The Horse Soldier: Beginnings Series Book 10 (52 page)

Ellen blinked
. Jenny was rambling so fast. “What are you talking about?”

“Dean’s letter. The
Society made him an offer and he was in a position where he didn’t want to turn it down. Blackmail. Ellen! They blackmailed him into leaving. Threatened him with you and the kids somehow. He left to protect you, if,
if
, they didn’t take him. No one is gonna tell me someone isn’t in Beginnings working for George. How else does he get one step ahead of us so much? No and I’m starting a campaign to search for him. Ellen.” Jenny reached over and grabbed Ellen’s hand. “Dean is too good. There is no way he would do this. No way.”

“Jenny.” Ellen was hesitant. “Where did you get this all from?”

“The note.”

“I read the note too.”

“Yeah, but I bet you didn’t read between the lines, did you? Read between the lines, Ellen, and read it again. Not once did he mention in there he wanted to be a part of the Society. Not once.”

“Shit.” Ellen raced to the door. “Thank you
, Jenny.”

“Oh sure. No problem. We’ll start right away.”

Jenny was pleased. She had gotten through to Ellen and she knew it wouldn’t be long before she got through to everyone else as well. Ellen knew that and that was why she raced out of the clinic. What had Dean done? It wasn’t intentional but somehow Dean failed to make that note believable. Knowing where Jenny’s thinking was and the power of persuasion Jenny had with everyone, it was very conceivable that the whole plan could go awry and deadly if the people of Beginnings failed to think that Dean abandoned them. Ellen had to find Robbie and they had to do something quickly before everyone started thinking that way and pushed for Jenny’s ‘let’s save Dean’ campaign.

^^^^

Andrea was at the clinic and the kids were in school. The house was perfectly empty when Joe walked in and went straight to his bedroom. In the back of the closet was Andrea’s ‘treasure box’
, her private personal things that detailed her life. She let no one see it and Joe never had the urge to until now. Pulling the locked box from the closet, he set it on the bed and began to pick the lock. It wasn’t right what he was doing, this was his wife, and Joe knew it. But it also was an investigation and under circumstances like that, it was no holds bar.

Joe undid the small lock and lifted lid. An over abundance of perfume fragrance whipped at him and Joe sneezed. Despite what seemed like an allergic booby trap for Joe, he began to rummage. Looking through
, with one hand and covering his nose with the other, Joe halted. Nasal and stuffy and through his sneezes, he smiled and spoke out loud to himself. “Well, well, well. What do we have here.”

^^^^

“A smear campaign?” Robbie seemed shocked that Ellen would suggest the idea to him. “El.”

“No Robbie, Jenny is right. I memorized that note. He subconsciously refused to admit he turned against us. We have to start a smear campaign.”

“Well Henry is not helping.” Robbie stated, his hand tapping on the counter of the clinic lab.

“What do you mean?” Ellen asked.

“He refuses to talk about it to anyone. The men are saying when they question him, he’s telling them there is a misunderstanding. El . . . . people just don’t want to turn their back on Dean. I’m trying.”

“I know you are.” Ellen tapped him on the cheek. “I appreciate it. All right.”
She took a deep breath. “Think. We can’t take a chance of Dean or Frank being endangered because of this community’s loyalty to my husband.”

Robbie laughed.

“What?” Ellen asked.

“It has to make you feel good though
, the fact that no one wants to believe it.”

Ellen smiled. “Yeah it does. Anyway . . .” She looked at her watch. “I’d better be going. I have to meet Danny in the cryo
-lab in half hour and I want to stop by the school first.”

“Yeah
, I have to go too. I have to meet my dad. He just radioed me.”

“See you later?”

“You bet.” Robbie kissed her on her cheek and as Ellen walked out, Johnny walked in. “Hey John.” Robbie started to leave.

“Uncle Robbie
,” Johnny called out. “Can I speak to you?”

“Um . . . sure.”

Johnny peered out the door to make sure Ellen was gone. “O.K., can I stop?”

“Stop what?”

“Stop seeing Bev. Dean’s gone so there’s no threat to El. Can I stop? I had to have sex with her three times last night.”

Robbie’s mouth dropped open. “And you want to stop?”

Johnny shuddered. “She gives me the creeps. I keep thinking in a month she’s gonna tell me she’s having my kid.” Johnny shuddered dramatically again. “Please?”

