The Horse Soldier: Beginnings Series Book 10

by Jacqueline Druga

“I shouldn’t have held onto that letter. It was wrong.”

  “Joe, you’re my husband. I should have showed you that letter.”

  “I wasn’t your husband then, so it was none of my business.”

  “But you’re my husband now and I’d like to be honest with you about it.”

  Opportunity, Joe thought. “So uh . . . why didn’t you then.” Another flip of a page and Joe pretended his work was more important.

  Andrea moved next to him and sat down. “I was embarrassed.”

  “What?” Joe looked at her finally.

  “Embarrassed.” Andrea fiddled with the edges of the robe. “See, when George first came to Ashtonville, he was still, to me, the President and he paid so much attention to me. He and I used to spend some evenings together reading the Good Book, talking about our spouses, our lives, and those we missed. Did you know he had five children, Joe? Five?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “And a family, such a large family. Brothers, sisters. None of them survived which bothered him because, well you had two sons that survived. Why couldn’t he? And when Dean released his research that survival was male gene hereditary, he was lost.”

  “He started the goddamn plague, Andrea. If his family died, he killed them. He gets no pity from me. None.”

  Andrea nodded. “He got it from me because at the time, I didn’t know he released it. And we got close.”

  “I see.”

  “We shared some intimacies in our grieving while we were in Ashtonville.”

  Joe tried not to show his surprise. “I see.”

  “I stopped it because I just felt so bad because I didn’t have the feelings a woman should have for a man she was sleeping with. I had started to get close to Miguel. He and I were really starting a base relationship, the way it should have been. The way a man and woman should be.”

  “So why did he write that letter well after you and Miguel were married?”

  Andrea’s head dropped.

  “That’s the reason for the embarrassment?”

  Andrea nodded. “I sinned. I committed adultery. It was during the time before we knew that there were more men than women. It was just our little community. There was no excuse for betraying my Miguel. I don’t know why I did. Pressure by George. Sympathy for hurting him. I don’t know. No excuse. Rev. Bob helped . . .”

  “Rev. Bob?”

  “Yes.” Andrea nodded sadly. “He helped me end it with George, talking to us both. George finally accepted it and that was when he wrote me the letter.”

  Joe closed his eyes and laid his hand on Andrea’s.

  “Do you hate me, Joe? Do you think less of me?”

  “No, not at all.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you. Now, I really need to look at this distribution stuff right . . .” He looked up when there was a knock and his door opened. “Robert.”

  “Dad.” Robbie poked his head in the door. He smiled at Andrea. “Mom.”

  “Robbie!” Andrea grinned and walked to the door. “Come in, sweetie. Let me fix you something to eat.”

  “I can’t. Thanks. Dad?” Robbie pointed outside. “Can you come out here for a second.”

  “Sure.” Joe dropped his pencil and stood. “Andrea, I’ll be back.” He followed Robbie outside. “Must be important if you’re pulling me out. What’s up?”

  Robbie turned on a flashlight and handed Joe the yearbook. “I left my smokes in Rev. Bob’s office. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. Just . . .”

  “Being nosy.”

  “Yep and . . .” Robbie opened the yearbook and shined the flashlight down for Joe to see.

  “Christ.” Joe let out a slow breath and looked back at Robbie.

  “Surprise. Surprise. Huh Dad?”

  “That’s an understatement.” Joe closed the yearbook.

  “There’s more.”

  “I bet, but this has to be returned. So . . . take this over to Danny Hoi’s. He’s not home but he has that copy machine he is using for the paper. Copy this whole thing if you can.”

  “I will.”

  Joe handed the yearbook back to Robbie. “And say nothing. Tomorrow I’ll call a meeting. Dean and Henry need to know this.”

  CHAPTER

  EIGHTEEN

  September 19

  Binghamton, Alabama

  On the norm, Frank’s thick black hair was usually cut and cropped so short it plastered closely to his head. But as Frank waited in his office for Richie, his fingers played with his hair in annoyance at the length. It had been too long since he cut his hair and he cringed when his hand ran down the back of his head and felt a curl. It was a tiny one, but a curl none the less. Frank knew if he didn’t cut it or shave it soon, he would have to break down and use a comb.

