by Tufo, Mark
Now I was left wondering what to do. I’d been leaving a trail of evidence the moment I broke the door. When he was found, it wouldn’t be difficult to realize someone had been here, and then they’d get suspicious, and all troubled roads seemed to lead back to me. Just because I hadn’t poisoned him didn’t mean I couldn’t get blamed for it. Had a fucking feeling my picture had been taken as I stood upon his doorstep, and this little piece of evidence would mysteriously make its way to the trial. I had to be the one that called it in, but now came the reason for why I was there in the first place. Nothing I could come up with was going to sound all that convincing. I made the call anyway. The MPs were there in under three minutes. I was sitting on the front porch when they came. I wasn’t proud of the fact that I knew all of them by sight, and it wasn’t because I was friends with any of them.
“You found the body?” Master Sergeant Wassau asked.
“I did.”
“Can I ask why you were here?”
“You can.”
“Consider the question asked, Lieutenant.”
A light came on over my head. Wasn’t sure if I was spewing shit from a new asshole or I had struck upon gold; either way, I was running the sluice and I didn’t even give a fuck if that made sense. “The councilman was on the oversight committee for armament.”
“And.”
“And I went out on a mission with an entire crate of munitions that should have been destroyed.”
“Did you come seeking revenge?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what happened. Then after I drowned him in his tea, I felt such deep remorse I had to call the MPs to confess.”
“Is that how you want me to quote you?”
“As long as you’re using a sarcasm font, sure, go for it.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a car up and across the street pull away. My earlier paranoia about having my picture snapped might not have been so far-fetched. This was going to make visiting any other council people out of the question. If I kept showing up to dead bodies, wasn’t going to matter how flippant I sounded about them, I was bound to get tangled up in the web Deneaux was spinning. The bitch had hamstrung me from further questioning anybody, whether deliberately or not. The MPs collected up the body, but did little to no investigating, near as I could tell. The meat wagon came and picked Ned up; everybody left with him except for my new buddy, Wassau.
“Why is it every time something goes down on this base you’re around?” He sat down next to me on one of the wicker chairs.
“Got to be a luck thing, right?”
“I suppose.” He pulled out one of those small airplane booze bottles. He offered it to me.
“Got anything besides gin? Used to be something I stole from my parent’s booze cabinet; now it just makes me gag when I see it.”
He fumbled around and pulled out tequila.
“I realize you don’t like me; I didn’t know we had moved to active hate.”
He smiled, grabbed another, this one vodka.
“Thanks.” I lightly smacked my bottle against his before unscrewing the lid and downing the contents; he did the same with his.
He sat back in his chair and rocked slightly. “Weird stuff’s been going on around here lately,” he said, sounding more conversational than accusatory.
“Are you liquoring me up in hopes that I’ll confess to something?”
“If I thought you were guilty of something I wouldn’t be sharing. These are getting hard to find.” He handed me another vodka.
“This normal for you? I mean, walking around with your own personal bar?”
“I was off duty when the call came in. I was half in the bag already; didn’t see any reason to quit.”
“You know you can get in real trouble drinking and driving.” We again clinked bottles and drank.
“That’s all right, I have an in with the authority around this place.”
“You seem pretty decent for an MP.”
“Seem?”
“I don’t like to pre-judge one way or the other.”
“Fair enough.” He handed over another, this one we sipped in silence for a few moments. “What’re your thoughts on Deneaux?” He asked it so casually, like we were exchanging opinions on exfoliation products. But his eyes belied his tone, and they were focused on mine.
I didn’t hold back with my one word answer. “Dangerous.”
He nodded once. “Thought so.”
“I suppose I should have asked if you were on her payroll.”
“Not me, but she’s sent her attaches sniffing around. More than a few of my people, both higher ranked and lower, have had meetings with her.”
“You should consider them compromised.”
“In what way? Am I looking at acts of violence, sabotage, treason?”
“Yup.” I took another sip, the caustic fluid not enough to wash down the bitterness creeping up through my throat.
“What does she want?”
“What does any despot want?”
“Power? She wants to run the base? For what purpose? Place is barely hanging on.”
“She craves it like me and you crave hamburgers.”
“I’m vegan.”
“Bullshit.”
He shrugged.
“Okay, she craves it like we crave women.”
He shook his head slightly.
“Gay? You’re gay? Fine, but you’re making this difficult. She craves it like we crave air. How’s that? You’re not some weird alien fish species, are you?”
“Air will work.”
“Vegan? How does that work? That’s going to be a difficult one for me to acclimate to.”
“Not the gay part?”
“Couldn’t care less what you do in the privacy of your life…as long as it’s not harming anyone.”
“How is the vegan thing bothering you then?”
“Well, how the fuck am I going to have you over for a barbecue? Not about to start grilling asparagus.”
“We’re having barbecues together now?”
