The Third Ten

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Better late than never,” Elliott said.

  “Yes. So, where were we?”

  “You are going shopping with Andrea.”

  Hal only glared.

  “My apologies.” Elliott cleared his throat. “You are wanting to send three teams of four.”

  “Yes. Exactly. North. Northwest, and Northeast.” Hal exhaled. “Why couldn’t the scout give us a viable SALUTE report?”

  “Because he wasn’t being a scout. He wasn’t there to scout them, plus he was new.”

  “But we train them to do those. That’s part of our basic training.”

  “In an essence he did,” Elliott defended. “Not just with the info we needed. In his defense, sir, he thought of safety. They were in pursuit.”

  “He gave us eight men. Eight men who retreated north.”

  “Yes.” Elliott nodded.

  “Hopefully, our new scout teams will be able to give us more.”

  “Shall I instruct them this is only surveillance? If they find the eight men they should just give us info,”

  “Exactly. However, if they find the eight men. I want them observed. See what they’re doing and so forth.”

  “Yes, Captain.” Elliot nodded.

  Hal stretched. “I can use some coffee before we continue.”

  “Me, too. I have no problem getting some.”

  “Do you mind? I can go with you.”

  “No, no problem.” Elliott stood. “They have left over Oodles of Dan Noodles.”

  Hal grumbled.

  With a snicker, Elliott left. He walked out of the office, down the hall, and the stairs.

  Outside, he paused to place on his bandana.

  “Sgt. Ryder,” a young voice called to him.

  Elliott turned around. “Yes, Corporal.”

  “Is the Captain in?”

  “We’re in the middle of a meeting.”

  “Maybe you can be the one to give him this information.” The Corporal handed Elliott a sheet. “I’d really rather not be the one to deliver this. Since you’re his right hand man.”

  “What is it?” Elliott asked.

  “Detailed report. Our patrol.”

  Elliott lifted the stapled sheets. “Detailed is right.”

  “In a nutshell, they spotted suspicious activity. Dismissed, as you can see. But when they went back to investigate.”

  “The cemetery?” Elliott said.

  “Yes, Sgt. Seems … it appears someone may have broken into the tomb of Mr. Slagel.”

  A bit shocked, Elliott nodded. “Thank you, Corporal. Keep this under wraps until I speak to the captain.”

  “Yes, Sgt.”

  After giving a nod, the corporal dismissed himself and Elliott looked at the papers.

  He would give the report a read through and learn what it said before he informed Hal. Even then, that task would be difficult.

  <><><><>

  “Remember the days when no one worked on Sunday?” Ellen asked Roy.

  “No. I don’t. I’ve always worked.” He spoke, working on the computer.

  “So, like how’s the uterus?”

  “Ellen, it is wonderful. Ready for implantation as soon as the embryos are ready for implanting.”

  “Pup-bryos.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Dean, we call them pup-bryos.”

  “Yes. Sorry.”

  Ellen nodded, and then looked at her watch. “Well, I have to go meet the stranger.”

  “Who is the stranger?” Roy asked.

  “Frank.” Ellen slid off the stool. “Where on the new Dean agenda will you be in an hour?”

  “Here. Right here.”

  “Great, see you shortly.” Ellen walked over to Roy and kissed him on the cheek.

  He brought his fingers to his face.

  “What?” she asked curiously.

  “I just like when you do that.”

  Ellen smiled, then touched the tip of his nose. “See you in a bit.” She took off her lab jacket, and left the cryo lab.

  The invitation to speak to Frank was so official, it actually pissed off Ellen. He sent her an email... She took the printed request for her presence, her travel mug of coffee, and leisurely walked to Frank’s trailer park office.

  “What are you going to tell her?” Robbie asked, shoving a brownie in his mouth.

  “I’m gonna talk about Dean,” Frank said. “Ask her questions, then …. Then I’m going to tell her the truth.”

  Robbie nodded. “Ryder is right. She could be instrumental in this. I mean, lab wise, and work wise she can keep things under wraps. Also, she works so closely with him …”

  “He’ll break to her before us.”

  “Exactly. I can see it,” Robbie said. “She can really get to know him. His purpose for being here. Frank …” Robbie paused. “Do you really think the clone has something to do with Dad’s death?”

  “Why are you asking?”

  Robbie shook his head. “Gut instinct. I don’t know. He just doesn’t strike me as a killer.”

  “Me, either.”

  “He plays a role somewhere in this, but how?” Robbie stated. “I mean, it doesn’t make sense.”

  “Plus, we have the unknown prints.”

  Robbie looked up suddenly. Perhaps it was his guilt of not being honest with Frank.

  “Any luck with them?”

  Robbie shook his head and thought about a gray wall. Just on the outside chance Frank was tapping into his thoughts.

  “The more I speak to the clone, the more I wonder if he came though the machine to warn Dad.”

  Robbie blinked. “Holy cow.”

  “What?”

  “I didn’t even think about that.”

  “Really? I did. It’s possible.”

  “Yeah. Yeah, it is.” Robbie nodded. “I mean, what if he went to the office to warn Dad. That would make total sense about what Darrell said.”

  “Which was?”

  “That Dean told Dad it was time.”

  “He could have warned him, left thinking Dad would get out of there and then the explosion happened early.”

  Robbie drifted into thought.

  “Robbie?” Frank snapped his finger.

  “Um … yeah, that actually might make sense. Who knows?” Robbie shrugged. “I’m heading to the trailer.”

  “Still gonna go through his things?”

