Chapter 3

Bobbie Jean Wulff stood on the top step of the church waiting for the members to file out. She glanced upward at the church facade. She loved the front of this old church with its ornate stone carvings. This building looked more like it belonged facing some square in an European town than gracing a steet in Texas. She smiled. Her members were decidedly Texan. Good people for the most part, except for an old grouch or two, well, one young grouch, too. All part of the church, her church, her people, she was the shepherd here.

"Thank you, God, for the call to this pulpit. Thank you for showing me I belonged here."

One of the oldest church members stepped through the heavy, wooden doors that were propped open so that congregation could leave the morning service with ease. Morris was dressed in a suit and tie, not a hair was out of place. Bobbie Jean repressed a smile. Morris wore his very best clothes every Sunday. He often told her how he detested the casual dress of many of the other congregants. Bobbie Jean shook hands with him, then watched him totter down the steps. She wished that he would use a cane.

More members left. Bobbie Jean busied herself speaking to as many as she could. After a while, she adjusted her robe and stole. She was a little hot. She should have taken off this robe before coming out.

Rachel Burleson and her two children came out. Bobbie Jean greeted the newest members of her congregation. Rachel and her children had joined just three weeks ago. Bobbie Jean was glad to see them here.

Rachel held out her hand to Bobbie Jean. "Reverend Wulff, I enjoyed your sermon. I'm so glad we found this church. It's just what we needed."

Bobbie Jean grasped Rachel's hand firmly and shook it. "Good, I so glad to hear that. It's nice to see new faces in the pews. Are you settled in your new home?" Bobbie Jean remembered Rachel telling her when she joined that she and her husband had just purchased a new house.

"Yes, we're all unpacked," Rachel said with a smile. "The move was hard, but we're adjusting."

Bobbie Jean patted her hand before she released it.

The Burleson children huddled next to their mother, obviously a little overwhelmed by the proximity of the minister. Rachel patted the boy on his head. "It's a big change for everyone. This city is so different from the coast, but we're thankful that Mark, that's my husband, finally found a job. He'd been out of work for over six months. That was tough for all of us."

"I can understand that. You told me, but I forgot where you said he works now."

"For the Texas Environmental Protection Department. He's got a job as a permit engineer. He reviews plans for new manufacturing plants and other things like that."

"Oh, I remember, Tepid. He works for Tepid. Oh, I mean... Well, I've heard it called that. We have several other members that work there, I believe."

Rachel nodded quickly. "That's right. We know one of them. Ralph Gorham. Mr. Gorham is Mark's office mate. He's the one that told Mark about this church. So here we are."

"I'm glad, but I haven't met you husband yet."

Rachel frowned slightly and put her hand on the boy's shoulder. "No you haven't and you probably won't. He's not a believer. He's a good man, but..."

Rachel's discomfort was palpable. Bobbie Jean hurried to reassure her. "Don't worry. God has a way of taking care of such matters. We're happy to have you and your children."

"Thank you," Rachel whispered and moved down the steps. Bobbie Jean watched her as she walked away. A nice looking family, too bad the husband didn't come. Despite her reassurances to Rachel Burleson, Bobbie Jean doubted that Mr. Burleson would ever come to church. And we'll lose the son one of these days because of that. Bobbie Jean shook her head. Not a very positive thought.

More congregants were leaving. Bobbie Jean had no more time to muse. After shaking hands with several members, she spotted Ralph Gorham, a non-descript man with gray hair and faded good looks. She remembered what Rachel Burleson had said. She stepped forward so he could not avoid her and took his hand in both hers.

"That woman and two kids are the Burlesons," Bobbie Jean said nodding toward the Burlesons walking toward the end of the parking lot. "Have you met them, Ralph?"

"No, I haven't. I share an office with her husband."

"Mrs. Burleson told me that. She also told me she came here because you recommended our church. Good work, Ralph."

Ralph smiled at the compliment. "Thanks," he said. "You know her husband is an atheist."

"An atheist? She told me he was not a believer."

"Stronger than that. He's really anti-religion. We got into it a few times at work before I knew where he was coming from. Now, we just don't touch the subject. He did tell me that he agreed before he was married to let any kids they had go to church."

