Strengthen What Remains (Book 2): A Time To Endure

by Kyle Pratt

  “Well, they were lucky.”

  Caden’s confusion must have shown.

  “They’re alive.” The sheriff sighed. “Just after the attack on Seattle we had a rash of looting and justifiable homicides. I thought things were returning to normal, but this,” he said pointing to the file on his desk, “is the fourth shooting death this week.”

  “Are they drug related?”

  “In normal times a rash of shootings would probably be drug related, but most of the serious dopers are dead and the supply is drying up fast.” The sheriff shook his head. “No, these are people getting shot stealing food or fighting over it.” He stared into the distance. “It’s going to get ugly if more food doesn’t arrive.”

  Caden thought of Zach and how the boy managed to feed his family by fishing, hunting and working at the armory. He was proud of the young man. “Food distribution within the country has been disrupted by the attacks, and now the fighting, and not enough food aid is coming in. I think the situation will get worse before it gets better.”

  Hoover nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking.”

  “I’m afraid I have more bad news for you.”

  The sheriff frowned.

  He provided Hoover with the same unclassified brief he had given his family.

  “When will you be back?”

  Caden chuckled. “That was the first question Maria asked.”

  “But for different reasons.”

  “Thanks for the assurance,” Caden grinned. “I don’t know when I’ll be back. Days, a couple of weeks….” He shrugged. “And I don’t want to make your job tougher but…we need to discuss Cruz.”

  Hoover’s eyes widened.

  Caden relayed the conversation he had with the doctor earlier that morning.

  The sheriff sighed. “You’re just a bundle of joyful news this morning.” He stared out the window for a moment. “Well, we could just….”

  “We can’t shoot him.”

  Hoover laughed. “How did you know I was thinking that?”

  “Because when Scott told me we needed to move Cruz, shooting him was the first thought I had.”

  “He is at least an accomplice to murder and theft. Under the martial law edict you could issue….”

  Caden held up his hand. “There are only thirty-eight hours before I have to leave and I’ve a lot to do. We’ll deal with him when I get back.”

  The sheriff sighed. “Okay. The jail is overcrowded, but I’ll find a cell for him. Can you leave a man or two to help with the move?”

  Caden nodded. “Brooks will stay behind with a few of the newer men. They can help with the transfer.”

  As he stepped from the building, Caden basked in the warm winter sun. He looked north, toward Seattle. The blast killed so many. It probably killed my brother, Peter. A line of hills, covered in low gray clouds, stood between him and those blighted cities and towns. Soon I’ll be on the other side of those hills.

  As Caden continued to stare at the distant peaks, clouds obscured the sun leaving him in shadow. A cold breeze chilled him. Memories of battles, in Fallujah, Kamdesh, Hansen and more, flashed through his mind. I thought it was over…behind me. With a deep sigh, he flipped up his collar and headed toward the armory and the coming conflict.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Maria sat beside him, as Caden drove to church.

  “I feel bad about leaving Sue behind to watch the house,” Maria said.

  “She has Nikki to help her,” Caden said with a grin. “Besides, she said she wanted to stay.”

  Maria nodded, but was clearly not satisfied.

  Caden’s thoughts drifted to the upcoming operation and battles of the recent past. How many times have I had a gun pointed at me this year? How many times have I been shot at?

  Ahead the road curved up the slope, but between old apple trees Caden saw the white, wood-frame church that had dominated the hilltop for longer than he had lived.

  I haven’t been to church since the Battle of Olympia. I know Mom and Dad like it when I go, but life has been so busy. For several moments, images and emotions from the battle surged through him. He didn’t like that the media included the fight at Hansen with the overall battle. The Hansen combat was referred to as a skirmish. Caden shook his head. The Hansen fight was small in comparison to the main battle around the capital and it was just a part of the overall conflict that day. Still, it seemed unfair to those who fought and died on both sides of the battle to call it a skirmish, but there was little he could do about it.

