Reckoning (New Haven Book 2)

by Sara Jo Cluff

  Joshua reached into his bag, pulled out a machine, and set it on the table. It was just a small, square, black box, with a couple of cords running out from it. That was what he’d been talking about the whole time? I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that I’d made a mistake.

  “What is that?” President Brown asked.

  “It’s a machine that can tell if someone’s lying to you or not.” Joshua set a round, silver disk on top of the box. “This disk contains the software for it. All we have to do is install it on one of your computers and hook up the machine to the computer.” He picked up one of the cords that had a small black rectangular-shaped box on the end of it. He pressed down on one side of it and the box opened down the middle. “Just put this on someone’s finger and it will be able to read their pulse.”

  “What use is it to know their pulse?” Vice President Mendes asked.

  “You ask them some questions,” Joshua said. “If their pulse is regular, they’re telling the truth. If it’s beating out of control, they’re probably lying.”

  “Probably?” President Brown asked, arching an eyebrow.

  Joshua shrugged. “You can never really be one hundred percent certain, but it’s pretty accurate.” He looked at me. “President Randall used them all the time on people he didn’t trust.”

  “What are you suggesting we do with this?” President Brown asked, looking at me.

  Wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, I took a few deep breaths before I spoke. “Use it on the residents of New Haven.”

  Vice President Mendes laughed, the sound strained. “That’s madness. We can’t do that.”

  “Why not?” I asked.

  President Brown intertwined his fingers, pressing his thumbs together. “It’s a matter of ethics, Emmie.”

  I shook my head. “I couldn’t give a crap about ethics right now.”

  President Brown started to say something, but I cut him off. “Look, I understand that this sounds like we’re invading everyone’s privacy but that’s not what we’ll be doing. I just want to ask everyone that has entered our city if they truly want to be on our side. I want to know if we can trust them and if they’ve leaked anything that can hurt our city or our people in any way.”

  “This is for everyone’s benefit,” Joshua said. “We’re only thinking about the safety of everyone here. If there’s a traitor in your city, don’t you want to know about it?”

  Vice President Mendes pointed at the machine. “And that little box is supposed to tell us if someone is a traitor?”

  “It will tell you if they’re hiding something,” Joshua said. “You can do whatever you want with them after that. Interrogate them. Search them or their home for any evidence.”

  “Now you want us to invade our citizen’s homes?” President Brown asked, his voice not hiding his anger. This wasn’t going as I had planned.

  “Sir, please,” I said. “Let’s just start with the test. Ask a couple of questions. It’ll take just a minute for each resident. Once we have the results, we can decide what to do from there.”

  President Brown stood and paced the room—never a good sign. “I’m not sure why we should even do this in the first place. The point of New Haven was to get away from the politics and restrictions all the cities had. We’ve only been here a few months and you want to start questioning everyone and their motives?”

  “Under normal circumstances, I’d say no.” I sat forward in my chair, clasping my hands together on the table. “But we have a leak here. We have a traitor amongst us, and that traitor led us into an ambush. We’re lucky no one died.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. “That traitor got Eric taken hostage by River Springs. They might even end up getting him killed.”

  “I still think there are better ways to go about this,” President Brown said.

  “Maybe,” I said, “but I think any other solution will take a lot of time that we don’t have. If that traitor stays out there, more lives could be at risk. We promised to protect the citizens of this city. How are we protecting them by letting a traitor run loose?”

  The president stopped walking. He sighed and leaned down, pressing his palms against the edge of the table.

  I looked at the box, then at Joshua, and then at the president. “Do me first.”

  President Brown raised his eyebrows. “You’re volunteering to do this and go first?”

  “Yes, sir,” I said. “Ask me anything you want. Once I’m finished, you can decide if you want to continue.”

  “And it will just take a couple of minutes?” President Brown asked Joshua.

  Joshua nodded. “Yes, sir. I just need a computer to install the software and hook it up to.”

  President Brown looked at Vice President Mendes, but the vice president just shrugged. “This is your decision, Wallace. I have no idea what to think.”

  “Fine, let’s just do Emmie for now,” President Brown said. “But if this proves to be a waste of my time, I’m destroying that machine and will hold Emmie personally responsible.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said.

  We left the conference room and headed down the hall. I had only gone two steps when a small sneeze came from behind me. When I turned around, someone quickly stepped back into the room across from the conference room.

  “I have to use the bathroom,” I said to the others. “I’ll meet up with you in just a couple of minutes.” They all nodded and continued down the hallway.

  I waited until they were far enough away and went to the door, slowly opening it. I flicked the light switch on to reveal an empty room. I was about to turn away when another sneeze sounded behind the door. I stepped into the room and closed the door.

  Standing there was a beautiful young girl, probably around nine. She had long black hair that had the slightest curl to it. Her round, hazel eyes lit up when she realized saw me.

  “Emmie?” she asked, her voice soft and sweet. I nodded and the next thing I knew, her arms were around my waist, squeezing tight.

  I held her close and laughed. “You must be Rosie.” She nodded against my stomach. I pulled her back, putting my hands on her shoulders. “Well, let me get a good look at you.”