"See there, maybe he's not as adamant in his beliefs as you think."

Ralph shook his hesd. "He's an atheist. And he'll turn his kids into atheists if he can." .

Bobbie Jean started to reply, but Ralph had already gone down a couple steps, his back was to her. Bobbie Jean did not want to lose those kids to unbelief, she'd have to figure out a way to meet this Mr. Burleson. There must be a way to reach him.

More parishers appeared and Bobbie Jean focused on them. She had to take care of all her flock.

The last of her congregation teetered down the steps. Old Mrs. Fox was always the last to leave.
Bobbie Jean returned to the dressing room off the sanctuary and took off her robe. She'd have to get it cleaned soon. If this warm weather continued, she'd start her summer routine of cleaning it weekly. She didn't want her congregation to smell her coming. She remembered all too well the elderly man that had been her pastor when she was a child - the smell. The stench of an unwashed body covered by the aroma of Old Spice had made an indelible impression.


Bobbie Jean walked through the deserted sanctuary checking to see if any personal belongings had been left. On a middle pew, she found a Bible. She opened it to see if there was a name, but there was none. In the foyer, she opened the small closet and put the Bible on a shelf along side a half dozen more. People did not seem to remember these lost books.

Once more, Bobbie Jean walked through the front doors of the church. This time locking the doors behind her. James, the janitor, was still in the building, but, by agreement, Bobbie Jean locked the front doors.

Her home stood next to the church, a small stone cottage just the right sized for a single person. If she had a family... Bobbie Jean shoved that thought away as an old pain resurrected itself.

In a few minutes, she was busy fixing lunch. She set the table in the kitchen and ate there. That was one of her rituals. Even though, she was alone she always ate at the table. After lunch, she decided to read a while, but after pawing through a stack of books, she found nothing to interest her. Finally, she picked up her Bible. That always brought comfort.

She remembered Rachel Burleson and her two children. There must be some way to reach her husband. Some way.

Chapter 2

Mark watched his golden retriever, Remus, lunge across the well-groomed lawn in pursuit of the ball his son, Billy, had just tossed into the far corner of the yard. Mark was proud of his landscape. He had spent all day yesterday working on it. He had mowed, edged, fertilized and trimmed all morning while Rachel and the kids had gone to church. Mark disliked the indoctrination his children received in that church, but he had agreed to let any children they had attend church before he and Rachel had married. Rachel still tried to convert him, but he always stood his ground. When the kids were older, he was sure they would see the logic of his position and ditch all this church going.

Remus picked up the ball and bounded back to Billy with his tail wagging and his eyes bright. The big retriever absolutely adored Billy. Mark corrected himself. The dog worshipped Billy; he adored the rest of the family. Remus dropped the ball in front of Billy and waited for another throw.

"Good boy," Billy said. Billy picked up the ball and threw it again. Remus once again pursued it with total abandon.

Well, thought Mark, at least Billy's not getting dirty. His T-shirt was still unstained, for a boy of eight playing with his dog that was pretty good.

Rachel stepped from the kitchen into the open back doorway, blocking Mark's view. Dressed in a dark skirt, an off-white blouse and heels, she was ready for work. Seeing her silohouetted like that made Mark remember their night alone last week.

"Billy, that's enough," Rachel called, raising her voiceto get the boy's attention. "Your father's leaving for work and you've got to catch your bus."

Rachel stepped back into the kitchen, and Mark could see Billy look over his shoulder toward the doorway. Remus came lumbering up with the ball. Before he could drop the ball, Billy grabbed it. He patted the dog on the head.

"Gotta go, boy, " Billy said. "I'll play with you this evening."

Billy patted Remus's head once more, then sauntered toward the back door. Mark studied him, trying to remember what it had been like to be a boy that age. He could not.

Billy closed the sliding glass door behind him after he entered the house. He looked like he was being punished rather than simply being sent to school. Heather, dressed in a white T-shirt and pink coveralls looked up from her coloring and studied Billy momentarily. Evidently satisfied with what she saw, she returned to her task.

Mark glanced at her artwork and repressed a comment. He never seen a purple-leafed tree, but his five year old seemed to think that vivid hue was the appropriate color. The green crayon lay on to one side, unused.

