“One thing I’ll never understand,” I say, “is Unmarked society’s rush to expedite the death of people already on death row.”
Mayor Fairchild coughs. “Excuse me.” He clears his throat. “I do want to apologize for how the entire thing happened. It was a terrible business for all of us. I’m sorry for my role in it. But Ruby, if you don't plan to return to WPN and search for documents, we'd love to coordinate with you on preparing something to inoculate the Unmarked here in Port Gibson. You and Wesley could work on the protocols together, with Job's supervision of course. I'm happy to offer Job his mother's position, er, once it's officially available that is.”
Which will happen when Job's mother is executed. Because of Mayor Fairchild's ruling. At least he has the decency to recognize what an awkward place his eagerness to use my immunity has shoved him into. “But for now, I'm sure we all need to sleep. My brain is so foggy I can barely string two words together.”
“I agree with you. We all need sleep,” John Roth says. “But it's something to consider, Ruby. If you decide not to return to Galveston, I'm sure all the communities of the Unmarked would do whatever you might need to facilitate the development of an inoculation. It may be too late for all those children, but we can at least ensure this dreadful plague dies with them.”
Everywhere I go, people want to pen me in, tie me up and pump blood out of my body. I'm like the dopey virgin teen with perfume smelling blood in one of those bad vampire movies everyone loved Before.
I think about Adam and Josephine back in Galveston. I hope the Port Heads haven't taken over, but at a baseline I fear one of them has gone rogue. I need to go back and find out who. If I can't help Rafe, Lily, and Rose, at least I can make their murderers pay.
“I'll go back to WPN,” I say. “That doesn't mean I don't want to help, but I need to resolve some things there, stuff I left without addressing fully.”
“My son will accompany you,” John Roth says. “I can smooth things over here on his behalf. It won't hurt for me to report that he's been placed in a key position there. Chief of the Army, or some such, huh?”
“I'd dearly like to know who you're talking to,” I say.
John Roth’s only answer is a non-committal shrug.
“Did your contact mention anything about my regent?”
John’s eyes rise. “Your mother, I believe.”
I nod. “Nothing else?” Like whether there’s been a coup.
John Roth shakes his head. “No other details, but I’m sure if there is any unrest, my son can take care of that for you.” He pats Sam’s shoulder and I notice that big, brawny Sam flinches.
I want Sam to come with me, of course I do, but being told he's coming with me by his smug father and that Sam will fix all my problems for me, well it pisses me off.
“I wouldn't dare impose on any part of your family any further. Sam's risked his life for me over and over and apparently it’s landed him in some trouble with you. The good news is that I brought a substantial number of guards. They’re waiting for me just outside of Port Gibson, and they’re more than adequate to safely escort me back to Galveston where my mother's waiting for me.”
Sam's eyes are pained when they meet mine, before he looks away.
“We can talk about the rest of any details back at home,” Uncle Dan says. “We've imposed long enough.”
“Indeed.” Job's eyes flash. “Don't let us keep you awake any longer with our vain pleas that you consider saving our innocent mother's life.”
Job, Rhonda, and Uncle Dan stand up and walk toward the door. I glance at Wesley, who shrugs, so I stand up too. He squeezes my hand before I can leave. “I'll be over as soon as I can.”
I don't acknowledge that I heard him. I square my shoulders and walk to the door. After my family has walked through the doorway, I turn back. “Mr. Roth, something to consider. I'm returning to WPN imminently. I haven't decided whether to rule, or pass my rule off to someone more capable, but either way it won't help the Unmarked if they recently killed my aunt, who I love like a mother. It might even make me hang on to the position, out of a desire for revenge.”
John Roth's mouth turns up, but the smile doesn't reach his eyes. “You’ve caught on quickly, haven't you Ruby?”
I shrug. “Just an observation. I might be persuaded into a friendly trade position with the Unmarked one way or another, but once my aunt is dead, any hope of that dies with her. You'll have made an enemy. And one more humble observation if you don't mind. WPN outnumbers the Unmarked by at least two to one, and we've got far, far superior firepower. Even if you can't pardon your friends, you might consider what you could conceivably do in exchange for a political alliance, or if things got really ugly like they might with falsified confessions, to prevent a war.” I turn on my heel and walk out.