  Rosie stood tall, straightening out her white, knee-length dress. Purple flowers were embroidered on it, and a purple sash was tied around the waist. Her dress poofed out as she did a twirl for me.

  “That is the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen,” I said, running my finger along one of the flowers on her shoulder.

  Rosie beamed. “Thank you. My nana made it for me.”

  “Your nana?” I asked.

  “Yes.” Rosie smiled at my confused expression. “It’s what I called my grandma.”

  “You said called. Has she passed on?”

  She nodded. “Yes, just last year. She was an amazing seamstress.”

  “It sure looks like it.”

  “My daddy said Joshua was from your other side of the family. What does that mean?”

  I smiled. “Were you listening at the door?”

  “Always,” she said, her smile huge.

  A laugh escaped my mouth. I had the same bad habit. “Joshua and I share the same dad, but not the same mom.”

  She scratched her chin. “And Derek?”

  “Same mom, different dad.”

  “I knew a family like that back home.” She looked up at me. “So, do you like my brother?”

  Her question threw me off guard. I tucked my hair behind my ear. “What do you mean?”

  “Do you like Santiago?”

  “Yeah, he’s a nice guy.”

  Rosie shook her head. “I mean, do you like like my brother.”

  I pursed my lips, wondering why she would ask such a thing. “No, I have a boyfriend.”

  “I know.” She twisted her hips back and forth making her dress sway. “Dee told me all about you two. She said it was love at first sight.”

  I smiled. “It kind of was. We did hit it off pretty fast.”<
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  “But you don’t like my brother, right?”

  Why did she keep asking me that? “No, of course not. I love Eric.”

  She nodded. “That’s what I keep telling Santiago, but he won’t listen. He just keeps talking about you. All. The. Time. It’s annoying.” She blushed. “I mean, I like hearing about you, it’s just the way he talks about you.”

  I scrunched my eyebrows together. “Santiago talks about me?”

  “Yes. My mom says he’s smitten.”

  I bit my lip. “But he must talk about girls all the time. He flirts with everyone.”

  Rosie giggled, enjoying this conversation. “Oh, he’ll flirt with any girl. But he never talks about them with us. He brings you up any chance he gets. Emmie said this. Emmie did that. Emmie’s tough. Emmie’s hot. Emmie would look good with her nose pierced.”

  I touched my bandaged nose and shook the thought from my head. “Well, I’m sure he’ll get over it soon. There are plenty of pretty girls here and the numbers will keep growing.”

  She shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

  “Well, I have to get going.” I brushed back some hair that had fallen over her eye. “I’m so glad I finally got to meet you.”

  “Me, too.” She hugged me. “I’ll tell Santiago you don’t like him. It probably won’t do any good, but I’ll still tell him.” She pulled back and looked up at me. “Just watch out for him. He can be forward sometimes. And he usually doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants.”

  I stroked her hair. “That’s good to know. But I’m sure it’s no big deal.” I gave her another quick hug and left the room, trying not to think about Santiago having a crush on me. It was just a phase. It had to be.

  We walked into the security room where Naomi sat at a computer up against the wall, her back to us, typing feverishly.

  Derek sat next to her, gazing longingly into her eyes, completely oblivious to anything around him. He scratched at an itch on his chest—right over the camera lens shaped as a shield on his shirt—not taking his eyes off her.

  I looked at Joshua and rolled my eyes.

  “Derek,” President Brown said, making Derek jump in his seat.

  Derek pressed his hand against his chest. “Scare the crap out of me, why don’t you?” He looked up at the president, his cheeks turning red. “I mean, hello, sir.”

  “We have a task for you and Naomi,” President Brown said.

  Vice President Mendes found a seat near the door and sat down, making himself comfortable.

  Naomi turned around in her seat, facing us. “What can I help you with, sir?”

  “We have a machine we need to hook up to a computer,” President Brown said. “Do you have one you can spare?”

  Derek pointed to an unused computer near where I stood. “You can use that one.”

  President Brown looked at Joshua. “Hand the software to Naomi. She can install it for us.”

  Naomi stood and went to the computer, sitting down in the chair in front of it. She held out her hand and Joshua placed the disk on her palm.

  Derek came over and stood near me, almost in a protective way. “How do we know there isn’t some virus on that disk?”

  “Who cares?” Naomi said. We all looked at her. “This is a standalone computer. It’s not hooked up to our network in anyway. If there’s a virus, it’ll only affect this computer, which happens to be a piece of crap anyway which is why we don’t use it.” She shoved the disk in the drive and began the installation.

  Derek looked Joshua up and down, standing up taller and straighter as he did. Derek was already a lot taller than Joshua, so I didn’t know what the point of it was.

  “What’s he doing here?” Derek asked me, his voice quiet but still loud enough for Joshua to hear.

  “What do you think?” I asked Derek. “To be a part of New Haven.”

  “And you trust him?” Derek asked, puffing out his chest a little, the shield shaped lens on his shirt looking like it was zeroing in on Joshua. It was Derek’s favorite shirt because security was his way of protecting people.

  I eyed the machine in Joshua’s hands. “I’m about to find out.”