  People riding horseback and walking in the street toward the church caused him to slow the car. More often now, people treated streets as wide paths and cars as intruders. He gave a horse plenty of space as he drove by. Farther ahead another horse pulled an ancient wagon slowly up the hill. Several kids jumped aboard as it passed.

  Trees on the edge of the church parking lot served as hitching posts for horses. There were more cars on the lot than the last time he had been there, but parking was more than ample. Caden pulled into a spot that faced the large field behind the church.

  A long Quonset-hut-style greenhouse dominated one side of the field. Two smaller backyard greenhouses stood alongside. A hill of black earth rose nearby and a chain-link fence would soon enclose the area. Several dozen raised-bed gardens were under construction. No one was there now, but clearly the field had been an area of intense activity.

  Caden approached the largest greenhouse. A wooden door frame was at one end with hinges, but no door had yet been hung. PVC pipes about four feet apart arched like ribs from one side to the other. The entire structure was covered with heavy plastic sheeting. Even with one end open the air inside was warm. Benches lined the length. Narrow wooden tables with slats were designed for greenhouses, other tables were just available flat surfaces. Trays and pots in a multitude of shapes, sizes and material lined both sides.

  At the sound of the church bell, Caden turned.

  Maria stood just inside the structure watching him.

  “I’m glad I saw all of this.”

  She nodded and reached out her hand. Together they walked back to the family.

  The old horse-drawn wagon pulled in front of the church and children jumped from both sides.

  As they entered the sanctuary, Caden’s thoughts were on the greenhouses. Holding onto the image of those beside the church and the one on the family farm lifted his spirit. The structures seemed to say, ‘We will survive this winter. We will be here next year.’

  The church faced east and the morning light poured in through a large stained glass window casting the congregation in shades of red, green and blue. The sanctuary was largely full except for the first two rows. As the Westmore clan filed into a front row pew the congregation stood and sang, It is Well With My Soul.

  Caden joined in.

  The announcements were mostly about the coming planting. “If you have extra seeds please bring them to the exchange in room ten. Also, if you need seeds go there. You probably noticed the hill of black soil. The Grange is helping us organize and build a community garden beside the church. You can sign up for a plot….”

  The government is fractured, the money nearly worthless, the economy is in a death spiral, but here there is hope. Caden smiled thinking of Zach and how he provided for his family and the way his dad found the materials to rebuild the decrepit greenhouse. Yes, there is a future.

  He was lost in thought for several minutes and then his attention focused on the older, gray-haired man in a dark suit fervently speaking to the congregation. Caden recognized him as the pastor of the church.

  He pointed at Caden and their eyes locked.

  “Will you?” he asked.

  In his confusion, Caden almost asked, “What?”

  The pastor turned to the other side of the congregation. “Will you?” The elder’s eyes swept the gathering. “Who will answer God’s call in Ezekiel and stand in the gap on behalf of the land?”

  Relieved that he wasn’t bei
ng personally asked, Caden dwelled on the question. This town is lucky to have men like Hoover and my father. During the chaos of the terror attacks, they saved Hansen. Governor Monroe is struggling to save the state and maybe the country. They are standing in the gap.

  The pastor lifted his arms. “Rise up, followers of the Lord, and strengthen what remains before all is lost.”

  * * *

  Caden stopped by the hospital later that day, in uniform. Even though Zach was not a soldier, he considered this part of his trip an official duty. The last couple of weeks he had performed well at the armory and earned the respect of the First Sergeant. Not an easy task.

  He wanted to check on the young man, and his mother, and see if he could help.

  After minutes of weaving down identical halls he came to her room. The mother and two teenage girls were inside. Caden recognized the redheaded teen as Vicki, Zach’s sister. She sat in the corner swaying to music only she could hear on her earbuds and writing in a notebook.

  He thought the other girl with blonde hair, was the one he had seen with Zach at the library market. She was pretty, with well-manicured nails, new jeans and a lacy yellow blouse, but right now, that was off-set by her snoring.

