Slipping back in thought into Andrea’s chair, Joe sprang back up when Frank walked in. “Frank, got something for me?”
“Not much.”
“So I take it because the tracking wasn’t up in the front gate, we never got a signal that he was there?” Joe questioned.
“We would have. The way Danny designed the system is that, they kind of all overlap. There’s a very little window that someone could slip through if one of the trackers were down. But ... They weren’t up. None of them. We had them powered down while we ran the other lines.” Frank stepped farther into the office. “Robbie and I canvassed the entire front gate perimeter out for about three miles and circling in and around. Nothing. No blood, no foot prints. It’s obvious that this guy was in no shape to get here on his own. And no one carried him here. We did find some hoof prints in the mud we think are a clue.”
“Can they be ours?” Joe asked.
“Nope. We have about eight horses here, Dad, and to the best of my memory, they never leave our walls.”
“Horses.” Joe folded his hands on the desk. “Savages?”
“Highly. Highly doubtful,” Frank said. “Savages come in packs. This was one horse, or at least we believe it to be. The man’s wound was dressed and cleaned. Savages let their people die.”
“Well where did he come from then.” Joe wondered in question to Frank.
“I think a better question would be, who brought him here.” Frank began to explain his reasoning. “My first instinct was The Society, which that was quickly ruled out when Dean said he didn’t have the virus. I thought for sure this was one of the ways they were gonna hit us with it. So that was out. He’s not a Savage. He’s too clean, his hair is short and he was wearing underwear. They were clean and in good shape. We know the Savages didn’t drop him off, like I said before, one of their own, they let die ... too much of a burden. They’d kill and rape the man before they would even consider bringing him here. Rule out a Survivor out there that brought him in.”
“Why’s that?” Joe asked.
“If a Survivor brought him here, then the Survivor would have stayed.”
“Then who the hell brought him here.”
“Don’t know.” Frank raised his hands. “That to me is as big of a mystery as who this guy is. Because his arrival tells me, whoever dropped him off didn’t know him and they knew we could help him more than they could. And it appears to me, Dad, we have one more group of people out there. And I don’t like it one bit. Because the bad part is, they obviously know about us, but we haven’t a clue about them.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Plastered with a hug and a jump into his arms, Dean was grateful for Alexandra’s greeting when he came home. “Hey, honey.” He kissed his daughter holding her, then bending down to Brian in a reaching grunt to kiss him. “Where’s Billy and Joey?”
“Mommy’s says they’re being Frank and Dean.”
“Really.” Dean chuckled. “Playing a game are they?”
“No. Fighting over my Barbie.”
“Where’s Mommy?” Dean looked into the dining room. “Is she in the kitchen? I see she’s putting dinner on the table.”
“Daddy.” Alexandra placed both her hands firm to Dean’s cheeks. “Don’t go near Mommy.”
“Why?” Dean smiled.
“She’s gonna yell at you.”
“No she’s not. How do you know?”
“She’s been practicing yelling at you for a while. Saying your name, saying loud things.”
“Maybe she got it all out of her system by ...” Dean cringed when he heard Ellen’s loud sharp calling of his name. He kissed his daughter setting her down. “Go upstairs, Alex.” Putting on a smile, Dean looked up to see Ellen standing in the dining room. “Hey, El.”
“You’re so late.”
“I know.” He walked to the table. “Dinner smells good.”
“You know I have this meeting tonight. I want to do my hair.”
“El, I had that John Doe to deal with. Remember?”
“Oh yeah. And I’m still pissed at you about that.”
“Why?”
“You didn’t let me know. Acting all secretive, leaving me with the bunny guts to clean up,”
“Sorry.” Dean reached to the large bowl of salad on the table. “Did you stop at Distribution. This lettuce looks fresh.”
“Dean. Quit picking. You wouldn’t be so hungry if you were on time.”
“Ellen.”
“And another thing. Do you know you left a load of laundry in the washer. It started to stink, Dean.”
“I’ll wash it again.”