  “You wanted to see me, Frank?” Richie opened up the door.

  “Yeah, Richie, come on in.” Frank stood up.

  “What’s up?”

  “You’re fired.”

  “What?” Richie laughed.

  “I’m serious. I was thinking last night that I can’t have you working for me.”

  “Why?” Richie neared the desk. “Frank, if I don’t work for you, they’ll ship me out.”

  “No, you’ll work, but not as my right hand man.”

  Richie looked insulted. “I thought I did good.”

  “Yeah you did.” Frank leaned on his desk. “But . . . with these ambassadors and scientists coming in a few hours, I can’t take a chance with you. If they find out what I’m up to and find out that you’re involved, they’ll take you out. And I mean take you out.”

  “So.”

  “No, not ‘so’ Richie. I wanna go home and I’d like to give to the woman I love the news that her brother is alive. A brother she didn’t like, but a brother none-the-less. I don’t want to tell El that you were alive but they found you out and killed you.”

  Richie shook his head, looking little mad. “That’s not right. What am I gonna do? Be a worker bee and hang?”

  “No. You’ll be in charge of maintenance around here. We have no one to do that. And . . . you’ll also be close to the Society people when they get here.”

  The expression on Richie’s face changed. “A spy.”

  “Yep.” Frank nodded. “And you’ll pull a John Matoose.”

  “Huh? Who?”

  “We still have one of George’s people in Beginnings I guess, but he tells us about George now in exchange for his life. We wanted him to pretend that we didn’t know, you know, feed George false information and such, but that didn’t work.”

  “It can work in my case.”

  “Yep. Feed them false information. Volunteer it. Let it be known that you worked for me and tell them what they want to know . . . sort of. But make sure you let me know what is said. O.K.?”

  “Got it.” Richie gave a thumbs up. “When do I start this new position?”

  “Immediately. I’m pulling that guy Squirrel in to be my secretary slash right hand man.”

  “Squirrel? You mean Scarell?”

  Frank snapped his finger, “Yep that’s him. A weasel type. Him.”

  “You have to watch him.”

  “I know.” Frank nodded. “But that’s O.K. It’ll keep me on my toes and with you and I not working together, we stand a chance of finding out more.”

  “I think you may be right. O.K., What do you need me to do now?” Richie asked.

  “First is Dr. Morris. Go over to see him. Tell him that since we are getting new people, you’re maintenance around here now and if he needs anything done to let you know.” Frank waited for Richie’s agreement. “Then go see the guys that are preparing the lab. I’ll head there before you to let them know you’ll be in charge. Right now you head to the hospital.”

  “I can do that.” Richie walked to the door. “I liked hanging around you again, Frank.”

  “Me too, Richie, but we’ll have plenty of time to do that in Beginnings.”

  “I can’t wait to see my sister esp
ecially since you caught me up on her.”

  “I have a lot more to tell you.”

  Richie started opening the door. “Frank, on a down note, what are we telling these new ambassadors when they ask about all the missing officers?”

  “Same thing we told the men. They are on survival training.”

  “Will they buy it?”

  “Um . . . probably not. No.” Frank shook his head. “But how are they gonna prove it otherwise?”

  “You have two of them locked up at interrogations.”

  At first Frank looked serious and then Frank grinned. There was a chuckle that accompanied it.

  “Frank? Um . . . that’s supposed to be something that worries you. What are we doing with them? Explaining them? What if they pull an inspection. We can’t kill the officers in the middle of the day.”

  Frank kept grinning. “I have an idea. What time am I supposed to call George?”

  “An hour.”

  “Good. That’ll be perfect.” Frank saw the lost look on Richie’s face and he waved Richie away. “Don’t worry about. I got it under control.”

  “All right.” With a shrug, Richie left.

