Page 23 of Flash and Bang
“One of the things we always check is to see what chemicals were used in the shells which exploded. Investigator Carrillo has already sent samples to the ATF’s lab for analysis. If anything differs from what was on the HAZMAT manifest for the approved load, we’ll know it. It could be Greg Mason, the lead on the crew, might have thought he could get away with using substandard shells but that seems like a stretch since he and his wife had been doing this over twenty years,” Thayne said.
“And I don’t think he expected to get all blowed up, either,” Jarrett drawled.
The FBI agents both chuckled at his ridiculous accent and Thayne grinned.
“Maybe Mason wanted a little bonus for the retirement so he pocketed the money the base paid him and shot off substandard fireworks,” Thayne said.
“When will you get the analysis of the explosives back?” Snow asked.
“Investigator Carrillo tells us that she expects them back this afternoon. Our lab is testing for the origin of all the explosives but because 80-90 percent of all fireworks are shipped from China, that’s most likely going to turn out to be where they came from,” Thayne replied.
“Where else would they have come from?” Terraciano asked. Thayne was relieved to see that he was toning down his abrasiveness.
“Japan or Malta, generally,” Thayne said. “Though Japan usually manufactures the very expensive and high-end stuff which wouldn’t have been used here.”
“High-end stuff?” Snow asked.
“Yes, some firework shells are implanted with a microchip and those are much costlier to manufacture.”
“What?” Terraciano asked, looking completely shocked.
“Some of the very high-end fireworks contain a microchip implanted inside the shell itself so the show operator can set the detonation to time precisely at whatever interval the operator chooses between launch and ignition,” Jarrett said.
“With some of the pyro-musicals, they want the fireworks to detonate when a shell reaches a particular altitude after being shot off or when a song hits a particular crescendo or something of the sort,” Thayne added.
“Pyro-musicals?” Snow asked.
“Right?” Jarrett laughed.
Thayne just watched his partner snort and he smiled some more.
“Son of a bitch,” Terraciano muttered. “Technology really is somethin’.” The waitress walked up and set down Thayne’s fruit bowl and the FBI agents’ burgers. Jarrett snorted as he looked over at Thayne’s fruit, meeting Thayne’s gaze with the ice-blue of his own. Thayne’s heart sped up as he noted the dimples in his stubbled cheeks appear along with his smile.
“Tell us more about the terrorist angle,” Jarrett said, sipping the black coffee the waitress had refilled.
“From what Homeland has shared with us, they seem to think that there’s a group of homegrown terrorists who may be the recipients of some of those bootleg fireworks,” Terraciano said in between bites of his food.
“You’re talking about militia groups?” Thayne asked.
“Yes,” Snow replied. “We have been trying to get someone undercover inside this particular militia for nearly a year but haven’t been able to do so. It’s run by a character who calls himself Reverend James. They are highly suspicious about outsiders, as you may imagine, and anyone wanting to join has to be recommended by someone inside. That means turning someone already in the group and that’s where things have stalled. These guys are fanatical in their extreme right-wing belief systems about government, black helicopters, and Big Brother watching them. You nearly have to be born into some of these groups to be trusted.”
“And here I thought those militia groups stuck to fertilizer bombs for the biggest bang,” Jarrett snorted.
“The CIA says that perhaps they’re planning some terrorist attacks over the Fourth of July holiday next weekend,” Snow said.
Thayne looked over at the dark-skinned man, appreciating his calm.
“That’s fuckin’ scary,” Jarrett drawled, exchanging a glance with Thayne.
“There’s gonna be tons of kids hurt. I’ll never understand how terrorists think.” Thayne frowned, feeling sick to his stomach as he pushed his food away, his appetite completely gone.
“Do you have any theories about the incident out at Miramar?” Special Agent Snow asked.
“No,” Jarrett replied before Thayne could even open his mouth. “We just got here yesterday. We’ve toured the base where the incident happened but at this point, we can only guess at things.”
“We went out there too. Have any guesses you want to share with us?” Terraciano pushed.
Thayne and Jarrett exchanged a look between themselves again and Thayne just shrugged.