“I bet that McCoy fella knows where he’s at,” D-Day said. “In fact, I bet that’s where he’s hiding out.”
Gil slapped the arm of his chair. “There you go, gentlemen. D-Day has given you two a starting point for locating Zachariah Gunderson.”
It took another ten minutes before Liam and Logan got out of the meeting and headed to the cafeteria. Grace, Bob, and Priss joined them. The only food left was mashed potatoes and chicken casserole with only a sparse amount of chicken in it. They were hungry though, so it didn’t matter.
“I’ll give D-Day credit, that was a clever trick he pulled when he mentioned Fred. I didn’t think he was that smart,” Bob said.
“Yeah. I’d rather French kiss a rattlesnake than tangle with the likes of Fred McCoy,” Liam said. Logan agreed.
Priss scoffed. “I thought you two were badass Pittsburgh cops.”
Liam chuckled. “We’re tough when we have to be, but Fred is a horse of a different color.”
“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anyone better with a firearm than him,” Logan added. “And he has an uncanny sixth sense. And you can’t kill him. He took a kill shot through the chest a few years back and that old cuss survived without any medical assistance.”
Liam swallowed some food and wiped his mouth. “He’s tough as nails, he’s hell on wheels with those pistols, and he’s got ice running through his veins. Nobody in their right mind would ever mess with Fred McCoy.”
“You got that right, brother,” Logan said.
Bob drummed his fingers on the table. “Knowing all that, some people would think he might’ve had a hand in killing the president.”
The two brothers looked at each other. Liam gave Logan a tacit nod.
“Let me ask all of you a hypothetical question; if Fred killed those women, or if his best friend Zach killed them, do you think he would have told anyone where the bodies were?”
Bob stared at Logan inquisitively. “Fred told you guys where the bodies were?”
Logan nodded. The three of them sat in rapt silence while he explained.
“We don’t think Fred would play any kind of game where he was simply trying to throw suspicion off himself. He’s not that kind of man.”
“No, he’s not,” Bob agreed.
“He wouldn’t play around,” Liam said. “He would’ve killed us today and hid our bodies too. Nobody would’ve ever found us.”
“Wait, I’m confused,” Priss said. “He was with you guys today?”
“Yep. We were travelling on I-70 and stopped the car to use the restroom. He was right there,” Logan said. “He could’ve killed us right then and there, but he didn’t.”
“So, you believe that since he didn’t kill you two, that means he didn’t kill the president,” Priss concluded.
“Not only did he not kill us, but he also told us where the bodies were. Whoever killed the president and her people tried to dispose of the bodies. If the average person had come upon the burned van, they would not have been able to recognize the corpses,” Liam said.
“Crispy critters,” Grace said, eliciting a chuckle from Logan.
“They weren’t recognizable as humans, but we’ve had a little experience in that area.”
“The bus crash,” Grace prompted.
“Yeah, the bus crash,” Logan said. He turned to Bob and explained. “Back about a dozen years ago, there was a bus crash and it caught fire. It was full of old people who couldn’t get around so good. Most got out, but a few were trapped and died. I think there were six of them who were burned up. The local news media caught one of the old detectives comparing the victims to Viet Cong soldiers being burned up by Napalm strikes. He called them crispy critters.”
“The media played it up and the public was outraged. He was forced to retire,” Liam said. “Pity, he was a damn good cop. Anyway, Fred found the bodies and pointed them out to us. Based on that alone, I don’t think there is any way he or Zach killed the president.”
“I hope you’re right,” Priss said.
Liam shrugged. “Me too.”
Chapter 6 – Bringing Home the Pres
The snow had stopped during the night, but the next morning was bitter cold with the thermometer hovering in the teens. They were told the night before they were expected to leave at first light and conduct two missions.
The first mission was to perform a follow-up with Mister Fred McCoy. The way VanAllen and Rhinehart worded it, they were to give Fred a good, old-fashioned police interrogation. There was a wink and a nod from Rhinehart when this directive was given, implying they were to use whatever means necessary to extract information from Mister McCoy. Little did they know, the O’Malley brothers had far more respect for Fred McCoy than any erstwhile politician and any questioning would be done respectfully.
The second mission was to retrieve the bodies of the late president and her entourage. It did not seem logical that they were to pause their investigation simply to transport the bodies. After all, they got all the information they were going to get from the corpses, but orders were orders.
The brothers were dressed alike this morning, brown insulated overalls with similar colored jackets and gray handknit crew caps. They were both wearing thermal underwear and a double pair of wool socks under their boots, but they could still feel the biting cold. Priss was wearing an insulated snowsuit with a once fashionable knit beanie cap, boots, and heavy mittens. She started complaining about the cold as soon as she walked outside.