Rachel gathered up the last pplate from the table and retreated behind the kitchen counter to the sink where she scraped the plate clean, then put it in the dishwasher. Mark stepped over to Billy, scooped him up and gave him a hug. How much longer would he be able to od that? The boy was growing.

"I'm leaving," Mark said. "You ready for school"

Billy nodded vigorously. "You bet. I'm going to take the valve you gave me for show and tell."

"Great."

Mark put Billy down and stepped around the table to Heather who stood up in her chair and reached her arms out toward him. Mark leaned over, and Heather clutched his neck with both her arms, then planted a kiss on his cheek. He lifted her from the chair and hugged her back.

"Bye, Daddy," she said.

"Bye, bye," Mark said as he deposited her back in her chair. "You be good today."

Heather nodded, then sat down once more and returned to her coloring. The trunk of the tree was to be orange. Mark wondered if Heather needed her eyes tested, but Rachel who had looked at the picture and smiled, seemed unperturbed at their daughter's choice of colors.

Mark's briefcase sat on the floor by the counter Rachel was wiping. As he picked it up, Rachel slid around the counter and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Have a good day," she said. "I'm going to take the afternoon off so I can run some errands."

Mark made a face at her. "Wish I could get some time off."

Rachel shook her head and gave him a swat on the rear.

"See you," Mark said, then gave Rachel a kiss full on her lips.

As they drew apart, Rachel smiled. "Get going," she said.

Mark nodded and left.



As Mark exited the expressway, he could see the Texas Rose petrochemical plant silohouetted agains the morning sky on its peninsula jutting out into the bay. Plumes of steam rose from the stacks and drifted away in the morning breeze. As he got closer, Mark could hear the sounds of activitiy at the plant, the whine of the big turbines, the clank of metal on metal and the purrs of the smaller engines.

Mark drove on. His workplace's parking lot surrounded by its ten-foot high chain-link fence was just ahead. Mark pulled up to the gate and waited. Even after all these years, this fence still made him think of a prison, not a work place. In a moment, the gate opened and Mark drove through. He found a parking place without a problem and got out of his car. He had a new project that needed some thought. Mark took a couple of steps toward the office, then remembered his brief case. He turned back, unlocked the car and retrieved his brief case from the rear seat Mark strode toward the nearest building. He couldn't help but whistle.

Mark shoved the large glass door open and stepped into the foyer. The security guard seated to one side with a clip board in his hand nodded as Mark walked by. Mark nodded in return. He had nodded to this man for the last six months, but never learned his name. He really should stop some morning and chat. Mark wondered why the clip board. Mark did not remember seeing the guard with one before. Well, this morning there was no time for a chat. I better get a move on.
Mark unlocked the door to his office and stepped inside leaving the door open. He put his brief case on his desk between the computer terminal and the picture of his family. He smiled at the picture of Rachel and the kids. He was a lucky man.

Mark sat down and reached for his brief case, starting to plan his day. Del appeared at his door. Behind Del was a security guard that Mark had never seen.

"Hey, Del. What's up?" Mark asked.

Del looked at the floor, then slipped into the office and over to Mark's desk without answering. Something about his posture made Mark nervous. Del looked Mark. Mark picked up a pencil as he waited for Del to say something. Without thinking, he began to tap it on the desk.

"I'm sorry, Mark," Del said so softly that Mark had to lean forward to hear him. "I just got the word this morning. Since Texas Rose took over the new complex, profits have dropped. The top brass say we've gotto cut back, downsize. I'm sorry, but your position's been eliminated."

Mark stared at Del not believing what he had heard. He dropped the pencil. "You're joking."

"This is no joke. Your position is gone."

Mark shook his head. "I've worked here twelve years, Del. I've done a good job for this company. You've never had any problems with my work."

"You're the best engineer I've got, but..."

"Damn it, " Mark snapped, "If I'm the best you have, why are you firing me?"

Del glanced toward the security guard still standing in the doorway. His eyes were fixed on Mark. Mark realized his raising his voice had triggered the guard's interest. Del leaned forward and placed his hand on Mark's desk, blocking the guard's view of Mark.

Del pitched his voice so that only Del could hear. "You are too good, Mark. Too good. You caught that problem with the overflow pipes at the plant. It cost a lot of money to fix it. If you hadn't noticed it...