  Caden stepped into the room

  Vicki swung to her right, saw Caden and gasped. Pulling the earbuds from her ears she said, “I didn’t know you were there.”

  “Sorry I startled you.”

  The blonde stretched and then went wide-eyed at the man in the room.

  “I’m just checking on Zach and your family.”

  “Mom is…well the doctor won’t say, but I don’t think they believe she will ever wake up.”

  “Was it a stroke or….” It was a natural question, but Caden immediately felt nosy and regretted asking.

  Vicki’s head hung low.

  “It was Bo,” the blonde said.

  “What?” Caden asked.

  With a big sigh Vicki said, “I think we need help. Zach needs help. I’m afraid he’s going to do something bad.”

  Caden sat down. “Tell me everything and I’ll see what I can do.”

  More sighs and looks passed between the girls.

  “You need to tell him,” the blonde said.

  Vicki nodded. “This guy Bo, gave Mom booze and she drank it,” she shook her head, “like a fish. I think he liked Mom to begin with, but then he was just using her to get to Zach.”

  He looked at her doubtfully.

  “Yeah, he wants Zach to steal things from the armory,” the blonde agreed.

  “Steal what, exactly.”

  Hands weaving in the air as if drawing, Vicki said, “Guns, bullets and parts of them, you know like the things the bullets go in.”

  “Magazines?” Caden asked.

  “Yeah, I guess that’s what it’s called. But Zach wouldn’t do it.”

  “Good,” Caden said.

  “But then Bo gave Mom drugs. I think Bo wanted to get her hooked so he’d have more power over Zach, and Mom too, maybe.”

  Gesturing toward the mother, Caden asked, “Was this an overdose?”

  “Kinda…ah…Mom…she tried to kill herself.” The girl stared at the floor for a moment. “And Zach said he was going to kill Bo. Can you stop my brother before…?”

  “Is Bo a nickname? Do you know his full name?”

  “Ah…I think Bo is his real name. I’ve heard his last name but….”

  “Robert Bo Hendricks,” the blonde said.

  “How did you know that, Delynn?” Vicki asked.

  The girl blushed “Bo’s creepy. When he first started visiting your house, I asked my dad to check on him.” She looked at Caden. “My dad’s a lawyer.” Turning back to Vicki she said, “Dad didn’t care for Zach before, but what he found out about Bo really turned him against…well, all of you. I’m sorry.”

  Vicki hugged Delynn but looked at Caden. “Can you arrest him?

  Caden looked at his watch and silently cursed his lack of time. In less than fifteen hours he would lead most of his men north in Operation Lexington. “I will do everything I can. If you see Zach, tell him to go to the armory.”

  The girls smiled and nodded.

  Caden wasn’t hopeful as he left the room. In addition to his lack of time, Bo would probably deny everything Zach and Vicki accused him of doing. A classic they said, he said.

  Still considering what to do, he continued down a long straight hallway toward the other end of the building and the less noble reason for his visit to the hospital. He told Brooks and his family that he would visit Zach and his mother before he left, but he told no one that he also wanted to see Cruz.

  He didn’t know exactly why he needed to see the prisoner. Perhaps it was just to assure himself that the murderer was there and would remain in custody. Caden didn’t plan to say anything to him. Oh, he did want to gloat that MS-13 and the other gangs were about to be destroyed. But he wouldn’t. The less Cruz knew the better. However, he could stand there, look the thug in the eye and know that he would never breathe free air again and his gang, at least in this area, would soon be decimated.

  As he walked down the hall, Caden smiled. That would be enough.

  But when Caden arrived at the room where the interrogation had occurred, three patients occupied the space and none of them was Cruz.

  He asked about the former occupant, but they knew nothing. Caden left and found a nurse.

  “That awful man,” she said with a visible shudder. “The sheriff had him moved to a more secure place in the hospital a couple of days ago.” She gave him directions.