“I guess now it’s O.K. I’ll talk to Pap about it for you. I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks.” Johnny grinned as Robbie walked out. “Wait a sec.” He scratched his head in confusion, speaking to himself. “That’s not fair. If I don’t want to be with her anymore, I shouldn’t have to ask my Pap.”

High and pleasant
ly, his name was sung out.“Johnny.”

Johnny spun around and looked. “Shit.”

Bev walked in and closed the door. She snickered and wiggled her fingers.

Johnny whined.

^^^^

That button on his Levi’s was so shiny that Dean wondered if anyone even noticed. The bright autumn sun seemed to reflect off of it as he sat in the back of the huge truck. He had just finished checking his duffle bag during the half hour trip and everything was in there. Now all that was on Dean’s mind was that button and tracking device that Danny incorporated into it. The truck slowed down to a stop. Dean prayed at that moment that the tracking device worked, because even though the ‘Binghamton Reserve Base’ sign was faded, it was clear to Dean he had reached his destination.

He had finished his personal training
so Frank took his break in the office he had cooled down to nearly sixty degrees. Away from the Society workers, soldiers, and away from Leonard, Frank wanted to be alone and he wanted to hide out because he had just received word that the scientist had just arrived and Frank wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.

^^^^

“One out of three.” Joe told Robbie as he handed him a Beginnings envelope. “If Andrea had sent all three of those letter
s to Jake, why did she only keep one of them?”

Robbie checked out the post mark. “This date coincides with the history log. And you only found one.”

“Only one.”

“Which could very easily mean your wife mailed one to back up her story and the other two letters . . .”

“Her warning to her lover George, perhaps?” Joe raised his eyebrow.

“Perhaps.”

Joe took the letter back. “However, it’s still not conclusive enough. I got my secret spies now trailing Rev. Bob. You keep up on him. Be his buddy.”

“I’m on it.” Robbie started to walk with his father. “But I wish this investigation would wind down soon
, Dad. It’s getting on my nerves. I feel like I’m sitting in the movie ‘Titanic’ all over again.”

“Stuck in a situation that doesn’t want to end?” Joe snickered. “I’m with ya. But . . .” He laid his hand on Robbie’s back. “My gut tells me this is gonna be over soon. Real soon. And before long, we’ll know exactly what person or persons are Georgie Porgy’s helpful hands.”

^^^^

The temperature gauge to the case was bent outward at an angle for easier access. The freezer, Dean’s freezer, in the special lab was pulled out a few inches from the wall. The only light in the dark lab was the thin beam of the penlight that shined upon the numeric dial of the thermostat. Hands worked quickly and precise on the temperature gauge, replacing the back piece of it. When it was finished and put back together, the needle bobbed back and forth and then it went steady at a perfect temperature. After the gauge was straightened back up, the freezer was rolled to its normal position. The penlight went out and Henry smiled, stuck that miniature flashlight in his pocket and walked from the special lab, securing the door behind him.

Though his morning reports dictated that the guard who walked perimeter thirty-two saw nothing, Robbie insisted he do the afternoon rounds. Foregoing all possible Neville points, he stopped by tracking
, getting a confirmation from Mark that activity was sporadic, still rapid, and the signal growing. Yet Robbie spotted nothing as he gazed into the large field. There was a certain smell up there that seemed to linger. An odd smell that Robbie couldn’t put his finger on, but knew. And though he didn’t see anything, Robbie felt something. He felt as if he were being watched, that feeling of being stared through, sensed, and observed. He stood there for a while, waiting, and hoping something would jump out at him. His rifle was aimed high and his concentration solid, but part of Robbie knew nothing would happen or go after him. It was not out of the animal’s fear of him, but the animal’s knowledge of him. A good hunter never judges rashly, never jumps the gun, and that was why whatever it was would not attack Robbie. Because whatever it was, was actually the hunter and Robbie was the prey.

^^^^

What was that purple spot?
It was tiny and perfectly round, scar -like, right behind Bev’s ear. Johnny stared wildly at it in wonder, knowing he had seen that same mark somewhere else but he just could not put his finger on it. He never noticed it before, but then again he never looked that closely at Bev. He was towering over her as she leaned on the counter in distribution, her head tilted allowing the visibility of that mark. Was it part of what Ellen did to her? Johnny kept on staring. He just knew it would bother him. He knew it.

“Johnny?” Bev snapped her finger.

“Huh?”

“You’re staring.”

“Yeah I am. What is this gross mark right here?” Johnny pointed to her neck.