“She’s a real fireball, isn’t she?” I hear John Roth asking as I slam the door.
Rhonda and Job are sitting in the red truck with Uncle Dan, which I don’t fault them for. Even with the news about Aunt Anne, it’s got to be exciting to Uncle Dan to have Rhonda back.
I climb into the jeep alone and pull the keys out of the glove box where Sam left them. Uncle Dan starts the truck and heads home, but I wait on the street for at least five minutes for Sam to emerge. Finally, I see movement from behind a bush on the side of the house. A dark figure runs toward me. I turn the key in the ignition. The figure opens the car door and my heart flutters with excitement.
My heart plummets when I realize it’s Wesley.
“Oh,” I say. “Hi.”
“You look surprised, and maybe even disappointed. I'll pretend that doesn't sting. You were hoping for Sam, I take it?”
“Forget it.” I pull out onto the road and turn toward home.
Wesley sighs. “What happened? Sam broke up with you because of what Rafe said?”
I nod.
“You know what they say. Big genetically enhanced pecs . . .tiny brain. I was jealous for a while, I'll admit. But I'm actually grateful right now that I can't melt metal objects with my laser beam vision.”
I roll my eyes. “He snapped his handcuffs earlier with nothing more than a simple flex and pull movement.”
Wesley groans. “Fine, I lied. I am still jealous.”
I snort. “It's okay. I am too. I can barely pop the top off of cans.” I pull up in front of my house and park the car on the road.
“Look, if you go and apologize really soundly, I bet he'll forgive you,” Wesley says. “He's obviously still gaga for you. You were busy fighting with his dad, but Sam alternated between brooding and staring at you longingly the entire time you were at my house. He was basically Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. Wealthy Heathcliff, not the young insecure one.”
“Of course.” I open the car door and climb out.
Wesley closes his door and walks alongside me.
“The thing is,” I say, “Sam's waiting on me, I guess. To be completely sure. He wants me to be totally ready to commit to him.”
“Ready to commit for what?” Wesley shakes his head. “To bear him beefy boys?”
“Gross, Wes. Eww.”
“I’m kidding, but I swear that guy isn't making my job easy.”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“He's not leaving any socks on the floor. That's what I mean. If he'd be a little more annoying or a little less noble.” Wesley opens the front door for me. When I walk through, he drops his voice. “If I'm being totally honest, I actually like him, Rubes. I wanted to hate him, but he treats you really well and he makes you happy. When he’s not dumping you over principles. Stupid, noble, kind of gentlemanly principles.” He runs one hand through his hair. “I can't believe I'm saying this to you, but as your best friend and not a jealous wannabe boyfriend, I'm duty bound to admit that you could do worse, like way worse. He's not as great as me, but he's not horrible either. I guess that's the gist of what I'm saying.”
Wesley's candor and his obvious care for me remind me wh
y I liked him for so many years.
We walk in the door quietly.
“You're back. Finally.” Uncle Dan paces. When he notices Wesley, he says, “I didn't expect you here.”
“My parents think I'm asleep.”
Uncle Dan shakes his head. “Maybe you should be.”
Wesley says, “Not if Rubes needs me, and I'm pretty good with making plans. We were slow coming home because Ruby took it upon herself to threaten the big man himself. She told our Chancellor that WPN has more weapons, and more people and he oughtn't get off on the wrong foot by executing the new queen's aunt who she loves like a mother.”
Uncle Dan’s eyes widen. “What did he say?”
“He didn't respond other than to say he was impressed with my initiative,” I say. “But I'm not letting it go so easily. I have no idea what's going on down in Galveston, but maybe with a formal request from WPN I can pry her free. I've decided to head back tomorrow. Roth's right. My best hope for finding the paperwork that lists Dad's partner is in Galveston. Besides, I'm worried about Josephine and Adam. That accelerant never should've hit Baton Rouge.”
“Are you sure it came from WPN?” Rhonda asks.