Inside the processing section of the plant, Peter heard gas hiss from a small hole. Pete looked up in time to see a worker on the catwalk several stories up turn a valve wheel. The hissing stopped. The man leaned closer to the containment vessel, then turned and looked down. Pete recognizied Juan.

Juan yelled down to them. "Pressure's up. We've got an overload."

Pete waved to Juan, signaling he had heard. He trotted across the floor and pulled the emergency alarm. I sure hope that engineer knew what he was doing, Pete thought, or we are all goners. Pete waited, listening for the clank of valves opening and closing automatically under the sound of the alarm whistles.
Juan waved and gave the thumbs up sign. Pete sighed and pulled the chain on the alarm. For an instant there was silence as the whistles stopped, then nervous laughter filled the cavernous room as the workers relaxed.
Another worker, Mike, came up beside Pete.
"That was close," Mike said. "If that dude in engineering hadn't made the big guys make those changes we'd all be dead."
"Yeah," Pete agreed. "But scuttlebutt says those changes cost the poor slob his job. The big boss didn't like spending the money. "
"Hey, man, it worked. Just now. It worked."
"Sure, so maybe they'll hire him back. Maybe." Pete shrugged and went back to work. Those engineers should unionize, then they'd have someone to go to bat for them.
Mark headed out the double doors he had come through less than an hour before well aware of the two security guards that flanked him. Neither guard offered to open the door even though Mark carried a large cardboard box with his briefcase perched on top and the guards hands were empty.
Mark reached his car and put the box down on top of the trunk. He fished in his pocket for his keys, then opened the rear door of his car and tossed his briefcase in the back seat. He picked up the box and balanced it on one knee while he opened the trunk. He dropped the box inside the trunk and slammed the lid. The guards stood to one side the whole time, never offering to help.
Mark got into his car and drove through the gate. What was he going to do? A mile or so down the road he pulled onto the shoulder and looked back at the building where he had spent the last twelve years. How quickly life changed. He drove home.
Del had just started working on the latest performance questionaire when his phone buzzed. He pressed the blinking button and his secretary spoke.
"Mr. Ray, there was an accident at the plant. One of the lines over pressurized."
"What blew?" Del's heart thudded as he thought of telling his boss.
"That's the good news. Everything is okay. I just got the trouble report. Can I bring it in?"
"Sure."
As his secretary entered, she smiled. "I thought you would want to see this. Maybe you can get management to keep Mr. Burleson. His changes worked."
Del skimmed the two-page report. She was right. Mark's changes had done just what he had promised.
"Thanks, Ms. Eliot. I'll pass this on."
The woman nodded and left.
Del continued to stare at the report. No use making waves. He went over to his shredder and inserted the report. There was a brief, high-pitched whine, then all that was left of the report was confetti.
Del shook his head. Mark was a good engineer.

Chapter 1

Mark gazed at the metal webbing of pipes running between containment vessels and sighed. Whoever had designed this mess must not have examined the final result. There were few cut-off valves and, while the containment vessels might control everyday overflows, those containers would rupture under the pressure of a major upset.

He looked down from the catwalk through the levels below. Workers swarmed everywhere. If there was an accident up here, all their lives would be in danger. Mark was not even sure that the building would survive. If the building went, then the nearby residential areas... Mark pushed that thought away. He could see to it that such a catastrophe did not happen.

Carefully, Mark began his descent down the enclosed ladder. While the catwalks never bothered him, he did not like these caged rungs. Instead of making him feel secure, they made him feel like something was pressing in around him, crushing him, not holding him to the ladder.

Several workers nodded to him as he scrambled down. At last his feet touched the concrete of the ground floor. One of the workers, a big guy that reminded Mark of a Brahma bull he had encountered as a kid, with his thick shoulders and large ears lumbered toward him. Mark knew Pete was the shop steward for the union and was suspicious of all he considered management types-that included Mark.

"Find anything?" Pete asked.

Mark answered honestly. "Yep, there's some problems up there, but I intend to get them fixed. Until I do, if any of those lines over pressurize, you evacuate the whole place. Don't wait to see if it corrects, just evacuate. Okay?"

