“Oh, really,” Tracy responded anxiously. She didn’t know what else to say. The man had a vivid scar that ran down the side of his face onto his neck.
“Whatcha listening to?” the man asked.
“Not much,” Tracy said. She looked over at the tape recorder. It was still rolling. “Just some music.”
“I like country music,” the man said. “You listening to country music?”
“No,” Tracy said with a weak smile. “This is more New Age. Actually, I’m waiting for my husband. He’s working here.”
“I’ve been doing some plumbing work here myself,” the man said. “They got more drains and pipes here than anyplace in the county. Anyhow, I was wondering if you’ve got a light. I can’t find my lighter noplace.”
“Sorry’ Tracy said. “I wish I could help you, but I don’t smoke, and I don’t have any matches.”
“Thanks anyway,” the man said. “Sorry to bother you.”
“No bother,” Tracy said.
The man walked away, and Tracy breathed a sigh of relief. She rolled up the window. The episode made her realize how tense she was. She’d been on edge from the moment Kim had disappeared inside, but her anxieties had skyrocketed ever since Kim’s confrontation with the killer in the bathroom. The fact that she’d not been able to talk to Kim didn’t help. She truly wanted to tell him to get out of there: It just wasn’t worth it.
After a furtive glance around to make sure no one else was watching her. Tracy slipped the stereo headphones back on and closed her eyes. The problem was she had to concentrate to hear what Kim was saying. The general din inside the plant had forced her to turn the volume down quite low.
Kim had moved all the way around the eviscerating area and now had a view of the whole slaughtering process. He could see the cows being killed, hoisted up, and their throats being slit. Next they were skinned and decapitated with the heads going off on a separate overhead conveyer system. After the evisceration the carcasses were sawed in half lengthwise by a frightful saw far beyond the gruesome conceptions of Hollywood horror movie producers.
Kim glanced at his watch to time the rapidity with which the wretched animals were killed. He was astonished. With his chin down on his chest he spoke into his microphone.
“Let’s hope Lee Cook can come up with an appropriate video system,” he said. “It’s going to be a snap to document Marsha’s major point. She said the problem concerning contamination in the meat industry was in the slaughterhouse. She said it was simply profit over safety. I just timed the activity here. They’re slaughtering the cattle at the unbelievable rate of one every twelve seconds. At that speed, there’s no way to avoid gross contamination.
“And talk about collusion between the USDA and the industry. it’s even evident on this operational level. Up on the catwalks there are a few inspectors. They stand out like black sheep. They wear red hard hats instead of yellow and their white coats are comparatively clean. But they’re doing more laughing and joking with the workers than inspecting. I mean the inspecting is pure sham. Not only is the line moving too fast; these guys are hardly even looking at the carcasses as they whip by.”
Kim suddenly caught sight of Jed Street nosing around the eviscerating tables and sinks. Kim recommenced his sweeping with his push broom. He moved away from Jed in a counterclockwise direction and soon found himself in the decapitation area. The beheading was done by another saw only slightly less appalling than the saw used to cut the carcasses in two. Just before the spine was completely severed by the man wielding the saw, another man caught the hundred-plus-pound head with a hook dangling from the head conveyer rail. It was a process that required coordination and teamwork.
Continuing his cleaning efforts, Kim followed the line of the skinned heads. With their lids gone the lifeless eyes gave the heads a curiously surprised look as they clanked along.
Kim followed the head conveyer to a point where it disappeared through an aperture into an adjoining room. Kim immediately recognized the room as the place where he’d been attacked Saturday night.