Lust and Lies 04 - Pretty Maids in a Row

the top spot.
    The National Hurricane Center reports Brigitte's winds are now averaging one hundred forty miles per hour and building. Although it had been assumed that the storm would slow down as it passed over the Bahamas, the opposite has happened, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. At this time, it is estimated that Brigitte will make a direct hit on Key West, Florida, by four a.m. Residents from Key West to Miami Beach have been ordered to evacuate and any women more than seven months pregnant are urged to go to a hospital and remain there until the storm passes.
    Holly listened as the reporter read off statistics from other hurricanes that had hit the southeast coast of the United States in the last hundred years. Other than the severe flooding from Wilma's storm surge in 2005, Key West had been spared a direct hit for many years. On the other hand, the worst recorded storm of the previous century had landed in the Florida Keys in 1935.
    Officials were gravely concerned over the fact that the population on the island of Key West alone was around 25,000 but evacuation routes remained limited. Small craft warnings had gone out due to choppy seas and most airplanes were being flown to more secure fields. The only safe passage remaining to the mainland was the Overseas Highway, a series of forty-two bridges that connected the individual islands.
    Extensive efforts were being made to encourage the residents to head north immediately rather than wait for Brigitte to get any closer. Additional police had already been called out from nearby Dade County to help direct the evacuation and generally maintain order, but it was reported that traffic was bumper to bumper and being further hampered by accidents on the bridges. A considerable number of Keys residents interviewed were planning to ride out the storm rather than risk being on the highway.
    The one estimate Holly would have liked to hear wasn't aired. Of course, back in 1935, no one would have thought to record environmental statistics. The Florida Keys and surrounding waters housed a delicate ecosystem of plant and animal life, coral reefs, mangrove stands and nesting grounds for shore birds. Man was not the only destroyer of Earth's resources. Sometimes Mother Nature could be just as cruel to her own children. Either way, Earth Guard was standing by to offer assistance.
    Confirmation that the Keys were in severe and imminent danger came at eleven o'clock Friday evening. Brigitte had developed into a Category 5 hurricane, sustaining winds of 158 miles per hour with gusts up to 180. The eye stretched twenty-five miles in diameter and hurricane force winds spread approximately seventy miles away from it. Based on its current path, the eye was heading for the lower islands. Nothing from Key West to Key Largo was expected to be spared extensive damage.
    Holly napped on the couch, waking from time to time to catch the latest news bulletin. At four-fifteen Saturday morning disaster struck.
    Holly called Philip. He hadn't been feeling well when he left the office, but she knew he would want to hear about this.
    His muffled answer let her know he had gotten worse during the night.
    "You sound awful. Did you get any sleep?"
    "A little. And I can't possibly sound as bad as I feel. Even my hair hurts. Have you heard the news this morning?"
    "That's why I'm calling. I realize this is your bailiwick, but the way you're feeling, I don't think a field trip to the tropics would be a good idea."
    "Damn. I hate to admit it but I barely have the strength to make it to the bathroom let alone the airport. I suppose an inspection could wait a few days-—"
    "And miss getting pictures before the cleanup begins? I don't think so. I have a copy of all the arrangements you made today. I'll just take your place."
    "Since I agree with you, I won't argue. Call me when you get there."
    "Yes, dear."
    "Okay, so I worry. Be careful. I love you." His voice was barely audible, as if it took all his energy simply to speak.
    "You just take care of yourself and get better. I'll be back in a couple of days."
    * * *
    David's editor woke him up with the kind of announcement every reporter loves to hear. With half the staff down with the flu, David had been assigned to cover the worst disaster in the history of the United States.
    * * *
    The earliest Holly could take off was a two o'clock flight to Miami out of Dulles with a forty-five-minute layover in Atlanta. She was normally as thrifty as