The Horse Soldier: Beginnings Series Book 10 (58 page)

Joe finally had his first opportunity. Distribution was closed for an hour and he was going to use the break to start his investigation. He deducted there were six typewriters in Beginnings.
He decided to start with the typewriter closest to distribution. History’s.

He stepped inside the empty office of history and was immediately pelted with this sweet smell. He sniffed and sniffed again. It was warm and fruity. “What in Christ name . . .” He sniffed again.

“Hi Joe!” Trish spoke upbeat, walking from the back room and pulling the door closed as she held a stack of papers.

“Trish, what is that smell?”

“Oh, blueberry scented candles. You like?” She sat down at her desk and laid the stack in front of her.

“No.
Where in the hell are you getting blueberry scented candles?”

“Danny Hoi. It cost a small favor slip but it was worth it.” Trish
loudly whiffed inwardly with a satisfying moan. “Doesn’t it smell bakery fresh in here?”

“Whatever. Trish I need . . .” He saw her open her appointment book. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t ask me if I have an appointment.”

Trish quickly shut the book. “Oh never, Joe. I was just checking. What can I do for you?”

“Does your typewriter work?”

“Yes. Oh! Do you need me to type something for you?”

“As a matter of fact . . .” Joe smiled. “Can you
?”

“Sure Joe. Are you going to dictate it to me?”

“Um, yeah. Just a line. I’m checking on something. Can you do it now.”

“Most definitely. Let me get some paper.”

Joe reached into his pocket for the note and watched Trish slowly open her bottom drawer. She fumbled then licked her finger and pulled out a sheet of paper. She swirled her chair to her typewriter and placed the paper inside. “Trish.”

She ignored Joe
as she hummed a tune, turned the knob, and pulled the paper up. “Whoops.” She took out the paper and reinserted it. “Not lined up.”

“Trish!”

“What?”

“Never mind. Are you done?”

“Let me see.” Trish looked at the paper. “I’m ready. It’s lined up. Dictate.”

“O.K. ready . . .”

“I type very fast, Joe, so don’t worry about leaving me behind.”

“Good. Now type . . . This is a warning.” Joe saw Trish didn’t type. “What’s wrong?”

“Why am I threatening someone?”

“You’re not.”

“But you just said type a warning to someone.”

“Just type those words.”

“Who am I threatening?” Trish asked.

“No one.”

“Who are you threatening?”

“No one.”

“Then why am I typing, ‘this is a warning’?”

“Trish!” Joe yelled.

“Yes.”

“Just type the goddamn words.”

“O.K.” Trish’s fingers clicked on the typewrite. In seconds she was done. “Anything else?”

“No. Just let me see that.”

“Here.” Trish started to hand Joe the paper. As soon as he grabbed it, she yanked it back.

“Ow.” Joe brought his freshly paper cut finger to his mouth. “Give it back.”

“Wait. No one sees this but you..”

“Give it.” Joe snatched the paper from Trish’s hand.

“Ow!” Trish shrieked and brought her finger to her mouth also.

“Doesn’t feel good
, does it?” Joe grabbed his glasses and put them on. He compared the notes and handed Trish hers back. “Here I don’t need this. Thank you anyhow.”

“No problem.” Trish began to rip the paper up in tiny little pieces.

“What are you doing that for?”

Trish spoke as she kept herself engrossed in the ripping. “Because I don’t want anyone to see the note. They’ll know I typed it and they’ll think I’m typing threatening letters.”

“How the hell is anyone gonna know you typed that?” Joe asked her with sarcasm and annoyance, cringing at every little rip she made.

“Because I have the only typewriter in Beginnings that Henry’s ribbons actually work good on. Everyone else’s clashes in some way or another. So
if they see perfect type, they know it’s my typewriter.”

“How do you know this?” Joe asked.

Trish tsked. “Joe.” She rolled her eyes. “Duh. I get all the history reports, Mr. Ex-leader. I know everybody’s typewriter faults and glitches.”

Joe’s eyes lit up. “You do, don’t you. Trish.” Joe smiled. “How would you like to help me out
?”

“With what?”

“Tell me about distinguishing characteristics faults of each typewriter.”

Trish gasped. “My God
, Joe, that could take a while. I’m a busy women.”

Joe looked around. “Doing what?”

“History is mentally consuming but . . . I’ll do it. However, it will cost you.”

“Cost me what.”

Trish tapped her hands in thought. She held up her finger, grabbed a pad, and scribbled something down. “Paying my small favor slip to Danny Hoi.” She handed Joe a piece of paper. “Sign this and I talk.”