  It wasn’t long after the door closed, and Frank stood in his office, that he started to snicker. He’d stop, think and laugh again. He was enjoying a moment of self amusement because it just amazed Frank at times on how brilliant and quick thinking he could actually be.

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  Sleep wasn’t going to be an option for Jess Bowen when he walked into his and Robbie’s home early in the morning after his shift. Perhaps later he’d sleep. He was off on this Friday. He seemed more puzzled as he turned on the living room light and moved to the kitchen. He was puzzled on how he got himself roped into doing Danny Hoi’s work.

  Was Danny that keen sensed or was Jess that dense? He wondered that as he grabbed the coffee pot and began to fill it with water, making a pot of coffee for Robbie. Jess had walked right into it. Bored while walking his living section rounds, he responded to Danny’s four in the morning radio call saying he needed to speak to someone really smart. Anyone would respond to be sarcastic, Jess did, and Danny got him. Before Jess knew it, he had volunteered to do the editing for the first ever Sunday edition of ‘The Beginnings Times’ or at least the parts that were not immediate news. Danny assured him he would handle that portion. They still had two days.

  Jess’s finger flicked on the coffee pot switch and he noticed the silence. Where was the thumping about above him from an overslept Robbie who rushed to meet his start time of six am, a normal routine in the Slagel and Bowen home.

  Thinking that Robbie got an early start, Jess reached to shut off the coffee pot. He stopped when he realized he would need that coffee and he walked out of the kitchen to head upstairs to shower.

  Jess moved his way down the upstairs hall to the bedroom and stopped at Robbie’s door. He saw the corner of the bed. Jess never really thought them useful, with the exception of a place to corner tuck the blankets, but as Jess leaned in Robbie’s doorway with a snicker on his face, he saw that Robbie did make that corner of the bed useful.

  Papers sprawled out across Robbie’s floor were the backdrop. Robbie, dressed, teetered face down over the corner of the bed. His stomach was pressed against the bed, his arms and head dangling, and his legs, one straight, the other bent to the floor. “Robbie. Don’t you have to be at work?”

  Bang.

  Robbie, in a startle, rolled onto the floor and to his papers. “Oh God,” he grumbled.

  “What is wrong with you?”

  “I haven’t been to bed yet.” Robbie stumbled to his feet and looked at the mess. “Shit. I didn’t finish this. I swore I finished it.”

  “What is all this?” Jess walked in the room helping Robbie to pick up the papers.

  “I had to copy a yearbook for my Dad. I did one and he calls me to ask me if I could copy three more for our suspect meeting. I didn’t think it would take so long, and I had to get it done so I could return the yearbook before Rev. Bob went to the chapel.”

  “I see that you did.”

  “Not entirely. I have to put them together. Fuck” Robbie stacked the papers. He looked at his watch. “I’ll have to do it later.”

  “Why don’t I do it for you?”

  “You have to sleep.”

  “Not today.” Jess laid his stack on the bed. “Danny roped me into editing some of the new newspaper today so it’s close to being done when he gets back. I have to meet Trish in two hours at history.”

  “Don’t be late. You know how she is.”

  Jess grunted. “Tell me about it. But hey, at least Danny convinced her not to wear that visor while she works on the paper.”

  “You still have to call her ‘Scoop’ though, don’t you?”

  He winced first then Jess laughed. “Unfortunately.” He took the paper stack fanned out in Robbie’s hand and collated them. He then saw one neat pile on Robbie’s bed. “Is that the first copy of the yearbook?”

  “Um, yeah.” Robbie looked at it.

  “I’ll use that if I need help. Go get ready for work.”

  “Jess, are you sure? This is really great of you.” Robbie walked to his door.

  Jess smiled. “Robbie, for you, it’s not a problem.”

  “Thanks.” Robbie grinned. “I owe you big time.”

  “I’ll remember that.” Jess pointed, then after Robbie left, he looked back at all the papers. He scratched his head in bewilderment when the reality of the task set in. “Why do I do this to myself?” He spoke out loud and began to gather all the papers. “I’m too nice.”