Pete nodded. "Evacuate," he said flatly, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Mark didn't give him time to say more or ask the question that was so obviously forming in his dark eyes. Mark strode away as quickly as he dared. He was relieved when he once more stood outside the complex. He took off his hard hat and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He needed to get back to his office and start drawing up those plans. Now.

Mark drove back to the office complex deep in thought. At least, he had no trouble finding a parking spot.

He walked past the security guard at his office building with a nod and went to one of the elevators. His office was on the fourth floor in the engineering section. Mark had worked at the Texas Rose for the last twelve years. In anther eight, he would be eligible for retirement, although he wouldn't be able to leave his job. By that time, the oldest of his two kids would be in high school and college expenses would be on the horizon.

Mark reached his office. It was really no bigger than a good-sized closet, but it was his alone. Mark liked that. He hung his hard hat on the coat rack and sat down at his desk. A personal computer dominated the desk and left little room for anything else.

Mark punched a key and the computer screen brightened. In a few minute, Mark had drafted a memo to his boss, Delmer Ray, on the changes needed at the plant. He reread it, then e-mailed to Del. Once it was sent, he began to draw the plans for the needed changes.

About a half-hour later, there was a tap on his door. Del, a medium-sized man, who always looked unkempt, stood in the doorway.

"Hi there. Got your memo. Thought we better discuss it. "

"Sure," Mark agreed, although he was surprised that Del had come to him so quickly.

"You really think this needs to be done?"

"Yes. Del, people will die if we don't make these changes. That plant isn't safe. I almost said we should shut down production until these changes are made, but..."

"No, no. We can't do that. Profit margins are bad enough. We've got to keep that unit on-line. I'll see these changes get done."

"Good."

"How soon will you have the plans?"

"Give me a couple of days. I'll have the preliminaries, so we can get started. In two weeks, I'll have the final plans."

"Okay. I'll go break the news to the big boss."

Del stood nervously in front of the huge, curving desk.  He hated coming to this office where the thead of his unit, Ward Lowden, worked. He and Lowden had not hit it off. Del worried that the man wanted to replace him with someone with more technical know how. Someone like Mark. Lowden was frowning now, which made Del even more nervous.

"I thought he understood that he needed to keep things simple when I gave him the job, but he has a bee in his bonnet about safety." Del stammered.

"Those are mighty extensive changes. Isn't there some way we could put them off?" Lowden's frown deepened.

"Not with Mark Burleson as the engineer. I'm sure sorry I picked him to go over to that plant."

"Yeah. Well, we had to know what we bought. " Lowden shook his head. "I just wish it wasn't this bad, this soon. Maybe if I talked to Burleson."

"Oh, that wouldn't do any good. He's already threatened to go the union and have the plant shut down." Well, Del thought, Mark did say that he had thought about shutting the plant down.
 
"The hell you say. Some engineer. Does he know who pays his salary?"

"Oh, I'm sure he does. He's just a little over zealous when it comes to safety. "

"Sure is. Damn it, we don't want union trouble."

Lowden scribbled his signature on the work order and handed it to Del. "Get it done."

Del nodded and retreated from Lowden's office. That had gone pretty well, he thought.

The changes in the plant were made with surprising speed. Mark was happy with the result. There had been no cost overruns and the changes had been completed in six weeks. He had had to work a lot of overtime though. His wife, Rachel, had not been happy about that. He had told her this morning that the project was complete. He could relax tonight.

Rachel beat him home from work. She usually did. Her office was closer and her hours more predictable. She was in the kitchen when he got home. He thought he heard the clink of ice hitting glass.

Mark dropped his jacket over the back of a living room chair and plopped down on the sofa. "I'm glad that project's over. You know we kept the plant working while we retrofitted. It cost some bucks upfront, but I think it was well worth it. Bet the big boss thinks so, too."
Rachel came out of the kitchen. Her hands were empty. She smiled as she sat down beside him. He could smell her perfume. Mark reached out and stroked her hair. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder
"I'm glad it went well," she said.
Mark nodded. "Where are the kids?"
"Billy is over at Lance's, and I left Heather with Arlene for a while. I thought we could have some time together without the kids."
Mark grinned and gathered her into his arms. "That's a first class idea."