“That’s not the point.”
“What is the point, Ellen.” Dean started walking to the living room.
“The point is you can’t leave a load of laundry in the washer. You have to finish the ... where are you going?”
“We’re trying this again.” Dean walked out the front door, paused and walked back in. “Hey, El, I’m home.”
“You have to finish a load of laundry that you start Dean. I’d finish it if you would ...” She saw him hold his hand up to her again. “What now?”
“We’ll try this again.” Again, Dean walked out the door, waited and walked back in. “Hey, El, I’m home.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I’m trying to have a nice greeting when I come home. The last thing I want to hear is bitching when I walk into my own house.”
“Your own house? I live here too, Dean.”
Dean stopped in his walk by her. “Yes, Ellen. This I know.”
“Oh my God. Look at you being all mean to me.”
“I am not being mean to you.”
“Yes you are. You made that face.”
“What face?” Dean headed to the kitchen.
“This face, Dean ... look at me ... Dean, this face ... Dean ...”
“Ellen.” He spun to her. “All right, make the face.” He watched her give a mean stare. “Oh I did not make that face.”
“You did, Dean. And you’re acting all resentful that I live here.”
“Where in the world are you getting that?”
“Because you aren’t in this house ten seconds and you’re yelling at me an making faces at me.”
Dean, frustrated, ran his hand harshly down his face. “Ellen.” He stepped to her, laid his hands on her cheeks and kissed her. “Please. Just ... please no bitching.” He kissed her again. “Go get ready for your meeting, I’ll finish getting dinner on the table and I’ll feed the kids.”
“OK.” Ellen moved back from him. “But it’s late, I don’t have time to do the dishes.”
“You don’t have to do the dishes, El.”
“Well they have to be done.” She walked to the steps. “I don’t want to come home and find them in the sink again Dean. Do you know how ...”
“El.”
“What?” She paused in her walk upstairs.
“Can you send the boys down?”
“Do I have to do everything, Dean, damn it.” Ellen stomped the rest of the way up.
Dean closed one eye and winced, giving a silent apology to Joey and Billy for their receipt of Ellen’s extremely loud ‘Boys! Dinner!’. Heading to the kitchen, Dean could hear Ellen above him complaining while she got ready. It reminded him so much of years earlier when they used to live together before. And at that instance, with those vivid memories, Dean wondered briefly why he really wanted it all back.
<><><><>
Like a ten-year-old child who did not know what to do with himself, that was how Henry looked to Frank. Slumping in the chair, Nick resting conformably in the creases of Henry’s joined legs. And Frank watched Henry while he picked up the house, baffled at how much of a mess could be created in the short time since he picked up the kids. “Henry.”
Henry lifted Nick’s arm, letting it drop, lifted it again. “He really doesn’t do anything, does he, Frank.”
“He’s a baby, Henry.”
>
“Yeah but after ten minutes there isn’t much you can do with him. He only makes that one face.” At that point Henry proceeded to imitate it and looked oddly at Frank when he laughed loudly. “What?”
“God that baby and you look so much alike. Even the hair.”
“If he were a girl, Frank, I could do his hair. Put a little ponytail in it like I do for Alex. I should have had daughter.”
“Either way, Henry.” Frank walked over and sat on the couch. “At this point in the kid’s life, they’d still be a baby and they still wouldn’t do anything.”
“They’re so boring.”
“They’re babies.”
“There’s nothing more I can do with him but stare. How long do you suppose one can stare at a baby without getting completely bored.”
“Henry, give me him.” Frank reached out and took Nick, cradling the baby against his own chest. “What are you doing here?”
“Visiting Nick.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be working with Danny?”
“Oh no Frank. Besides the fact that we need a brain break. I saw the flowers in the kitchen.”
“Why are you changing the subject?” Frank asked.
“Are they for Ellen.”
Frank hesitated. “Yes. Robbie picked them for me to give her when she comes over tonight. Bitched about it, but picked them.”
