The Horse Soldier: Beginnings Series Book 10 Read online

  And even though it was over the radio, Robbie’s version came though clear . . .

  “Robbie. Robbie.” Hal shook him.

  “What?” Robbie woke up.

  Hal snickered. “Check this out. I was trying to tape Dad snoring so I could put it on the answering machine and guess what?”

  “What?”

  “Frank is with Ellen in her sleeping bag.”

  “What happened to Frank’s sleeping bag? Ow!” Robbie felt Hal hit him in the head.

  “Come on. Let’s go make some money.”

  “How?” Robbie asked.

  “Frank will want to give it to us. We just have to ask him. Come on.”

  Jimmy’s groggy voice emerged from his sleeping bag. “Hal, behave. Go to sleep and leave them alone.”

  “Yeah right.” Hal fluttered his lips at Jimmy. “Come on, Robbie.”

  “Robbie, don’t. He always gets you in trouble.”

  “No, I don’t,” Hal said. “Robbie, come on.”

  “Hey.” Robbie covered his eyes when Hal shined the flashlight beam close to his pupils, blinding him. “All right.”

  Like they were in an episode of Mission Impossible, Robbie and Hal crawled the distance to the moving sleeping bag. Hal laughed, held up his finger, and zipped the bag closed. Robbie had to admit he thought it was funny. The trapping of Frank and Ellen and . . . the new bike he and Hal eventually got and shared.

  “What!” Ellen was so shocked when she heard Robbie say that, she snatched the radio from Danny Hoi’s grip. “Robbie. You guys got the bike?”

  “Oh yeah. It took about six months. Dad never did figure out where we got the money. El, Hal used that against Frank forever. Hell, ask him how long he used that against Frank?”

  Ellen looked to Hal. “How long?”

  Hal shook his head. “Until I got the bike.”

  Ellen spoke into the radio, “Is that true, Robbie?”

  “No.” Robbie said. “Years and years and years. Ask him where he got the five hundred dollar down payment for the motorcycle? Every single time Hal needed something, he went to Frank. Oh, he was sly too. Frank was the mean brother and Jimmy was the smart one. Me, I was the one always in trouble and Hal . . . Hal was the dick of the family. And he got away with it too. Fooled everyone.” Robbie rambled on. “Man, he would say, ‘Frank, I need fifty bucks’. Frank would tell him no and Hal would be like, ‘So Frank, how often do Kelly and Ellen talk? Just curious’. He used it until Frank found out Hal was having that affair with his CO’s wife.”

  Hal snatched up the radio. “Goodnight,Robbie.” He shut it off and lookedatthe faces who hinged on his response.“Please, he was young and he exaggerates. Frank always helped me out of the goodness of his heart And I . . . I never had an affair with my CO’s wife.

  Sgt. Ryder nodded slowly. “So why did you shut the radio off, Captain? Seems to me not only is this merger with Beginnings going to be fruitful, but awfully informative as well. And . . . damn it. What is this?”

  All eyes went where Sgt. Ryder’s eyes were. Grace, escorted by two guards, neared the porch.

  Hal winced. “What does she want?” With a complaining manner, Hal stood up with all the men when Grace approached.

  “Doctor.” Grace spoke to Ellen. “We would like to shut the house down now. Let’s go. We’ve waited long enough.”

  Ellen shifted her eyes. “Excuse me? Go where?”

  “To the house.” Grace told her.

  “For what?”

  “You should be there.”

  “Thanks for the housing offer but I’m staying with Hal.”

  Grace was aghast. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because I plan on having sex with him, that’s why.”

  Hal pulled up a fake blush. “Ellen please, our personal lives are just that.” He tapped her hand.

  Grace grew even more angry. “Do not make me come up there and physically bring you to our house.”

  Ellen laughed. “Physically bring me to your house? Oh, that’s funny. Thanks but no. Now if you don’t mind, we are talking and reminiscing. Go.”

  Grace took in a long breath, stared at Ellen, stomped up to the porch, lifted Ellen’s much smaller body, tossed her over her shoulder like Frank does, and stormed off with her.

  Sgt. Ryder looked at a stunned Hal. “Captain?”