Joe knew Trish’s filling him in could save him a lot of time and lead him in the right direction. So figuring he’d deal with owing Danny at a later time, Joe signed the paper that stated he owed Danny instead of Trish. He grabbed his small note book from his back pocket and proceeded to take notes as Trish slowly filled him in on the every single boring and detailed glitch of every typewriter in Beginnings.

^^^^

“Jenkins,” Hal stated to Sgt. Ryder as they moved down the street of Bowman. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s a good choice. And
it would be less hassle since he would whine the most for not getting picked.”

“My thoughts exactly
” Hal said. “So we pack up and we leave for Beginnings tomorrow.”

Sgt. Ryder let out a slow breath. “I didn’t think I would be included in this plan.”

“Actually it was Ellen’s suggestion.”

“The woman’s?”

Hal cringed. “You have to stop doing that. All of us have to stop doing that. Yes, Ellen, the woman When we stated I would bring someone up to help Robbie protect her and the kids while the plan goes down, she asked specifically for you.”

Sgt. Ryder grinned. “I’m honored.”

“And you know what, Elliott? I’m glad she did. I feel better with you there.”

“And I get to go to Beginnings.”

“It’s not all that.”

“Excuse me.”

“Sure the technology is there, but small town charm?” Hal shook his head. “No. Our new town will definitely, kick ass in the charm department over Beginnings.”

Sgt. Ryder chuckled and strolled with Hal. They discussed Beginnings further and the plan that was going down much sooner than anyone anticipated.

^^^^

Joe covered Hank’s body probably faster than he uncovered it in the morgue. “Christ.” He looked up at Robbie. “Bad, but not as bad as Marv.”

“
He was still as easy to carry. Did you call Ellen?” Robbie asked.

“Yeah. She’s on her way.”

“Then maybe we should go meet her.” Robbie indicated to the morgue door.

“Yeah
, let’s. Even though Henry’s out in the hall, I think this may be one of those times where I’m gonna have to intercept her and be the one to talk to her. We need answers.” Joe moved to the door and looked at Hank’s covered body again. “And we need answers now.”

As soon as Ellen walked into the clinic she saw Henry standing in the hall, facing the other way. “Henry.”

Henry turned around. “Hey El.”

“I’ve been summoned. How bad?”

“There was only the one bag this time.”

Ellen let out a slow breath. “That is a relief. There is nothing worse than rummaging through a bin of very small body parts trying to distinguish . . .”

“El.” Henry shook his head and held up his hand. “Please. Just the thought makes me sick.”

“Sorry.” Ellen stepped closer to him. “So why am I not recognizing the name Hank? Who is Hank?”

“Oh, a defector.”

“Huh.”

“One of the
Society’s defectors that came in right at the time of the new plague. One of Jess’s men.” Henry spoke seriously then saw the snicker on Ellen face.

“One of Jess’
s men?” She raised an eyebrow.

Henry started to snicker as well then saw Joe and Robbie walking down the hall. “Here
comes another one of Jess’s men.”

“Shh
,” Ellen whispered. “This is a serious moment. Let’s be solemn.” She placed her hands behind her back and stood up straight and with less of a smile. “Hi Joe.”

“Hank is in the back. I want
answers from you,” Joe told her.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Ellen began to walk away.

“No,” Joe called out. “If you can’t tell me what killed him then you’d better damn well have some answers about what is happening to my men and what we can do to prevent it. Got that.”

“Joe, I said I’ll see what I can do.” Ellen swayed her head.

“Do it,” Joe ordered. “You’ve been working on Marv for days. Do it.” He faced Henry after Ellen walked down the hall. “What I need from you, Henry, is for you and Danny to sit down and figure out how much fence you need and how many men you’ll need to erect a perimeter as fast as possible. Cliff or no cliff, do not want to take a chance, no matter how small, of whatever got two of our men coming into this community.”

“But Joe . . .” Henry said. “That’s a lot of area and the kids play out there.”

“Then you minimize the area by going around the base of the cliff as close as possible then you double the fence. The one on the inside of the community is the protection from the one that’s hot. We are just gonna have to teach these kids to stay the hell away from the fence. I don’t mean to step on your toes Henry . . .”

“No, Joe. That’s O.K.” Henry nodded. “I’ll get a hold of Danny right now.” Henry noticed the look on Joe’s face. “That bad
, Joe?”

Joe looked at Robbie then Henry. “Put it this way
, Henry. I feel like I am in a Stephen King novel.”

Ellen looked at the semi-mound that was supposed to be a body on the table in the morgue. She let out a deep tension breath as she
put on her gloves and moved to the table. “Oh boy.” She cleared her throat and brought the accessories with her, tape recorder, chart, and trays. Hesitantly she grasped the of the top of the sheet and pulled it back, exposing Hank’s half -torn apart head that was barely connected to his body. Ellen dropped the sheet and slowly closed her eyes. “Oh God. Not again.”