“No,” I say, “I'm not, but I know Solomon had it, and who else had motive?”
Rhonda throws her hands up in the air. “My mom had no motive at all to trade out the suppressant, but for some reason everyone believes she did that.”
Wesley sits down in our big blue armchair. “I don't think she did it at all. Rafe said she was upset, like genuinely upset when she discovered the pills weren't the same. She rushed back here to investigate knowing she'd have difficulty communicating with anyone. Why would she do that if she had substituted them herself?”
“But who else could’ve done it?” Job asks. “That's been my hang up all along. My mom was my first suspect too, and would be still if I didn't know her so well.”
The beginnings of an idea form in my head. Tiny clues, so small I can't trust them. “I wonder whether, and bear with me here, could Rafe have done it?”
Job snorts. “Why in the world would he?”
I perch on the edge of the sofa. “Think about it. His people were going off it voluntarily, at least some of them. They were sick of side effects, sick of their lives being on pause. And some of them wanted children. Libby told me she wanted to be a mother and she wasn't even sure if she could be thanks to ten years of hormone treatments. Their own parents left them, and they knew they'd be doomed to leave their own kids, and they did it anyway. That sounds like despair, or maybe just garden-variety depression. I don't know which, but Rafe was already captaining a sinking ship.”
“Side effects are better than dying,” Uncle Dan says. “So what if a few kids voluntarily stopped taking it?”
I shake my head. “Something he said struck me as super odd. He said ‘that was why he did what he did.’ I assumed he meant with Rhonda, but it felt strange at the time. Knowing he didn't even shoot Rhonda, I wonder whether he meant something else entirely. Like swapping the suppressant to get them some attention.”
“No one ever prioritizes them,” Wesley says. “That's what he was talking about when he said he 'did something about it.' I remember you looking at me and I knew you heard it too.”
I nod. “Could he have meant that he did something about them being ignored? He eliminated the permanent time out? Forcing us to deal with their impending death instead of throwing pills at them indefinitely?” I bite my lip. “After the accelerant hit, when we were leaving, Sam said it was Rafe's fault for making us leave WPN too soon. Rafe said either way it was all his fault or something like that. I wonder if he blames himself because without going off the suppressant. . .”
“The accelerant wouldn't have done a thing,” Job says.
“Monumentally stupid move if it was him,” Uncle Dan says. “I actually feel bad for him. I know what it feels like to ruin everything while trying to help.”
So do I.
“The other option is someone set Mom up,” Rhonda says. “Someone within the Unmarked.”
“Sam and Rafe both hate their dad,” I say. “Could John Roth have forced Aunt Anne to sign that confession? Could he have changed out the suppressants for some reason? Maybe he saw a chance to pin it on someone else and took it.”
Uncle Dan shakes his head. “He's a tough enough guy to do that, even to a friend. He's done some things that were hard, but I don't think John would do that to us. We aren’t really just friends. We’re more like family. We’ve been best friends for twenty years, since we were in the Olympics together. And we lived with him through the end of the world.”
Maybe, but there’s something about John Roth I do not trust. “He’s been ruling the Unmarked for a while, and you don’t see him much anymore.”
Uncle Dan collapses on the sofa. “We don’t see him as often, it’s true. But he has no motive. Why would he swap the suppressants? And if he did, who would ever hold him accountable for it? He's not a dictator, but no one's truly challenged his leadership in . . . well, ever. So why set up a dear friend to take the fall for something that no one would blame him for?”
“Except for this Quinn,” I mutter.
“What?” Uncle Dan asks.
“Never mind,” I say. “But I don't trust him.”
Uncle Dan leans on his arm. “I do like him and I do trust him. If you give him a solid reason he can use, I think he'll pardon her. He's canny enough he might actually have refused to help her and made up some crap about a political rival so he could come back and argue for concessions from WPN. In fact, the more I think about it, I think he was probably angling toward this all along.”
I grit my teeth. “Your dear friend would allow you to suffer psychological pain of unknown quantity in order to negotiate with me?”