  Hal looked lost. He looked at Danny who laughed hysterically.

  Danny caught his breath. “Man I wish I brought my camera. That was funny. You know what. I’ll get her. I’m not part of this bizarre ritual you guys have going with the women here.” As Danny went to step from the porch, he stopped. “No need.”

  Ellen came stomping up the front lawn . . . alone. “Wow, she’s tough.” She let out a loud ‘whew’ and took her seat again on the porch. “Where were we?”

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  Robbie hit his cigarette loud, pulling it from his mouth with a ‘pop’ noise as he sat in Rev. Bob’s chapel office on the marital couch. “Now . . .” Robbie blew the smoke out and up as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “Let me see if I got this straight.” He squinted and looked down at the coffee table to the open Bible there.

  “Try it.” Rev. Bob waved the smoke from his way.

  “O.K. Now Adam and Eve were the first man and woman on earth.”

  “Yes.”

  “They are the father and mother of all children.”

  “Yes.” Rev. Bob nodded.

  “This Eve lady gave birth to Cain and Abel.”

  Rev. Bob snapped his finger. “You got it.”

  “No. It still makes no sense.”

  Rev. Bob stayed in religious control. “How can it not?”

  “Someone should have edited this better, cause check it out.” Robbie’s finger moved across the page. “Adam and Eve are the parents of all. They had Cain and Abel. Cain offed his brother and went to the next town and married some woman. Who gave birth to Cain’s wife? And who gave birth to all the people that made this place the next town. Eve? No way. There has got to be some other mother someone is forgetting about.”

  Rev. Bob shut the Bible. “Well.” He slapped his own knees and stood up. “You brought up some very interesting points.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I bet you were just the favorite pupil in Bible school.”

  “Never went to Bible school. I was Catholic. I went to Catechism when I got kicked out of St. Mary’s.”

  “And it shows.” Reverend Bob checked out his watch. “My goodness, look at the time. It’s pushing nine. Let’s save the Book of Genesis for next Thursday. Shall we?”

  “Yeah.” Robbie stood up. “So we’re done?”

  “Yes.” Rev. Bob ran his fingers though his tousled grey hair and opened the door for Robbie.

  “Can we discuss the great flood next?”

  “Why yes, Robbie, we can.”

  “Excellent.” Robbie stopped in the doorway. “This is great, because I think Noah was actually this really brilliant astronomer and he saw this huge meteor coming and he tracked it to fall in the ocean. Knowing the earth would flood, he built an ark.”

  “Goodnight, Robbie.”

  “Night.” Robbie took a step and stopped again. “Hey, do you suppose there is any connection between Noah and the dinosaurs? You know, how they say a meteor wiped them out?” He saw only the glare he got from the Reverend. “Just a thought. Goodnight.” Robbie stayed quiet until he heard the door to Rev. Bob’s office close and when he did, he snickered in amusement at his performance for the Reverend.

  ^^^^

  Binghamton, Alabama

  “So what are you gonna do?” Richie asked Frank late that evening.

  “What can I do?” Frank tossed his hands up and looked at the cloudless dark sky. “I send the trucks tomorrow.”

  “Frank. Two ambassadors. Eight scientists. Lab equipment . . .”

  “Richie, I know.”

  “Frank.” Richie looked at him. “Yo
u’re gonna have to be careful. It looks like this is turning out to be an actually Society location. I know. I’ve lived in seven of them. This is the way it starts.”

  “Why is that?” Frank questioned.

  “Because, first the military sets up, then whatever they are establishing the site as. Obviously, this is going to be some sort of research facility. Two months ago I was in the coal mining . . .”

  “No, Richie. What are you doing for them? Why is it that you move around with them?”

  “I’m a carpenter. I fix the structures. I was in construction, Frank. I’m part of the cleanup crew. We move from site to site, clearing out the overgrowth, fixing the buildings, and getting the basics up and running. Water, power and such.”

  “Didn’t you see what they do?” Frank asked.

  “No.” Richie shook his head. “I didn’t. A lot of men don’t. They haven’t a clue.”