Bev tsked and stood up right letting her shorter hair cover it. “It’s not a gross
mar. It’s a birth mark.”

“It’s gross looking.”

Bev rolled her eyes slightly with a gasp. “So is this how you’re doing it? Insulting me to give into this break up?”

“
It’s not a break up Bev. It’s a cessation of sexual activity with you.”

“Why? I like you
, Johnny.”

“You bore me
, Bev, and you give me the creeps, especially now since I seen this . . .” He reached his finger for the fascinating scar but she swiped his hand away.

“Johnny, look, I’ll learn new things. We have to be together.”

“We have to not. Now I have to get out of here.” He let out a long sigh. “Wow, I feel good. Take it easy, Bev.”

“What am I supposed to do now?”

“Um . . .” Johnny snapped his finger. “Go after Henry. He’s leader now. Lots of prestige.” He turned around to leave distribution, and turned around to see Henry. “Oh hey, Henry.”

“Thanks
, Johnny,” Henry grumbled.

“No problem,. Thought I’d help you out.” Johnny grinned and walked out.

Henry thought he saw Bev stepping to him but he didn’t know if it was his imagination or not, so he hurried to the back of distribution. “Joe?”

“Come on back
, Henry. Just getting the afternoon distribution ready.”

Henry stepped into the back room. “You wanted to see me
, Joe?”

“Yeah
, Henry.” Joe was hunched over a box. He stood up, reached in his back pocket, and pulled out the envelope he stole from his wife. “Wanted to let you know, Jason was telling the truth. Here.”

“You found them.” Henry stared at the letter. “It’s to Jake.”

“I found one letter. The others aren’t there.”

“Maybe we should check George’s things in storage. You know
, all the stuff we took from his house.”

“We did
,” Joe said.

“No.” Henry handed the letter back. “We checked for information about the
Society. Not once did we look for a letter from the future to him.”

“Henry
, that is an excellent suggestion. No, we didn’t, did we?” Joe smiled brightly. “I’ll get on that tonight.”

“O.K., let me know what you find.” Henry laid his hand on Joe’s shoulder. “I’d better get going
. I’m behind.” Henry backed up. “Joe, I hope you find something that can clear Andrea.”

Joe watched Henry leave. He looked at the letter he held.“I do too
, Henry.”

^^^^

Carrying his own duffle bag, Dean was escorted into Leonard’s office. It was located in the same building as the labs. Dean stepped in the room and looked at the two gentlemen standing there. Dr. Morris was one of them.

“Dr. Hayes.” Leonard extended his hand.

Dean did not take it. “When do I see Frank?”

Awkwardly, Leonard withdrew his handshake. “I’m sure we’ll get to be on friendly terms.”

“I doubt it. When do I see Frank?”

Leonard cleared his throat. “This is Dr. Morris he . . .”

“When do I see Frank?” Dean asked again. “Are you listening?”

“We have labs for . . . .”

“Hello!” Dean raised his voice. “I’ll speak slowly. O.K.? When . . . do . . . I . . . see . . .Frank? A deal is a deal. Are you aware of the deal?”

“Yes, I am
,” Leonard said.

“Then you are aware that I get to see Frank
, then I call my wife for your safeguard as well as mine. Now when . . .”

“Do you see Frank, yes.” Leonard looked at Dr. Morris. “Would you like to?”

“Yes,” Dr. Morris answered. “Dr. Hayes, before you ask the annoying question again, let me explain something to you as a doctor. Mr. Slagel was injured when he came in here. He lost a lot of blood. He was shot, had pneumonia and so forth.”

“O.K.
,” Dean said, wanting the doctor just to hurry along.

“O.K.
,” Dr. Morris continued. “Now, you can check him for surgery marks and I’ll even authorize a scan of his brain to show you he has not been made into a CME.”

“O.K.” Again, Dean had attitude.

“O.K. I’m telling you this just so you are prepared,” Dr. Morris explained. “He’s a different man. He may not recognize you at all or speak to you with any knowledge of you.”

“Why is that?” Dean asked.

“Unless he knew you prior to the plague, you’ll fall into his amnesiac category.”

“O.K.”

“Mr. Slagel has amnesia.”

Dean nodded his head once. “Frank has amnesia.” Dean placed his bag over his shoulder. “O.K., now . . . when do I see Frank?”

Leonard tossed his hands up. “Right now.”

^^^^