  Caden turned down one bland pastel colored passage and then another. He waved to Dr. Winfield, turned down another corridor and soon saw a deputy seated beside a door.

  The lawman stood as Caden approached.

  “I need to see the prisoner.” He felt his face warm. There was no need. This was a want, an emotional desire to look into the face of the man who had killed one of his men, and tried to kill him. Caden had a need for Cruz to know who was in control.

  The deputy unlocked the door and Caden stepped into a tiny windowless room. He wondered if it had been a storage area before it was a prison cell.

  The space was empty except for a chair, table and hospital bed. The bed was bolted to the floor as far from the door as possible and Cruz was handcuffed to it.

  Just inside, Caden stared at the thug.

  Slowly Cruz opened his eyes. “You’re disturbing my beauty rest soldier boy.”

  Caden remained silent wondering if he should convene a tribunal and dispose of Cruz. Thinking about that and the upcoming operation to destroy MS-13 and the other gangs brought a grin to Caden’s face.

  “What you smiling about?”

  Caden had what he wanted. I’ll wait till I return to decide Cruz’s fate. He looked around the small space. “Do you like your room?”

  Cruz cursed.

  “I think you’ll like your next room even less.”

  “You moving me or you gonna try and kill me?”

  Again Caden smiled. “For now I think mov….” He had said more than he planned, more than he should. Turning away, he banged on the door.

  The deputy let him out.

  In the hall Caden wondered if the little he said was too much. The criminal had to know that he would be moved to a jail, but Caden had confirmed it. Still he didn’t know a day or time.

  Caden turned to the deputy. “Does Cruz have any visitors?”

  “Yes, a teenage girl. She says she’s his sister.”

  “How do you know?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know, but prisoners can have visitors.”

  Caden looked skeptical. “Do you have a visitor log?”

  The officer retrieved a green journal from a nearby drawer. It showed a ‘Carina Cruz’ visiting every other day.

  “What can she do?” the deputy asked. “A nurse searches her going in and out and we have a monitor on the room.”

  “I don’t know,” Caden sai
d as he walked away. As he left the hospital, Caden looked at the refugees along the edge of the parking lot and wondered how many were in town. Are any of them gang members? How many are friends of Cruz? He sighed. I’ll be glad when he’s in jail. Caden rubbed his chin. Hoover should know this Bo character. He would stop by the sheriff’s office and tell him what he’d learned this morning. Even if I don’t have enough evidence to convict Bo, I’m going to issue an arrest order. It may stop Zach from doing something stupid.

  Chapter Twenty

  Monday morning was hours away—and there was no coffee. Caden sighed and then said his goodbyes to both his mom and dad. Looking at them, standing in robes and old slippers, he said, “You didn’t have to see me off.”

  “Yes we did,” his mother said.

  After hugging her, Caden joined Maria and Lisa near the front door. They were about to leave when he heard the slow waddle of Sue as she came down the creaky stairs.

  Caden walked over and hugged her. “You shouldn’t have gotten up.”

  “I had to.” Sue handed him several sheets of folded paper. “It’s our home address, in Kent, a map of the neighborhood, the address of the police station, everything I could think of. Please find him or…well, I’ve got to know.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  He wasn’t sure how long he embraced her.

  As they walked out onto the porch Maria said, “I’ll drive.”

  Caden, carrying his helmet in one hand and adjusting his holster with the other, did not object.

  Lisa rode along in the backseat.

  Caden wasn’t sure why an uneasy silence hung over the car. Perhaps they were all tired, or were focused on private thoughts. He didn’t know, but the quiet remained unbroken.

  When they rounded the final curve to the armory, every light seemed to be on. Truck engines roared and a hundred men scurried about the post. Some loaded supplies into every available vehicle, others seemed to be part of choreographed chaos.

  “I thought this operation was a secret,” Lisa said.

  “We could have been quieter, but the homes around here would have still heard us and the whole operation is going to begin, ah…” Caden looked at his watch, “soon.”