  “And you weren’t suspicious? I’m not coming down on you. I’m just trying to understand why everyone is working for George, working for a killer, and working for a man who will kill anyone who won’t work for him. They are working for the man who ended our world and still wants to take over what’s left.”

  “You guys in your little Beginnings world know this and the UWA knows this, but look at the numbers. The total of your two communities is one percent, maybe, of what George has so the majority isn’t aware. We heard ‘rebuild’ and we were there.”

  Frank nodded silently.

  “And now, Frank, they’re coming here.”

  “Yeah but they won’t be for long,” Frank told him. “Once I find out where Ellen is, and once George returns, he’s a dead man and I’m out of here.”

  “Beginnings.” Richie said the name with a slight smile.

  “Yeah . . . Beginnings.” Frank leaned back against his porches’ step. “Home.”

  ^^^^

  Bowman, North Dakota

  “Really, Ellen.” Dean had a hint of sarcasm to his voice as he spoke to her that night on the radio. “Do you think it’s wise to have the other half of our female population hating you already. You have problems with this half as it is.”

  “Dean, I’m serious.” Ellen sat in the police station, her feet up on the counter. Hal was there with her, but he slept in a chair, utilizing the piece of furniture to its fullest. His legs extended as far as they could go, his body leaning, the base of his head resting on the back of the chair.

  “O.K., tell Blue to apply ice and that’s about it. Did you see if there was any internal damage”

  “She won’t let me look. Blue says no. He doesn’t see any, but Grace says she’s having a hard time hearing.”

  “Probably because the inner ear is filled with blood. That could happen when someone punches you in the ear. A rupture of the drum is easily spotted. She’ll have to use ice on the outside and wait it out. If it gets any worse, sorry hon, she’ll have to come up here for us to look at.”

  “O.K. thanks.” Ellen paused. “So what are you wearing?”

  “Are we having radio sex?”

  “No.” Ellen laughed. “I want to get the visual of you as I’m talking to you.”

  “Jeans.”

  “Shirt, no shirt?”

  “El, I’m laying on our bed. I am wearing a shirt.”

  “What are you doing, besides talking to me, that is?”

  A slight snicker from Dean came over the radio. “All right, I’ll tell you. Actually I’m lying here, thinking of you, and trying to sum up the physical feeling of you being here.” Dean waited for a response. “El?”

  “I don’t get it.”

  Dean started to laugh. “Never mind. I’m working, actually reading some files. I have some things to discuss with you when you get back. What are you doing?”

  “Talking to you and watching Hal sleep in a chair. God, Dean.” Ellen cased him up and down. “I swear if you don’t look at his face, it’s Frank. They are built exactly alike. Everything but the face. Hal’s shorter, but still.”

  “Anything else besides the Slagel resemblance?”

  Ellen snickered. “Danny found the uplink for the phones. It’s at a town forty miles from here, so he’ll be gone all day tomorrow but Binghamton should have some phone service to speak to us.”

  “Good.”

  “Dean, quit reading while I’m talking to you. Anyhow . . . I met some of the men who are coming to Beginnings.”

  “Did you process them?” Dean asked.

  “Yeah, all pretty healthy. Mentally, they are a good bunch, what I’ve met so far. I’ll meet the rest tomorrow. Dean?”

  “I’m not reading.”

  “I miss you.”

  “Thanks, El. I miss you.”

  “I’d better go. I just wanted to radio you and hear your voice. Tell the kids I love them. And Dean, I love you.”

  “El.” Dean spoke softly. “I want you to know something. I’m really happy with the way things are between us. I am. Just know that. OK? And I love you too.”

  It was an intrusion. It was Robbie. “Ah, how sweet. Don’t buy it, El. Dean, you know she’s doing my brother right now.”

  “Robbie.” Dean scolded. “I can’t believe you were listening to us.”

  “Uh Dean? It’s a radio. How can you not?” Robbie asked.

  “Turn the channel,” Dean told him. “It was intimate.”

  Robbie laughed. “No, Dean, it wasn’t. Now, what I heard Frank and Ellen do over the radio, that was intimate.”

  Ellen shrieked. “Robbie!”

  Robbie just laughed.

  Dean did not. “Robbie, I swear you are the only person I know who would eavesdrop on a conversation.”