  Joshua pulled up a chair for me. “Have a seat.”

  As I sat down in the chair, Joshua set the box on the table near Naomi and clamped the pulse detector over my finger. Naomi plugged the machine into the computer and turned it on.

  “So, what’s this supposed to do?” Naomi asked, picking it up with her hand and looking it over.

  “Tell us if Emmie’s a liar or not,” Joshua said, smiling at me.

  Derek snorted. “Well, we all know the answer to that. She has no problem giving you her honest opinion.”

  President Brown sat down. He looked at Derek and Joshua. “You boys can have a seat.”

  “I’m good,” Derek said, making sure his back was straight and his head high.

  “I don’t mind standing,” Joshua said. At least his stance seemed more relaxed and normal looking.

  I shook my head. Boys.

  “It’s ready to go,” Naomi said.

  I looked at the president. “Ask me anything you want.”

  “Start with a basic question we all know the answer to,” Joshua said, running his hand down his tie. “It’ll give you a sense of what her normal heart rate is. Stick to questions that have either a yes or no answer.”

  President Brown looked at me. “Is your name Emmie?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  Derek looked closely at the screen, pressing his chest up against Naomi’s shoulder. “She’s telling the truth.”

  Naomi pushed Derek away as she sighed. “Well, obviously.”

  “Are you a resident of New Haven?” President Brown asked.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Do you think I’m the coolest person ever?” Derek asked.

  “Yes,” I said.

  Derek smiled, looking over at Joshua. “I thought so.”

  “She’s lying,” Naomi said, pointing at the screen.

  Derek’s smile faded as he glanced over at the screen. “That’s impossible.”

  “I just wanted to make sure it could detect a lie,” I said. Joshua laughed, making Derek glare at him.

  “Fine, do you think Joshua’s cool?” Derek asked.

  I tried to control my smile. “Yes.”

  “Truth,” Naomi said.

  Derek groaned in frustration and went to sit down on the other side of the room. Joshua leaned against the wall, smiling, tucking his hands into his pants pockets.

  “Have you leaked any information that could threaten New Haven in any way?” President Brown asked.

  “No,” I said.

  Naomi had watched Derek walk away. She pried her eyes away from him to look at the screen. “Truth.” She looked over at me, but I couldn't read her expression.

  “Do you believe in what New Haven’s doing?” President Brown asked.

  “Yes,” I said, ignoring Naomi's gaze and keeping my eyes on President Brown.

  “Do you trust me and Vice President Mendes?” President Brown asked.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Would you ever do anything to harm New Haven, me, Vice President Mendes, or any of your fellow revolutionaries?” President Brown asked.

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “All truths,” Naomi said.

  President Brown leaned forward, looking me straight in the eye. “Do you think this test is necessary for the good of our city?”

  My gaze on the president stayed firm. “Yes.”

  “Truth,” Naomi said.

  President Brown sat back in his chair and nodded. “That’s good enough for me.” Pointing to the chair I was in, he looked over at Joshua. “You next.”

  I stood and switched places with Joshua. His hands shook as Naomi hooked the machine up to him, so I gave him a reassuring smile when he looked at me.

  When Naomi nodded at the president, he started. “Is your name Joshua Randall?”

  �
��Yes,” Joshua said. His leg bounced as he tapped his fingers against it.

  “Truth,” Naomi said.

  “Do you trust your father?” President Brown asked.

  “No,” Joshua said.

  “Are you here as a spy?” President Brown asked.

  Joshua looked me straight in the eye. “No.”

  “Would you do anything to harm New Haven, me, Vice President Mendes, or any of the revolutionaries?” President Brown asked.

  “No,” Joshua said. His leg had stopped moving and his eyes held a fierce determination.

  President Brown took a deep breath. “Do you believe in what New Haven is doing?”

  “Yes,” Joshua said.

  “Are you on President Randall’s side?” President Brown asked.

  “No,” Joshua said, shaking his head.

  “One more question,” President Brown said. He leaned in close to Joshua, his eyes intense. “Have you ever done anything in your life that you’re ashamed of?”

  Joshua winced. After a moment, he cleared his throat. “Yes.”

  Naomi looked at the president. “All truths.”

  President Brown nodded in approval. He volunteered himself to go next and then Vice President Mendes went. They both passed, which didn’t surprise me. Derek went and passed, and then Naomi went. She passed, but there was one thing that surprised me.

  Partway during her test, Derek interjected with a question.

  “Do you think you could ever like me as more than a friend?” Derek asked.

  “No,” Naomi said. She didn’t hesitate with her answer, but there was a slight blip on the screen, making me wonder if that answer would one day change. I shook my head in disbelief.

  When I saw the sad look on Derek’s face, I felt sorry for him. He couldn’t help the fact that he was born socially challenged.

  President Brown clasped his hands together. “I want to make one thing clear. This test is voluntary. I will not force any resident to take it. I don’t want to make a big deal out of this and don’t want any resident to feel pressured to take it. Does everyone understand?” When we all nodded, he continued. “I’ll leave Naomi and Derek in charge of the rest of the tests.”