“That’s really nice.” Henry sadly let his fingers fiddle with the fabric on the arm of the chair.
“Henry ...”
“Do you realize that it will be a year tomorrow that you started packing up to go get Ellen from Colorado?” Henry spoke slow, like in a daze. “A year, Frank, only a year. So much has happened in that year, hasn’t it? Doesn’t it seem longer. I mean, how has George built everything up so fast? I’ve been thinking about that you know. I was thinking that when we released that first group and took them to Colorado, they must have released their people in New Mexico and they had to have spread out fast.”
“That was the plan, Henry. Had we known we could have stopped them before they ever left.”
“Do you suppose John Matoose knows about everything.”
“I haven’t clue what John knows. We do know he hasn’t been in the Communications room in two weeks.”
Henry’s head swayed back and forth. “What is he up to now?”
“I thought for sure the fax would have led him straight to George. But, as far as we can tell. He hasn’t even tried.”
“Do you think it’s because something is gonna happen.”
“Yep.” Frank closed his eyes for a second and then kissed Nick. “And I have this idea. If you feel like rambling, why don’t you find Ellen. Fix this. She’s in a forgiving mood. Plus, she’s at the woman’s meeting and all of them are all for you too being girlfriends again. I think. Not sure. Maybe. Who knows. But if you go over there and pull a Jerry McGuire, El loved that movie, you’ll be a hit. Just like Tom Cruise did in that movie, walked into the woman’s meeting.”
“I can’t do that, Frank. Though there’s nothing I would like more than to talk to Ellen. Not so much about what happened, but about nothing. Just get into one of those conversations that we used to have. Going back and forth without any silence. Besides the fact that I don’t know if I can do it, I think I have burned my final bridge with her.”
“You have to try. With this virus hitting us, we all need to stand strong. Arguments aside. I’m even being nice to Dean. I’ll tell you what. I’ll make you a deal. You go over and try, just try to be that friend again and I’ll ... I’ll ... I’ll change every one of Nick’s diapers for you for one month.”
Henry’s head sprang up. “A whole month? How about bathing him too.”
“Not like I don’t do most of his baths, but yes, I’ll bathe him too.”
“Can I have the flowers?”
“Henry.” Frank gave him a smirk. “No, what are you nuts. Those flowers are my key to getting laid to ... getting ... take the damn flowers.”
“Thanks, Frank.” Henry sprang up running to the kitchen to get the flowers. “This is great.” He came back out holding them. “No diapers for a month, no baths and I get to give her flowers.” He stopped cold. “What am I doing?” His arm dropped.
“You’re going to salvage the friendship.” Frank opened the door for him.
“I can do this, right?” Henry asked.
“You can do this.” Frank hurried Henry out and closed the door. “Probably.”
<><><><>
Divided into teams of four, the women were in Jenny’s living room. Two teams remained, battling out who would be the champions of Beginnings Jeopardy. Jenny was the hostess of the event, standing before them, the rest of the women cheering on. A huge game board she had made herself, perched on the chair behind her. Jenny looked over to Josephine who sat in a chair keeping score, she doubled checked her just in case Josephine was cheating again, or made a mistake. She often did that when she had too much to drink.
“OK,” Jenny said chipper. “Cindy, it’s your team’s turn. Pick a category.”
“We’ll take Beginnings Entertainment for twenty, Jenny.”
Jenny snickered at the ‘ooh’ that filled the room when she pulled out the question. “I’m the most recent form of entertainment. Enjoyed only by the men. I can take hours to accomplish. Minutes to set up. Some say I’m even more fun when played drunk. What game am I?”
They huddled, Cindy’s group did and with a nod, Cindy stood up. “Are you ... Find the misplaced brain-dead Field workers?”
“Ding, ding, ding,” Jenny said. “Twenty points, Josephine, write that down. Two ... zero, that’s right ... Ellen, your team.”
Ellen looked pleased. “We’re going for it, Jenny, give us Dirt of the Earth for twenty-five.”