The three of them walked together to the motor pool where Logan signed out a military M35 two-and-a-half-ton truck from the motor pool. Josue reminded them of the effect of cold weather on big diesel engines and to not shut off the truck for an extended period unless they had to. Priss shared the passenger seat with her lover.
“Don’t think I don’t know why you brought me along,” Priss said.
“Why is that, my little love-muffin?” Liam asked.
“You think Fred won’t be as inclined to shoot you if there’s a woman present.”
Liam glanced over at Logan. “We’ve been busted, brother.”
Logan acted surprised, causing Priss to scoff. When they stopped at the main gate, they made a point of telling them they were going to see Fred and if they did not make hourly radio contact, perhaps they should send the QRF to retrieve their remains.
The roads were covered with a mixture of snow and ice, but with careful driving by Logan they safely arrived at Fred and Rachel’s home fifteen minutes later. They could see footprints in the snow where someone had walked up to their heavily fortified gate and opened it, as if they knew visitors were coming this morning. When they drove up the winding drive to the house, they saw Fred out by the woodshed, splitting logs. He was wearing jeans, a long flannel shirt, and a felt cowboy hat. The three of them mentally wondered how he wasn’t freezing to death.
Fred barely glanced up at their approach and kept swinging the axe, splitting the logs with seeming ease. Setting the parking brake, the three of them exchanged a glance with each other before exiting the truck and walking over to Fred.
“Good morning, Fred,” Logan greeted.
Fred stopped and faced them. “Morning. Which one is it?”
“Pardon?” Logan asked.
“Are you here to arrest me or ask questions?”
“Is Zach here?” Priss blurted. The two brothers tensed up. She noticed. “What? That’s what we’ve been ordered to find out. May as well get to the point, right Mister Fred?”
He stared at the three of them for a moment before answering. “I’ve not seen Zach and his family since the day they left.” He then took his hat off and wiped his brow before focusing on Priss.
“Rachel is inside and I’m sure she’d like some female company.”
“Yeah, okay, I get it. Men-talk is about to happen.” She made a point of looking to the sky and shaking her head before walking to the house. Fred waited for her to go inside before speaking.
“She’s the daughter of Rhin
ehart. He’s one of those old school sociopathic politicians. Maybe you two shouldn’t be so trusting,” he said.
“She’s got her moments, but she’s alright,” Liam said, a little defensively.
Fred stared at Liam a moment. “You men need to watch yourselves. Those politicians back at Weather are manipulators. That’s what happens when you become a politician, you master the art of lying and manipulating. They’re going to convince you two they’re on your side and they’ll use you to do their dirty work for them if you let them. Stark tried the same with Zach and I.”
He set up a log on a stump and whacked at it. Two pieces flew to the side and landed on the ground.
“You make that look easy,” Logan said.
“It’s easy if you do it right. Season the wood properly, put a good edge on the axe, all that’s left is to know how to swing.” He took each halved piece, quartered them, and tossed the pieces onto a growing pile of other split wood. He then paused and fixed each of them with a hard stare.
“I believe you boys understand that Zach did not kill those women and neither did I.”
“Yes, sir, we do,” Logan said. “But my brother and I talked a little bit after we met with you and we can’t help but believe you know more than you’re saying.”
Fred did not answer and picked up another log. He eyed it a moment before sitting it on one end. “If you’re inclined, why don’t you tell me what you’ve learned so far.”
They exchanged glances. Liam shrugged. Logan shrugged back.
“Alright, two were shot with a nine-millimeter firearm, maybe more than one. A knife was used on the other two, but we haven’t told anyone that little tidbit and we’d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself.”
Fred said nothing, but after a moment he gave one of his micro nods. Logan took it as a cue to continue.
“Then, whoever killed them loaded up the bodies into the van, drove it to that house, and set it on fire. They took the victims’ firearms and their trailer, which was loaded with their personal possessions. Clothing and stuff mostly.”
“We think they encountered their assailants up on the interstate,” Liam said, and then added. “And they most likely knew them.”
Fred paused a moment in his woodcutting to respond. “Sounds about right.”
“All the snow has covered up any kind of crime scene, but we’re curious how you found them,” Logan said.
“And why you went out of your way in a snowstorm to search for them,” Liam added.
Fred split the log before answering. “If you’ll ask around, you’ll find that Rachel and I visited Mount Weather and had breakfast with the Garcia family on the same day the new president was scheduled to arrive. We spent the day at Weather. Rachel had a doctor’s appointment and Maria had put together a baby shower for her. It was close to sundown when we left. Lois Marnix had guard duty at the main gate. She’s the one who told us the president was overdue and was not answering the radio. You can corroborate everything by interviewing the Garcias and Lois. It’ll be a waste of time, but it will verify I’m not lying.”
“Fair enough. What happened after you left Weather?” Logan asked.
“We went home. The next morning, Lois and her husband Norman came to our house. They told me and Rachel about some things that were going on and said if the president-elect was not located, there was no telling what kind of nonsense would happen. They asked me to go look for them.”