“If we’re aligned against Deneaux, you and I are going to become good friends.”
“How do we stop her?”
“You might not like what I have to say. That guy you just hauled out of here? Pretty sure he was murdered.” Didn’t get much of a shocked look from Wassau, like maybe he’d been thinking the same thing. “We’ll be hard pressed to find any evidence against her; she’s been playing this game since our parents were toddlers. She’s always going to be ahead of us and insulated deep from any sort of legal action. She’ll have patsies she can throw under the bus at every turn.”
“Where you going with this?”
“The only chance we have to stop her is if she has an accident.”
“An engineered incident is not an accident.”
“You going all cop on me now?”
“I am the police.”
I was concerned that maybe the liquor had made my tongue wag too much and it had been given over so freely. For all I truly knew, Wassau was gaining my confidence to make me do just this.
“You setting me up?” I eyed him warily.
“No, I’m truly concerned. You need to be careful; I know how you Raiders think. A bullet to her head is going to be difficult to pass off as an accident.”
“Yeah, but it’s so satisfying, and it sure does take care of the problem.”
“What about the colonel?” Wassau asked.
“What about him?” I wanted him to start before I did. But really, if he was working against me, he could say anything to further the agenda without being detrimental to himself. We’d started strong, now we both seemed to be treading lightly on the thin ice of suspicion. Any of this could be considered treason, and something of this magnitude would involve a firing squad. There was no time in this new world for rehabilitation, and certainly no patience for it.
“I don’t know,” he said after some introspection. “When the base first started, it was all about surviving
the moment. There was no time for intrigue or politics, it was all shoot or be eaten; that was it. It was easier back then…in a sense,” he added.
“I get it, trust me, I get it. It’s always when you pause for a breath and are able to think that problems begin to present themselves.”
“Now that we’re getting bigger and this isn’t just a military operation, it’s become much more convoluted. You know, some of the ‘normal’ things we lived with, bureaucracy, political division, DMV, it would be nice if they never came back. I think the civilian board was a mistake. There’s no room here just yet for a second power. The colonel needs to do what he does without question.”
“I don’t know about ‘without question.’”
“Within reason.”
“I can agree with that.”
“But the stress of this is starting to affect his judgment.”
“Deneaux knows that, and I’m sure she heaps it on. As soon as she gets him to break she’ll pounce—or win his confidence. Either way, it’s bad news.”
“We’re talking about the leaders of this base…I’m glad I’m finally talking to you, Talbot. There’s no one in my circles I can trust. I don’t sleep much for thinking about it. That’s why I carry these.” He handed me an amber colored shot bottle. “Out of vodka; rum all right?”
“Guess it’s going to have to be.”
We again drank in silence; I admit it was an easy one.
“What if I told you this meeting wasn’t purely by chance?”
“That would be terrifying because it would mean you knew the councilman was going to be dead and I was going to be here.”
“Okay, wait, that’s not how I meant it. Let me start over. Major Dylan is, or was, my sister-in-law. We’ve talked.”
“She trusts you?” I asked.
“More than any other person she knows.”
“You mind if I check this out for myself?”
“Why would I?”
“Don’t know, most people get a little fidgety about having their stories questioned.”
“I’ve got nothing to hide,” he said.
“No? You tell everyone you’re vegan? That’s something I’d keep to myself.”
Wassau let out a laugh. “That’s going to be the one thing you’re fixated on, isn’t it?”
“How do you survive on beets and lettuce?”
“There’s more to it than that.”
“Cauliflower?”
“Love it.”
“Me and you are going to have problems. You won’t be offended if I turn down an offer to eat at your house.”
“Wasn’t inviting you.”
“Good, wasn’t coming.”
“Now that we’ve got that cleared up…” He stood with a groan, stretched his back and extended a hand to shake; I stood as well and took it. “One last question before I go. Why’d she kill him?”
“All I can figure is he was a weak link. She knows I’m on her trail, and she offed him before I could get to him. It was a weird way to do it, but she’s solidifying her power by showing how ruthless she is. Maybe he opposed her or questioned her on something. It doesn’t take much to get on Deneaux’s bad side. Shit, I’ve saved the crone a half dozen times and she wants to kill me. How’s that for gratitude?”
“What trail?”
“I’ll answer that after I talk to Dylan.”
“It was…unique meeting you, Lieutenant.”
“This coming from a lettuce-licking grazer.”
“Have a good day.” He smiled.
I watched him go. “What the shit is going on around here?” I was in that comfortable zone of being pretty buzzed but not so far over the edge I wanted to stumble home and sleep it off. I made my way to Major Dylan’s house, making sure as best I could that I wasn’t being followed. I was two houses away when Bruno, the massive Rottweiler mutt, started running toward me. I was pretty sure we were on good terms, but when a hundred and fifty pound animal with inch long canines is making time your way, it would not be wise to not be concerned. I was bracing for impact while simultaneously debating flight.