So cocky Jenny looked, taking that question from the slot. “Here it goes ... I was originally labeled Beginnings’ biggest pervert. Staring at butts, men or women from the second I came in. Now I am labeled Beginnings’ highest trusted pervert. Who am I?”
Ellen’s eyes widened and she spoke very seriously. “Henry.”
Jenny made a buzzing sound. “No, Ellen, weren’t you listening. I said, ‘when he came in’. Henry was always here.”
“And he is now,” Ellen said with a slight point.
Jenny turned around. “Oh my gosh, Henry’s here. Why are you here, Henry, and why do you have flowers?”
Henry nervously stepped in. “I feel really dumb about this. I’ll just ...” He set the flowers on the table by the door. “Set these down so I don’t look too much like a sap. But they’re for you.”
“Me?” Jenny asked.
“No, Ellen.”
“Why are you bringing Ellen, flowers? She’s back with Frank, sort of.”
“I know. But I’m not here to rekindle the understanding or primary,” Henry said. “I’m here to get my friend back. Just my friend.”
Ellen didn’t say anything.
Henry ran his hands through his hair, then dropped them. It was so apparent how nervous he was. “El, I don’t know how much more I can say. I’ve said I am sorry so many times. But if you want me to, I will say I am sorry every day for the rest of my life. I’ll say anything to you, just to be able to talk to you. I miss my friend. I really miss my friend. I miss our tea. Our gossip. I miss having lunch with you. I can’t do anything right anymore. And I know that has a lot to do with the fact that something is missing from my life. That something is ...”
“Stop.” Ellen stepped to him.
“You aren’t going to yell at me again are you?” Henry asked frightened.
“No.” Ellen shook her head. “You had me when you walked in the door.”
Jenny shirked loudly. “Oh my God, this is from Jerry McGuire, Henry, you borrowed from Jerry McGuire. I love that movie.”
Ellen said, “I hate that movie.”
“What?” Henry gasped. “Frank said.”
“There you have it, Henry.” Jenny held out her ha
nd. “Frank said.”
“Great, just great.” Henry lowered his head and shook it. “I’m killing Frank. I’m sorry. I’ll leave.” He turned for the door.
“Wait,” Ellen called out. “I’ll be open to being forgiving, OK? I’ll try.”
Henry smiled gently. “Thank you.”
Before anymore could be said, there was a single knock at the door and Ben and Todd walked in. “Ladies,” Ben called out then shrieked when he saw Henry. “You said no men were allowed. Why is he here that ... that ... bastard.”
Jenny walked to Ben and laid a hand on his back. “I know seeing him in traumatizing. Henry is leaving.”
“Yes, yes, I am.” Henry walked to the open door, paused, said ‘thank you’ again and left.
The moment the door closed, Ben’s ‘down’ demeanor switched to an ‘up’ one ... “The dresses are nearly complete. Final alteration time!” He noticed the quiet of the room. “We’re not going to wear them. Are we?”
Andrea stood up slowly from her seat gazing at a loss at the dress Todd held. “No.” She moved to the blue garment running her hand down it, lifting the tag that said her name. “We’re not going to wear them. We decided, no wedding, no dresses. We thought we would, but we can’t. It would be a little sad, don’t you think? Sorry, Ben.”
“Wait!” Ellen held up her hands. “All of us have planed this big party. This was supposed to be a wedding. Ben and Todd worked their asses off on the dresses and the tuxes. So why can’t we have a wedding huh? So what, Henry won’t marry me,” Ellen spoke strong. “So what. But you know what? Cheer up ladies, cause tomorrow afternoon Beginnings is going to have the first and biggest wedding ever here. Complete with food, entertainment, servants and ...” She touched the wedding gown. “Dresses.” She moved to the door. “Start planning. Ben and Todd, get your sewing kits ready for the final alterations. I’m going to go talk to him now.” She started walking out the door. “Guaranteed. There will be a wedding in Beginnings tomorrow.”
The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series Page 336