  “Um . . . Dean.” Henry’s voice came on. “You know me.”

  “Me too,” Mark interjected.

  “You know me, Dean.” Dan from security added. “You guys could have added more spice.”

  “God!” Dean exclaimed disgusted. “Anyone else care to own up to the fact that they’re listening?”

  “Me,” Steve from security said.

  “Me,” another added.

  “Me too.” And yet another.

  “What is it with people in this community? Isn’t there anything better to do.” Dean questioned.

  “No,” Robbie answered. “Not really. Hey El, Tell Danny not to stay there too long. Neville competition starts tomorrow.”

  “I’ll tell him,” Ellen said.

  “El?” Dean called her name. “You’re talking to me.”

  “Sorry. We’d better say goodnight. Night, Dean.”

  “Night, El,” Dean replied.

  “Night, El.” Robbie did too.

  “Night, Robbie,” Ellen said.

  Robbie snickered loudly. “Hey look, we’re the Walton’s.”

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  Robbie was amused with himself as he meandered around Beginnings after his visit with Reverend Bob. No one was at the social hall. Jess was on shift so he stopped and spoke to him for awhile. To Robbie, there really wasn’t too many left in Beginnings that he could actually hang around with and have a good time.

  He reached into his chest pocket for a cigarette and felt the emptiness. “Shit.” He began to pat himself thinking he placed them in another pocket. “Where did I . . .” Robbie remembered he left them at the chapel office. He was so in annoying and challenging Rev. Bob into a Bible frenzy, Robbie forgot them. Looking behind him to distribution and then to his keys, Robbie weighed his options. To get cigarettes, he had to unlock one of two doors, Distribution or Rev. Bob’s office at the chapel. Fearing Joe and not Reverend Bob, Robbie moved toward the chapel.

  It was never locked, ever so Robbie walked right in to Beginnings’ house of God, up the small aisle of the quiet place, and to the back office. Unlike Frank, Robbie reached for the key he had tagged for the chapel office and opened the door. He had a strange feeling of excitement as he made his unauthorized entry into the minister’s domain. It was sort of like a lo
ng awaited revenge on Fr. O’Shea for making Robbie count un-blessed communion wafers when he busted Robbie eavesdropping on confessions. Though Rev. Bob was not Fr. O’Shea, to Robbie, they all worked for the same boss.

  He turned on the light as soon as he opened the office door. He could see his cigarettes, in the Beginnings’ equivalent to a pack, lying on the coffee table. Robbie walked to retrieve them. He picked up the pack, pulled one out, placed it in his mouth, and put the pack in his chest pocket. Moving back to leave, Robbie spotted them and the kid in him had to look, not so much for the pictures but to read what people actually wrote to Rev. Bob in his year books.

  They were stacked on the edge of his desk, held up by two bookends. There were ten of them, four years of high school and six years of college. “Cool.” Robbie twirled his index finger. “Eenie, meanie, miny . . . Iowa State. Freshmen year.

  Wanting to light his cigarette but afraid the lingering smell would give away his intrusion, Robbie chewed on the butt of it and flipped open the yearbook. “H . . . H . . .” Robbie looked through the freshmen. “Robert Haddon.” Robbie snickered. “Look at you. You have . . . fuck.” Robbie flipped a page, then through some more. “Fuck.” The smiled left Robbie’s face and he closed the yearbook, tucked it under his arm, and left Rev. Bob’s office.

  ^^^^

  Andrea wore a long robe. It was tied tightly across her waist and her arms were folded over her stomach as she walked into the living room of her new home.

  Joe, sitting on the couch and peering at work spread out on the coffee table, looked up at her. “She lives.”

  “She needs to speak to you.”

  “You didn’t want to speak before, Andrea.” Joe turned a page and grabbed his cigarette. “Wasn’t meaning to fight with you.” He kept his eyes glued to his work as he talked. “I overstepped my boundaries.”

  “Oh no Joe, no you didn’t.”

  “Really?” Over the rim of his glasses, Joe looked at her. “Christ, Andrea, you haven’t spoken to me or looked at me all day.”

  “I know,” Andrea said.