Then the public-information team because a large unplanned outage in an affluent subdivision generates questions quickly.
By the time I reached Whispering Pines, daylight was fading.
Three Cascade utility trucks blocked Elm Ridge Court.
A mobile switching crew had established a safe zone.
County sheriff’s cruisers lined the curb.
Fire-rescue had staged nearby until electrical safety was confirmed.
Neighbors crowded sidewalks.
Some held phones.
Some shouted questions.
Barnaby was still inside my house.
That worried me more than the HOA.
My neighbor Leah Morrison had an emergency key.
She texted:
Barnaby is with us. He thinks blackout = party.
I finally breathed.
The lead Cascade field supervisor, Mike Alvarez, met me near the command truck.
Fifty-eight.
Thirty years around utility systems.
Usually difficult to impress.
He looked furious.
“Mr. Gable.”
“Anybody hurt?”
“No.”
“Contractors?”
“Shaken.”
“One guy had minor debris exposure but nothing serious.”
“Equipment?”
Mike looked toward the open work area.
“Bad.”
“How bad?”
“They damaged the distribution cabinet assembly and multiple cable components.”
“We have to replace sections, test insulation, excavate, verify adjacent conductors, and establish temporary service.”
“Estimate?”
“Best case late tonight for partial restoration.”
“Full?”
“Tomorrow depending on what excavation shows.”
I nodded.
“Bring whatever crews you need.”
“Already did.”
“Good.”
Mike looked at me.
“They had no idea what they were touching.”
“I know.”
“One of them said the HOA president told them it was abandoned residential wiring.”
“I heard.”
Mike shook his head.
“You can't make this up.”
“Apparently you can.”
A sheriff’s deputy approached.
Sergeant Dana Keller.
Forty-something.
Hair pulled tightly back.
Expression of a person whose shift had recently become much longer.
“Mr. Gable?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Sergeant Keller.”
We shook hands.
“Your company owns the damaged equipment?”
“Through Cascade Front Range Distribution.”
She nodded.
“We have corporate counsel contact information.”
“Good.”
“Before you go any farther, I need to be clear.”
“Okay.”
“We have several people detained while we sort out probable cause and safety issues.”
“That does not mean every person here is automatically under arrest for every offense people online are already naming.”
“Understood.”
I liked her immediately.
Internet justice usually moves faster than criminal procedure.
Keller continued.
“We’ll document.”
“Interview.”
“Coordinate with investigators and prosecutors.”
“Your company should provide ownership, valuation, safety logs, and video.”
“You’ll have it.”
“Do not question Ms. Phillips yourself.”
“I won't.”
She looked over my shoulder.
“Good.”
“Because she wants to question you.”
I followed her gaze.
Bliss stood beside her golf cart.
A deputy nearby.
Clipboard still in her hands.
Even then.
Tommy Briggs and two crew members sat on the curb.
Not handcuffed anymore.
A fourth spoke with an investigator.
Bliss saw me.
Her face changed.
She marched over until the deputy blocked her.
“You.”