Under the Dome

'I bet no one out of town does, either,' Andrea said.

Jim ignored her.'-and the military presence hasn't seen fit to communicate with the town's elected officials.'

'Problems with the phones, sir,' Randolph said. He was on a first-rjame basis with all of these people—in fact considered Big Jim a friend—but in this room he felt it wise to stick to sir or ma'am. Perkins had done the same, and on that, at least, the old man had probably been right.

Big Jim waved a hand as if swatting at a troublesome fly.'Someone could have come to the Motton or Tarker's side and sent for me—us—and no one has seen fit to do so.'

'Sir, the situation is still very… uh, fluid.'

Tm sure, I'm sure. And it's very possible that's why no one has put us in the picture just yet. Could be, oh yes, and I pray that's the answer. I hope you've all been praying.'

They nodded dutifully.

'But right now…' Big Jim looked around gravely. He felt grave. But he also felt excited. And ready. He thought it not impossible that his picture would be on the cover of Time magazine before the year was out. Disaster—especially the sort triggered by terrorists—was not always a completely bad thing. Look what it had done for Rudy Giuliani. 'Right now, lady and gentlemen, I think we have to face the very real possibility that we are on our own.'

Andrea put a hand to her mouth. Her eyes shone either with fear or too much dope. Possibly both. 'Surely not, Jim!'

'JHope for the best, prepare for the worst, that's what Claudette always says.' Andy spoke in tones of deep meditation. 'Said, I mean. She made me a nice breakfast this morning. Scrambled eggs and leftover taco cheese. Gosh!'

The tears, which had slowed, began to ooze again. Andrea once more covered his hand. This time Andy gripped it. Andy and Andrea, Big Jim thought, and a thin smile creased the lower half of his fleshy face. The Dumbsey Twins.

iHope for the best, plan for the worst,' he said. 'What good advice that is. The worst in this case could entail days cut off from the outside world. Or a week. Possibly even a month.' He didn't actually believe that, but they'd be quicker to do what he wanted if they were frightened.

Andrea repeated: 'Surely not!'

"We just don't know,' Big Jim said. This, at least, was the unvarnished truth. 'How can we?'

'Maybe we ought to close Food City,' Randolph said. 'At least for th;e time being. If we don't, it's apt to fill up like before a blizzard.'

Rennie was annoyed. He had an agenda, and this was on it, but it wasn't first on it.

'Or maybe that's not a good idea,' Randolph said, reading the Second Selectman's face.

'Actually, Pete, 1 don't think it's a good idea,' Big Jim said.'Same principle as never declaring a bank holiday when currency is tight. You only provoke a run.'

'Are we talking about closing the banks, too?'Andy asked.'What'll we do about the ATMs? There's one at Brownie's Store… Mill Gas and Grocery… my drugstore, of course…' He looked vague, then brightened. 'I think I even saw one at the Health Center, a though I'm not entirely sure about that one…'

Rennie wondered briefly if Andrea had been loaning trie man some of her pills. 'I was only making a metaphor, Andy.' Keeping his voice low and kind. This was exactly the kind of thing you could expect when people wandered off the agenda. 'In a situation like this, food is money, in a manner of speaking. What I'm saying is it should be business as usual. It'll keep people calm.'

'Ah,' Randolph said. This he understood. 'Gotcha.'

'But you'll need to talk to the supermarket manager—what's his name, Cade?'

'Cale,' Randolph said. 'Jack Cale.'

'Also Johnny Carver at the Gas and Grocery, and… who in the heck runs Brownie's since Dil Brown died?'

'Velma Winter,'Andrea said.'She's from Away, but she's very nice.'

Rennie was pleased to see Randolph writing the names down in his pocket notebook. 'Tell those three people that beer and liquor sales are off until further notice.' His face cramped in a rather frightening expression of pleasure. 'And Dipper's is closed!

'A lot of people aren't going to like a booze shutdown,' Randolph said. 'People like Sam Verdreaux.'Verdreaux was the town's most notorious tosspot, a perfect example—in Big Jim's opinion—of why the Volstead Act should never have been repealed.

'Sam and the others like him will just have to suffer once their current supplies of beer and coffee brandy are gone. We can't have half the town getting drunk like it was New Year's Eve.'

'Why not?'Andrea asked.'They'll use up the supplies and that'll be the end of it.'

'And if they riot in the meantime?'

Andrea was silent. She couldn't see what people would have to riot about— not if they had food—but arguing with Jim Rennie, she had found, was usually unproductive and always wearying.

'I'll send a couple of the guys out to talk to them,' Randolph said.

'Talk to Tommy and Willow Anderson personally!'The Andersons ran pipper's. 'They can be troublesome.' He lowered his voice. 'Wingnuts.'