Chapter One A toy fire truck set off the series of events that changed the life of Otis Halstead, CEO of Kansas Central Fire and Casualty. The small cast-iron vehicle was for sale at the Great Prairie Antiques Show at the Marriott Eureka-East on a Saturday afternoon in March. Otis's wife, Sally, had pretty much forced him to attend the show's kickoff luncheon because, as one of the leading businessmen and citizens here in Eureka, Kansas, he should be seen supporting such a good cause--the battered women's mental health shelter run by the Ashland Clinic. Also, their good friend Mary Gidney was the cochair of the whole thing. Sally then insisted that Otis go with her on a quick walk through the show in the hotel's large exhibition hall. "Why not at least take a look at what is being offered for sale?" she said. More than five hundred antiques dealers from more than thirty states had set up. "That's it!" Otis shouted. "I found it!" He aimed an index finger at something in the stall of a dealer from Connecticut. He seemed to be pointing toward an expensive Chippendale dining room chest. "That cabinet doesn't fit with our decor, and it's probably a fortune anyhow," Sally said. "What's the matter with you, Otis? Lower your voice." "The fire engine, not the cabinet," he said. "That red one with the white rubber tires and the firemen sitting in the seats in front and standing on both sides of the rear running boards." The words came rushing out loudly. "I wanted one of those for Christmas when I was five years old. I wanted it so badly it gave me diarrhea." "All right, now. People are beginning to stare," said Sally. "You're no longer five, Otis." "I still believed in Santa Claus and had written him a note at the North Pole about it. I went to the live Santa at Buck's in Wichita and every other place I could find one." He moved a step closer to the truck. Sally grabbed his right arm and held it tight. Here they were, a well-dressed couple of substance--he in a blue blazer and matching outfit, she in a light pink suit ensemble. They stood fast, rigidly facing a ten-inch toy in a cabinet under five feet away. "Everybody knew I wanted that fire engine and only that fire engine. But I didn't get it. I raced out to see what was under the tree, and that fire engine wasn't there." "Time to go on home now, Otis my darling. I really do appreciate your coming with me today--giving up your Saturday afternoon." She looked into his face. "Are those tears? Please, now. This is so unlike you." Otis, still staring at the toy, said, "I cried and pouted the rest of Christmas Day and for weeks afterward. Mom said Santa must have run out of those fire engines before he got to our house. Dad said Santa must have decided it was too expensive or too heavy to cart all the way to Kansas from the North Pole. It cost fourteen dollars and weighed a pound and a half at the most." Sally released her grip on his arm and raised her hands in an act of surrender. "I can't believe this is happening." They went over to the cabinet together. Otis picked up the toy. The two miniature firemen on the front seat and the two on the back and four on the sides were looking straight ahead with their painted eyes. All were wearing firemen's helmets and coats and boots that had been stamped onto them. A young salesman, tweedy and eager, joined Otis and Sally. "Mint condition, all the way," he said. "No restoration--everything on it is original, even the paint." So was the price, inked in small numbers on a white tag hanging around the fireman driver's neck: $12,350. Sally was stunned. "For a toy?" "Antique toys like thi Excerpted from Eureka: A Novel by Jim Lehrer All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