  ^^^^

  “Henry!”

  Henry stopped in his hurried walk to tracking when he heard the call of his name. He turned around and saw one of the housing team, Luke, running to him. Luke was younger than thirty, but looked forty. He was a worker. He did anything menial, security part time, construction. He, like the other ten designated ‘workers’ were chosen for three things, focusing on work and just work when called for, their size. Though short, Luke was hefty and strong. And the clincher, a birth defect they seemed to all be born with, an inability to balance wits and common sense in everyday situations.

  “Yeah Luke.”

  “O.K.” Luke took a moment to think. “Have you seen Joe?”

  “Have you checked distribution? He’s restocking.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.” Henry turned to go back to Tracking.

  “Well, since you’re gonna be the leader, can you sign these?” He handed Henry a clipboard and pen.

  Henry read and lifted each sheet. “Reqs?”

  “Yes.”

  “Luke, these are requisitions for people. We don’t requisition people.”

  “I thought we did.”

  “No.” Henry handed him back the clipboard.

  “But . . .” Luke closed his eyes and held his forefinger to his own temple, speaking slowly as if reading and rattling off a mental list. “We have to prep the extra housing for the new arrivals tomorrow. We have to do inventory in the furniture and housing supply warehouse. Do not take the men from plastics, metals, paper, armory, or food. Take them from the fields.” Luke opened his eyes.

  Henry stared at him for a moment. “Are these things Joe instructed?”

  “Yes.” Luke nodded.

  “Then just go to the fields and get the men. You don’t need to requisition them.”

  “I thought I did. Cole said no and when I left him, I thought.” Luke snapped his finger. “Gee whiz, no wonder he wouldn’t give me the guys. I didn’t have a req for them. So . . .” He handed Henry back the clipboard. “Could you sign it so I can have them? I really don’t want to be running late today. Neville competition kicks off at noon.”

  “Cole won’t give up the men?”

  “No.”

  “Tell him I said that you are to have the men and you are to have them now. If I have to go down there and get t
hem, there’ll be hell to pay.”

  Luke closed his eyes and nodded. “Hell to pay. Got it.” He opened his eyes. “So, will I be like a tattle tale if I do this? I don’t want to come across as a tattle tale.”

  “No, you won’t be, I’m not fully the leader yet so it doesn’t count.”

  “Thanks, Henry.” Luke tucked his clipboard and hurried off.

  Easy enough, Henry thought and walked to Tracking. He didn’t need to ask Mark about it when he walked in. There it was. The flashing, the beeping, the messed up underdeveloped section of Tracking. “Shit.” Henry stomped and stood behind Mark.

  “Fucked up, Henry. When’s Danny get back?”

  “Tomorrow. Have you tried turning it off and on?”

  “Yep. I want to just turn it off but we can’t do that.”

  Henry left out a slow huffing breath as he viewed the history notes the night shift has taken. “Well, we see it works even with the glitches.”

  “I saw that.” Mark said. “Leroy noted a deer-like signal running across.”

  “At a normal speed none-the-less.” Henry set the notes down. “There’s nothing mechanically I can find. There has to be a ton of rabbits up there. A ton.” He tapped Mark on the shoulder. “Let me sit there.”

  “What are you doing?” Mark stood up.

  “No need in annoying you all day again with this shit. I’m gonna reset the preferences for a higher weight signal. Not much more.” Henry’s fingers clicked as he went into the programming section. “Just enough so it stops picking up the rabbits.”

  “But I thought you guys did that originally.”

  “We did.” Henry said.

  “So it has to be screwy if it’s picking up the rabbits anyhow.”

  “Not necessarily. Not if the rabbits are bigger than what we put in.”

  Mark laughed in ridicule. “Henry, how big can rabbits be?”

  Henry’s eyes shifted and looked to Mark. “Even though Dean says it was only one time, I know he’s probably been feeding our fine furry creatures his new special protein feed so we can have huge rabbits for consumption.”

  “Cool.” Mark nodded. “Never is enough meat on them when you roast them.”