Uncle Dan shrugs. “Maybe. In his mind it’s not real harm.”
Some friend.
Wesley nods. “I was wondering the same thing. He knew an awful lot about Ruby's new position, and she's new, like really, really new. I doubt everyone living in a WPN city or settlement even knows her name yet. I bet Roth's been planning to spare Anne, but figured he might as well get something out of it.”
“Would he really bait me that way?” I ask. “What if I didn’t think of threatening him?”
Uncle Dan snorts. “He would have led you there if he had to.”
“I told you I didn't like him.” I fold my arms and lean back in the sofa, breathing deeply of the smell of home.
“I think the WPN angle's our best bet to save her,” Wesley says. “Plus, John Roth is right about one thing. If there's evidence of your father's partner anywhere, there's probably some kind of copy in Galveston. Maybe we can even fire up some old computers or something.”
A dark thought occurs to me that I can't even mention to Job, or Rhonda, or my uncle. But what if there isn't any evidence of the partner. . . because my aunt already destroyed it? I sit up and prop my chin into my hands. What if Aunt Anne was my dad's partner? She had money as a physician and also from my uncle's endorsements. She could’ve invested in her brother, and if things went south she might’ve needed cash badly. Would she have threatened to release a virus? Could she have pulled the trigger?
Dad calls his partner Jack, and always says 'he', but what if he promised he'd keep no records of her involvement or what if Jack was a nickname, or a code word for Anne? I wouldn't recall ever meeting “Jack” since when I saw Dad's partner, I'd really have been seeing someone I knew already as my aunt.
Except she's Marked now. If she was the partner, she should have the hacker virus and be immune, right?
Unless it didn't work or she lost it. Or sold it. Or any of a million other bizarre answers that might explain how this partner let the world burn. I know she knew a lot she didn’t share, about Tercera, about my dad. About my mom.
I sink back down into the couch and stuff my face into a pillow. We don't know enough and it all happened too long ago. I'm grasping at
straws at this point. Tomorrow I'll be thinking maybe a dragon incinerated the partner and ate the hacker virus.
Wesley sits next to me. “You're exhausted. You need to sleep.”
I sit up straight. “You're all as tired as I am, and we're still planning because we're running out of time. Any hope of saving Rafe and his people disappears if we can't figure out who my dad's partner was soon. And we need to save Aunt Anne somehow too. With those as our goals, let’s talk options.”
Job nods. “Yes goal one is to save Mom. Goal two, save a hundred thousand Marked kids. Options as I see it, if we save Mom right away, we can talk to her about your blood. Maybe there's something I'm missing, a way to boost the antibodies immediately. You'd have to book it down to Galveston and send an official edict to John Roth and the Unmarked demanding her release.”
“Assuming Ruby's not walking into a coup,” Rhonda says. “In which case Ruby might die and WPN won't be sending any kind of statement to the Unmarked.”
Job curses. “How did everything get this bad this quickly?”
I shake my head. “I don't know. But option two is going to Nebraska on the off chance that briefcase was left there and hoping it contains the financial info we need. Once we know who Dad's partner was, and assuming he's still alive, we can try and track him or her down and maybe get the virus or try and trace it back to the origins.”
“I lied earlier,” Uncle Dan says quietly. “I remember a briefcase, but I didn't want to go into it in front of Mayor Fairchild. I'm sorry Wesley, but I'm struggling with how he could convict my wife and sentence her to death for doing exactly what you did to my daughter. I don't trust him.”
“No offense taken. I'd be way less calm than you are if it were Ruby in Nashville. Do you remember what was in the case by chance?” Wesley asks.
Uncle Dan shrugs. “Papers? I didn't pay attention to any of it. I'm sorry. The police were handling the murder investigation, or you know, mishandling it, I guess. They didn't find a single lead. Which is actually criminal, when you think about it. Donovan stole a baby! Anne and I worked hard to cover that one up, but you'd think the police could have uncovered it when they started digging around to find his murderer. And beyond that, he had enemies from his last job. Plus how could they not have realized the partner was a villain?”
Sins of Our Ancestors Boxed Set Page 64
