Bug Man Suspense Bundle (3, 4, 5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Overall, I give it one thumbs-up.”
    “Thanks for the review,” Jerry said.
    “Let’s get the briefing started,” Denny called out. “As I said, I don’t want to keep you any longer than necessary—but I’ve got a few things that you all need to know.”

4
    Nick and Jerry took seats in the back of the room, and Denny stepped in front of a small podium.
    “First of all, you’re probably wondering about sleeping arrangements. As you may have noticed, our facility is still under construction. There’s an unused elementary school nearby, and we also have an unfinished condo unit available to us; we’ll provide cots or air mattresses for many of you there. I’m afraid some of you will have to sleep in your cars at first—sorry about that. I should also mention another option: We have a few refrigerated tractor trailers outside, which will be used to transport bodies from New Orleans and then to store them again after processing. Some of them are FEMA trucks, but the good folks at Wal-Mart and Ben & Jerry’s were nice enough to donate a few too. The trucks sleep twenty-four each—or I should say, they’re each capable of transporting twenty-four bodies. Don’t worry, we promise not to keep the thermostat at 38 degrees.”
    The group laughed, but Jerry whispered, “It’s okay by me. I’ll take the air-conditioning.”
    Nick nodded. “Yeah, me too.”
    “As I said before, the DPMU will be a secured area beginning immediately. I’m sure you’ve all noticed that the compound is surrounded by fence and razor wire. A guard will be posted at the gate at all times, courtesy of the St. Gabriel Police Department. You’ll need your credentials to get in or out 24/7—so be sure to keep them with you.
    “As for meals, if you’ve been on a DMORT deployment before, then you’re familiar with our executive dining plan: The National Guard has been kind enough to provide us with their mouthwatering meals ready to eat. Just stop by our cafeteria, affectionately known as the ‘McDMORT Café,’ and see what you can find. Our menu features everything that can possibly be freeze-dried or crammed into a brown Mylar bag. If you get sick of the MREs, I’ve been told that at the St. Gabriel Truck Stop the crawfish omelet comes with hash browns and a biscuit. You might want to have your cholesterol checked at the end of your deployment.”
    “I love Meals Ready to Eat,” Jerry said. “Especially the Chili with Macaroni.”
    “They definitely beat the NC State dining halls,” Nick said.
    The MREs were a constant source of derision for DMORT members, but Nick and Jerry never complained. They were both single men, and both found the MREs to be a big improvement over their usual fare of Tuna Surprise or take-out Chinese.
    “Now I want to say a few words about the situation facing us,” Denny segued, and the tone of his address began to change. “I see a lot of familiar faces out there; many of you have been with us before. Some of you were there after 9/11. You were with us at the DPMU in Hangar 7 at LaGuardia Airport, and you probably thought that was as bad as it gets—we all did. But I want you to know that we’ve never faced anything like this before. New Orleans represents what we call an ‘open system.’ In a situation like an airline crash—even in the case of the World Trade Center—we’ve usually got some kind of passenger manifest or occupant list to work against. Not in New Orleans; we have absolutely no idea how many people are still there or where they’re located. At other mass-casualty sites, the victims are usually confined to a limited area—say, a field or a building site. In New Orleans, the victims could be dispersed all over the city. That’s not going to make it easy for us.
    “You’re all probably wondering, ‘How bad could this get?’ The storm is still predicted to make landfall early this morning; what will happen when it does, nobody knows for sure. The National Weather Service