Plum Spooky Part 26

"Martin Munch. It's always about Martin Munch. I hate him. The only good thing he ever did was break Scanlon's nose with his coffee mug."

Diesel and I exchanged glances and stepped inside.

"You want a beer?" Strunchek asked.

"Sure," Diesel said. "What's the deal with Munch?"

"Lousy prima donna. Boy genius. Big whoopitydo. We're supposed to be working on a sensor for the gizmo."

"Magnetometer?" Diesel asked.

"Yeah. I do all the grunt work, and Munch is all the h.e.l.l all over the place. He's designing grids and he's researching wavestrengths. Has nothing to do with our end of the project. Our end of the project is too boring, too small for the boy genius."

Diesel took his beer and chugged it. "What about Scan-lon? Didn't he keep Munch's feet to the fire?"

"Scanlon's loving it. Scanlon's encouraging Munch. And then, like this isn't insulting enough, all of a sudden only Scanlon can see Munch's research."

"Do you know what that research involved?" Diesel asked.

Strunchek gave Diesel another beer. "Not entirely. We were part of HAARP, and Munch was pulling in data from them. In the beginning, he was just looking at it, saying it was interesting, and then he got into it. He was generating computer models of the power grid, and half the time I didn't know what the heck he was talking about. I'm an engineer. Munch is Fred MacMurray inventing flubber."

"Do you know what the fight was about between Scanlon and Munch?"

"I know this sounds crazy, but it was like they were arguing over a wolf. I only caught the end of it. It was after work hours, and I came back for my wallet. I'd got to the gas station and realized I left my wallet on my desk. I walked in and heard them yelling. I don't think they knew I was there. Scanlon said the land was his, and there was no place for the wolf. He said the wolf was overstepping his bounds and would ruin everything. He told Munch the wolf was out, and if Munch didn't like it, his runty little a.s.s would be out of a job." Strunchek drained his beer can and got another. "That was when Munch clocked Scan-lon with the coffee mug and left. Munch was sensitive about his runty little a.s.s. You could call Munch an a.s.shole and a wh.o.r.emonger, but you didn't make cracks about his size."

"Do you know where Scanlon's land was located?" I asked Strunchek.

"No. That was the first I'd heard of it. I didn't talk to Scanlon any more than I had to. And he didn't show a lot of interest in talking to me."

"Munch was caught leaving with the magnetometer," Diesel said.

"Yeah, that was a lot of nerve. It was a prototype. It had the sensor in it that I redesigned."

"What about his computer?" Diesel asked. "Did he clean out his desk?"

"No. He never came back. Scanlon went through the desk and had the computer wiped clean."

"Thanks," Diesel said. "We appreciate your help."

"You sure you don't want to stay for the game? I got a lot more beer."

"Some other time," Diesel said.

We buckled ourselves into the Subaru, and Diesel made a phone call.

"I want to talk to someone about HAARP," he said. "I'll be back at the apartment in ten to fifteen minutes."

He disconnected and looked over at me. "I could get the information off the computer, but I'm Googled out and this will be faster."

Fifteen minutes later, we stepped out of the elevator and I saw a young guy standing in front of my door. He was cute, with brown hair that needed a cut, ratty sneakers, and baggy jeans. I put his age at twenty-five. No wedding band. Five inches shorter than Diesel.

He stared up at Diesel, smiled, and extended his hand. "Ivan. And you must be Diesel. I've heard a lot about you."

"This won't take long," Diesel said, opening my door, ushering Ivan into my apartment.

"No problem. I was in the area."

"Tell me about HAARP."

"HAARP stands for High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program. The HAARP facility in Alaska has a high-frequency transmitter system that stimulates and controls ionospheric pro cesses that alter the per for mance of communications systems. In other words, it transmits radio waves into the Earth's atmosphere to heat and temporarily modify the ionosphere. At least, in theory."

"Walk me through it," Diesel said.

"A signal is generated by a transmitter. The signal is delivered to an antenna array. In the case of the Alaskan station, there are one hundred and eighty antennae requiring thirty-six hundred kilowatts of transmitter power. The antenna array directs the signal into the atmosphere, where it's absorbed at an alt.i.tude between twenty to sixty miles. The ionosphere is heated, causing changes that can be mea sured with a magnetometer."

"What's the purpose?"

"It allows the scientific community to study atmospheric phenomena."

"Why would Wulf be interested?"

"The Chinese have been experimenting with generating Very Low Frequency Waves in the ionosphere, hoping to control weather. So far as I know, they haven't been very successful. If you could actually create create weather, it would be worth something." weather, it would be worth something."

"What role would barium play in this?"

"I suppose if you seeded the ionosphere with barium, you could increase the cold plasma density and accelerate the pro cess of manipulating atmospheric conditions."

"Like weather," Diesel said.

"Yeah. Like weather."

"Jeez," I said. "Do you think Wulf is making an Evil Weather Machine?"

Ivan looked over at me and smiled. "Civilians," he said. "You gotta love 'em."

Diesel grinned and tugged at my hair. "She makes a mean grilled cheese."