“Bruno!” I could see the major shouting as she struggled to catch up. “Oh thank goodness,” she said as Bruno clipped my knee, sending me spiraling to the ground, his huge tongue licking my face. Sure beat the hell out of him biting it off, even if it was pretty gross, and now I was going to have a pissed-off pack at home wanting to know why I was cheating on them. “Thank you, thank you!” she said excitedly. “Just listen.” This came across much softer; she was still smiling, though I could see the concern in her eyes. “I’m being watched. I’ll meet you tonight at the hospital; there’s a fire escape in the back that leads to the roof. Be there at ten. Thank you!” she said as she grabbed Bruno’s harness and gently pulled him off.
I stood. “Yeah, sure, no problem. Maybe you should keep your pony better secured.” I told her, pretending to be annoyed as I got over the feeling of my fluttering heart.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated as she pulled Bruno home, lovingly berating him the whole way.
I walked past her house, not looking at it or around at anyone that may have been in the area. I was busy angrily mumbling to myself about irresponsible pet owners and brushing at my clothes to get the hair and slobber off.
10
Mike Journal Entry 8
Got home and got a serious dose of mean-mugging from my dogs as they all fought for position to smell the intruder upon my garments. They finally relented and allowed me to profess my undying love for all of them. I’m sure Ben-Ben would have preferred bacon, but he was also fine with a good belly rub.
“You realize you can be home when you’re here, right?” Tracy asked. She was standing on the far side of the room as I was on the bottom of a literal dogpile. I sat up, only to be pounced in the head by Chloe’s paw.
“I know, I know.” I was talking to Chloe, though Tracy figured it was in response to her query. “It’s not on purpose, hon. There’s a lot going on right now.”
“That’s an excuse, Mike. There’s a lot going on always.”
“This is different.”
“Different how?”
I gave each dog another second or two of pats before I stood. “I just watched video of a nuke being detonated in Colorado.”
Tracy’s expression mirrored perfectly the churning of my innards. It was a repulsive thought, one on par with eating nothing but broccoli spears for life. Poor Wassau.
“Fucked up thing is, that’s not even the worst. One of my men is being experimented on with the hope that his consciousness will stay aware when he turns into a zombie. You’d think that would be enough, but it’s not. I’m also worried the colonel is breaking down under the pressures of command, and Deneaux is waiting in the wings with her broom and dustpan to collect the pieces so she can seamlessly move in to the vacuum of power.” I held up my hand when she looked as if she were going to interject; not the smartest move on my part, but she allowed me the chance to proceed and hang myself with a noose of my own making. “Not done yet. She’s got half the civilian board on with her plan. She’s bought at least a few members of the military police. Oh, and she offed a board member, most likely as a message to the rest. And on top of that, we have a super-predator housed in our very midst; I’m sure he’s been pretty busy planning his own spectacular shit show, so, I’m really looking forward to when that ticker explodes all over our faces like a ruptured sewer line. Sorry…that might have been too far. The point I’m making is that there is nothing I would rather do in my entire life than spend more time here with you, the kids, our friends, and the animals. And the only way I feel like I can do that is by eliminating the ‘things’ that are doing their utmost to take that away from us. From all of us.”
“I was going to say I want to help, Lieutenant. You can’t be expected to do all of this on your own.”
The big bad macho male Marine part of me wanted to thank her while also doing everything in my power to keep her out of har
m’s way. That was about as useless as telling a puppy not to chew your favorite shoe; it was on the floor now; no way to hide it back in the closet. The husband part of me was a little smarter this day. “Could use it,” I told her. I felt relief at the words and dread. It was wonderful to bring someone on that you trusted implicitly, but oh the fear that something could happen; another friend sent to the frontlines on my order. I rationalized that even if she’d done nothing, there was still a very great chance something could happen to her. It was a decent argument, but not without its flaws.
“Good, because I already put my hat in the ring for one of the council seats.”
If swallowing your heart was a thing, I’d just done it. Asking and receiving help from a loved one was one thing; tossing them into the snake pit, a completely other.
“Is that wise?” was all I could get past my constricting throat.
“What better way to keep an eye on her?”
“People are dying,” I replied.
She gave me that no shit look.
“She’s endangering people on missions and taking out people on the council. She needs to be stopped.”
“You’re right,” I told her, but right there and then I was thinking of a much more immediate end to this drama, and something I should have done long ago. I was going to kill Deneaux. Hopefully, I’d be able to put a bullet in her skull without any witnesses, but if push came to shove, I was going to stab her on the steps of the council building in broad daylight with an audience of hundreds, all hail Caesar, just call me Brutus. Didn’t matter; she needed to be stopped at all costs. I would tell no one of my plans so they would not be seen as complicit. I felt better that the decision was made.