“So, you hopped on your horse and started searching,” Liam said.
“Yep,” Fred replied.
“That was some good searching,” Logan commented.
“It took me a while,” Fred said. “That choke point on the interstate made me stop and have a look around. I started riding in circles and noticed that fire. You could still smell it, which told me it was fairly fresh. Once I located the house that was the point of origin for the fire, it didn’t take much to find them. What’s the word back at Weather?”
“It looks like Gil VanAllen is going to be our next president,” Logan said. “One of his first official acts is to accuse Zach of murder. Oh, and he thinks you’re complicit somehow.”
“What do you boys think?” Fred asked.
“Honestly, we think if you had something to do with it, those bodies would have never been found, and you certainly would not have led us to them,” Logan said. “But there are people back at Mount Weather who are conjuring up all kinds of theories.”
Fred stared a moment before giving a slight nod. “I’m sure you boys will figure everything out.” He gestured at the truck. “You boys going to go retrieve the bodies?”
“Yes, sir, we’ve been voluntold to do it today,” Liam said.
Fred gave a small grunt and went back to splitting logs. It took the brothers a few seconds before realizing the conversation was over. They gathered up Priss and headed out.
“I still think he knows more than he’s telling,” Liam remarked.
Logan nodded, and shifted gears. “That old man knows all kinds of things, I’m betting,” he said. “Hell, I bet he knows who did it.”
“Why wouldn’t he tell?” Priss asked.
“Who knows, I’m sure he has his reasons,” Liam said. “How was Rachel?”
“She threw up her breakfast, but otherwise she’s good. She’s all smiles. Said she never believed she was ever going to have children.
“They’ve done a hell of a lot to the place. I was with a team that searched the house a couple of years ago. It was in bad shape. They’ve totally remodeled it.”
“The fortifications are impressive,” Logan remarked.
“Rachel really loves him, doesn’t she?” Liam asked.
“Yeah, I think she does,” Priss said. “He’s got to be twenty or more years older than her, but she seems happy.” She then changed the subject. “How long is it going to take to get there?”
Logan frowned. “Even though this truck is a beast, I don’t want to push it and risk running off the road or hitting a hidden pothole and breaking something. So, I’m guessing four hours.”
Priss frowned and crossed her arms. Liam noticed and knew his girlfriend was mad about something.
“What’s wrong, my little ray of sunshine?” he asked.
“You lied. This isn’t going to be a one-day job. By the time we get there and load up the bodies, it’ll be late afternoon. And we can’t travel at night.”
“Well, my sweet tasting honeybun, it is possible that we’ll have to sleep in the truck overnight,” Liam said.
“So, I’ll be stuck with you two all night. It’s bad enough to put up with you farting and snoring, but your brother is just as bad, if not worse.”
“He’s worse,” Logan quickly responded. “Besides, I have it on good authority you snore too.”
Priss glared at Logan. “That is a bullshit lie.”
Logan shook his head. “Uh-uh. I’ve seen a video.”
Priss’s jaw dropped and she fixed a stare on her boyfriend. “You recorded me? And showed it to your brother?” After a moment she punched him on the arm.
“I can’t believe you did that,” she huffed.
Logan laughed gleefully as Priss punched Liam again.
“I didn’t see Zach’s tractor-trailer rig anywhere,” Liam said, hoping to change the subject. “But that doesn’t mean anything. If Zach is nearby, I have no doubt he’d hide it where it won’t be found.” He glanced over at Priss, who did not appear to be ready to hit him again. “How’d it look inside?”
Priss shrugged. “It’s quaint but nice. And spotless. She showed me the baby’s room too. It’s nice. I didn’t see anything that would indicate anyone else has been living with them.” She looked at the two brothers. “That’s probably why Fred sent me inside. That way I can report back to my dad that nobody else was living there.”
Logan chuckled. “Yeah, probably.” Liam grunted in agreement. “So, we’re going to retrieve the bodies and maybe have a look around since there’s no way we’ll get bac
k to Weather before sundown.”
“I think we should probably have a baby,” Priss suddenly blurted out.
Liam’s eyes widened in surprise. Logan was about to make a smartassed remark, but Grace had said the same thing a couple of nights ago. He knew how his brother was feeling at the moment. They travelled a slow mile before Liam spoke again.
“What was that one big gal’s name? Zelda or something?” Liam asked.
“Yeah, that big corn-fed girl,” Logan added. “Zena, or something like that.”
“Zelida,” Priss corrected.
“Yeah, that’s her name. According to Roscoe, when they left Marcus Hook, Zelida was driving and her daughter was riding in back with the other woman,” Liam said. “She was a homely gal. Tortellini or something like that.”
Zombie Rules | Book 8 | Who The Hell Is That? Page 4