"Hey," Ivan said. "You don't want to underestimate a good grilled cheese."

Diesel opened the door for him. "Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. I appreciate it. This was helpful."

"Anytime," Ivan said.

Diesel closed the door, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Grilled cheese?"

"Now what?"

"You could have said I was smart or brave or trustworthy."

"I was going to tell him you were hot, but I was afraid you'd think it was s.e.xist and kick me in the nuts."

"Grilled cheese is s.e.xist!"

"I don't suppose you want to make me some lunch. All this talk about grilled cheese is making me hungry."

"I'll only make you lunch because you're so pathetic."

I slapped together three peanut b.u.t.ter and olive sandwiches. I kept one and I gave one to Diesel and one to Carl.

"So is this a pity peanut b.u.t.ter sandwich?" Diesel asked.

"You have a problem with that?"

"Nope." He looked at his sandwich. "It's lumpy."

"It's the olives."

"No s.h.i.+t." He took a bite and sent me the smile with the dimples. "I like it. It's a sandwich with a sense of humor."

"Do you think Wulf is trying to control weather? Munch said Wulf was going to take over the world."

"Sounds ambitious." Diesel pulled the shopping list out of his pocket. "Ranger monitors the police bands. Ask him if WINK radio has had any transmitters stolen. I want to know how much of this list has been fulfilled. I'm going to the mall to see if I can find Solomon Cuddles. I'd like you to stay here and do some research on the list. See if you can identify local sources for the rockets and rocket fuel. Do not not go out of the apartment. Do go out of the apartment. Do not not let anyone in. If Wulf shows up, call me immediately, and keep your door locked." let anyone in. If Wulf shows up, call me immediately, and keep your door locked."

"What if he pops pops in?" in?"

"He can't pop pop in, but he's good with locks, so stay alert." in, but he's good with locks, so stay alert."

I called Ranger and asked him to check on the transmitter, and I looked in the Yellow Pages for rocket fuel. None listed. I called Ranger back and asked him where I'd find rocket fuel.

"Solomon Cuddles would be the underground source for anything out of the box, rocket fuel included. There are a couple chemical plants in the Bayonne area that might also produce the components. I can check for you. I have the answer to your transmitter question. WINK hasn't reported anything stolen. We called to double-check, and they said nothing had been stolen, but one of their transmitters was damaged by freak lightning last night, and it's being repaired."

"Thanks."

I couldn't remember hearing rain last night. And everything seemed dry when I went out this morning. I wouldn't have questioned the lightning strike, but the weather-control seed had been planted in my head.

I dialed Lula. "I want to check something out at WINK, and I don't want to go alone."

"You called the right person. I'm bored to death."

NINETEEN

WINK WAS IN WAS IN a rattrap, cement bunker-type building in a part of the downtown business district that hadn't been included in the beautification package. The parking lot was surrounded by chain-link fence, the gate controlled by a security guard. There was a dish and a couple antennae on the roof and a sign on the front of the building telling people they were at WINK. a rattrap, cement bunker-type building in a part of the downtown business district that hadn't been included in the beautification package. The parking lot was surrounded by chain-link fence, the gate controlled by a security guard. There was a dish and a couple antennae on the roof and a sign on the front of the building telling people they were at WINK.

I parked the Buick at the curb across the street from the lot, and we sat there for a half hour watching the building.

"What are we doing?" Lula said.

"Watching."

"For what?"

"There's a flatbed truck backed up to the building at the far side of the parking lot. It looks like there's someone in the truck, behind the wheel, but I can't see him. Two men in khaki uniforms are walking from the truck to the building, doing something. I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be repairing a transmitter, but I think they might be stealing it."

"No way. How would you know that?"

I gave Lula the sanitized version of Wulf and the Evil Weather Machine. And I told her about the shopping list.

"Double no way" she said.

I looked in my mirror and saw a black Rangeman SUV pull in behind me. Tank was at the wheel. I didn't recognize his partner. We all got out and stood hands on hips.

"Ranger saw you parked in front of the radio station and sent me to make sure everything is okay" Tank said.

"It was okay before you showed up," Lula said. "Now I'm not so sure. Do you still have those cats?"

"Yeah. You want to see pictures?"

Tank pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and showed us a picture of three cats sitting, looking at the camera.

"This one's Miss Kitty, and this is Suzy and this is Applepuff."

"You're carry ing around pictures of your cats?" Lula said. "You never had a picture of me in your wallet, and we were engaged."

"I have big news about Applepuff," Tank said. "I think she's pregnant. I'm going to have kittens!"

"Kittens! Are you prepared to have kittens? That's a responsibility. Does Ranger know about this? I have a mind to tell Ranger."

"I'm going to find good homes for them," Tank said.

Lula sneezed and farted. "See what you do to me. Get away from me. You're full of cat cooties."

"I can't get away," Tank said. "Ranger wants me to stay with Stephanie."

"You're too late," Lula said. "I'm already here. This could be a dangerous mission, and Stephanie needs me. And there's no car big enough for the both of us."

"There would be if you'd lay off the fried chicken," Tank said.

Tank's partner sucked in some air and took a step back.