^^^^

On a small grade dug pretty much into the hillside, Jess and John laid on their stomachs. It was an odd thing for Jess to hear. Perhaps that was why he turned to John when he heard the snickering.

“John. What? What do you see?”

“I’ll be damned. Take a look.” John handed Jess the binoculars.

“What and where am I looking?”

“Walking into what we call building ‘A’. Look.”

“Oh shit.” Jess lowered the binoculars and smiled at John. “Frank.”

“Yep.”

Jess looked again. “Holy hell.” Jess then handed the binoculars back. “I almost didn’t recognize him. He has hair.”

^^^^

Frank didn’t think it was a poisonous apple. It didn’t look poisonous. But then again it didn’t look like an apple either. It was round and green and Frank thought maybe it was the start of some really huge plum. He held it, looked at it
, and debated in his mind on whether to eat it. It had been so long since he had fresh fruit, a custom he had become used to in Beginnings.

Figuring he’d take it with him, relax after working out, and stare at it for a while, Frank walked down the corridor of the main building and to his office. He was surprised when the door was unlocked. He was more surprised when he saw Dean sitting there. “Dean.” Frank hurried and shut the door. “How did you get in here?”

Dean sat in the chair by Frank’s desk. “That guy Richie unlocked the door.”

“Richie? He
, uh, didn’t say who he was, did he?”

“Richie, Frank. You know the guy who came from my closet.”

“Oh yeah. That Richie.” Frank palmed his mysterious fruit, looking at it.

“Frank? What do you have?”

“An apple, I think. Kind of small.” Frank held it up. “Maybe the start of a plum or peach. I was gonna eat it.”

“Frank, you can’t . . . go on.” Dean raised his head. “Enjoy.”

Frank opened his mouth, paused and smiled. “No-no.” He set the thing on his desk. “You’re supposed to wait until we get home. It’s poisonous, isn’t it?”

“No. Eat it.”

“No Dean. It’s poisonous, isn’t it?” Frank smiled. “Huh? Isn’t it? Huh? Isn’t it? Huh?”

“Frank!” Dean snapped. “God. Yes. It is a poisonous berry.” Dean picked it up and whistled. “And a really big one too.”

“So what are you doing here?” Frank sat down behind his desk. “Miss me?”

“No, contrary to what you’d like to believe after the initial slight happiness of seeing you, I’ve had my Frank fill.”

“Whatever. What do you want?”

“I have news.” Dean moved closer to the desk. “Guess who’s coming to Binghamton in two days?”

“Who?”

“Guess.”

“Um . . .” Frank closed his eyes. “My dad.”

“Aside from him.”

“My brother.”

Dean snickered. “Aside from him too. Guess.”

“Who?”

“George.”

“Who?”

“George!” Dean yelled. “George
Hadley.”

“Oh my God. No shit?” Frank snapped forward. “How do you know?”

“Leonard just told me.”

“Oh this is so great. How long
will he be here?” Frank asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Let’s just hope he stays long enough for us to safely kill him.”

“All you’ll have to do is your Frank thing to him and how long will that take
? One second.” Dean told him.

“You don’t want to help?”

“What? Kill George?”

“Yeah.”

“No.” Dean shook his head. “You can have the honors. Killing is really not my cup of tea, except for you.”

“Ha!” Frank rocked in his chair. “Really ‘Mr.
Wipeout Half the East Coast’? Come on, Dean. You don’t want to take the pleasure in killing George?” Frank raised an eye brow.

“Frank. I’m saving my energy for you.”

“He killed the world, Dean. He . . . gave my dad Salicain.” Frank tossed out the list with an enticing manner. “Started the new plague. Had something to do with you going blind. Gave our kids the new plague. Brian, Dean. And . . .” Frank stopped rocking and leaned his elbows on the desk. “According to Henry and Ellen, he even killed you.”

“O.K.. Maybe you have a point. But how much help do you need to shoot him in the head
?”

“Dean
,” Frank smiled. “I was thinking on the lines of something sicker. Something that would make him suffer. You know, hit him with a delayed reaction. He thinks he got away and BAM, he dies a slow, painful, really disgusting, Dean-style chemical death.”

“Frank . . .”

Frank tilted his head. “You make it. I hit him with it. What do you say?”

Dean moved his lips around as he thought. “O.K., you got a deal. I’ll see what I can make here.
It depends what they have.”

Frank slammed his hand on the desk. “Excellent. You’ll get on it right away.”

“Sure, why not.” Dean shrugged. “Shit.”

“What?”

“I have no test subjects. I’m gonna need test subjects. Rabbits or such.”

“When do you need them?”

“As soon as possible.”

Frank smiled arrogantly. “Don’t worry. I know just where to pick them up.”

^^^^