stagmatter. He thought he might get paid a little quicker than sending it by mail. The afternoon was well along when he and Smiley drove up to the farm gate. He was surprised to find Doctor Owerri standing near the gate with one of the Africans who was apparently the gate guard. She was taking pictures of the gate ironwork. The guard held up