  “Yeah, you never know what we might find aside from bad clothing.”

  Frank laughed.

  “See ya in a bit, big brother.” Robbie opened the door to the office and stepped outside. There he stood on the step thinking. Frank had given him more food for thought.

  “Did you get an invitation, too?”

  Ellen’s voice snapped Robbie out of it. “Huh?”

  “To meet Frank?” she asked.

  “No. Actually, I came for brownies.”

  “Leaving?”

  Robbie nodded. “Yep. Good luck.”

  “Do you know what he wants?”

  Robbie pointed to the door. “No but you can easily find out.”

  “What’s up with you?”

  “I’m sorry.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Just a ton on my mind.”

  “I understand.” After wishing Robbie a good day, Ellen knocked once and stepped inside.

  “Hey, babe.” Frank grinned and walked to her, giving Ellen a hug and kiss.

  “Frank.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “What the fuck is up with sending me an email to meet you here?”

  “You didn’t answer your phone.”

  “You didn’t call.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  Ellen sighed. “I didn’t get the call. Oh, well, I’ll check my voice mail. Anyhow, what’s going on? Are you just doing this to try to spend time with me?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “I mean … I’m sorry about not seeing you much.”

  “God, Frank, I never see you anymore. You used to st
op and talk to me during the day. I … I’m sorry, but right now I’m pretty glad I have that understanding with Dean.”

  Frank’s eyes widened.

  “What? What is it?” she asked.

  “That’s what I want to talk to you about.”

  “The understanding?”

  “Dean.”

  “Shoot.” Ellen sipped her coffee.

  “Have you noticed anything different or unusual about him?”

  Nonchalantly, Ellen shook her head. “Nope.”

  “Nothing.”

  “Um ….” She closed her eyes in thought. “Nope.”

  “You don’t think it’s strange the way he is dancing and singing now.”

  “Nope.” She shook her head. “Actually, I know Dean well. I know he’s always wanted to dance and sing.”

  “Really.” Frank said with some disbelief.

  “Oh, yeah. Many times we danced in the lab. We used to practice all the time.”

  “Why didn’t I know that?”

  “He didn’t want you to make fun of him.”

  Frank folded his arms. “And nothing odd about the way he dresses?”

  “Not at all. He’s had those clothes for as long as I can remember.”

  “Weird.”

  “Why are you …?”

  “Personality. You haven’t noticed a change in his personality.”

  “Yes.”

  “Ah,OK. What?”

  Ellen took a breath. “He’s nicer. But I attribute that to the fact that the healing agent finally worked on the damage done to his frontal lobe.”

  “From the chip.”

  “Yep. Frank, why are you asking me this.”

  “I have to tell you something.”

  “Go on.”

  Frank leaned against the table. He hesitated for a while, inhaled a deep, loud breath, and stated. “It’s not Dean.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The line dancing, karaoke guy with bad taste in clothing. That’s not Dean.”

  “What do you mean it’s not Dean?”

  “El. Exactly what I said. That isn’t Dean.”

  “Frank,” she said. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because I know.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because …. Because Dean is living in a house six miles outside of Bowman. We put him there to draw out the clone.”

  The deadened ‘thump’ rang out, followed by a grunt when Ellen’s travel mug sailed into Frank’s chest.

  “El! What the fuck!”

  “You moved Dean?”

  “Yes.”

  “You knew it was a clone. You knew and you moved Dean and didn’t tell me! You asshole!”

  “What the fuck?”

  “No, Frank. No what the fuck. Don’t you think I should have been told? Don’t you think I should have known? You should have told me.”

  “I’m telling you now!” Frank blasted.

  “You should have told me before!”

  “Before what!”

  “Before I slept with him.”

  Silence.

  A glare swept over Frank’s face, his veins bulged from his neck, and he raged to the door.

  “Where are you going?” Ellen asked.

  “I’m killing the clone.”

  “Frank.” She grabbed his arm. “I didn’t sleep with him.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “To get you as pissed as I am right now.”

  “Well, you did it.”

  “Good.” Ellen folded her arms.

  A break in tension. They both took a moment to get calm.

  “El, I’m sorry, I should have to come to you about it.”

  “I pissed that you moved Dean away without telling me.”

  “You should be.”

  “And I am pissed that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me.”

  Frank nodded.

  “That you thought I was that stupid not to know I wasn’t working with Dean.”

  Frank’s expression changed. He gave a curious look. “You didn’t.”

  “You don’t think?”

  “You knew he was the clone.”

  “I knew the second he opened his mouth it wasn’t Dean. I have lived, loved, and worked with that man for eight years. You didn’t think I’d notice?”

  “No.”

  “You’re an asshole.” Ellen shook her head. “The second I saw him in the cryo lab. I knew something was up. It was clean. Then … he speaks differently, dresses differently, dances, sings. He looks younger than Dean; he doesn’t have that scar above his lip.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yep. And … I knew something was up the moment he told me he invented a viable artificial womb. Dean’s good, but we’ve been battling that womb for a while.”

  “Did you know he was a clone?”

  “I’ve been waiting on the Dean clone for a while.”

  Frank sat down. “Now, I’m getting pissed. What do you mean?”

  “Fort. He kept saying he was chasing a clone. He didn’t know the identity. But I knew the one and only clone we didn’t destroy was Dean.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “First, you never said anything about believing Fort about the clone. So how could I know you were looking for him? And the whole, Dean is the mutilator thing.” Ellen shook her head. “That told me it was the Dean clone. Joe thought the clone was Dean.”

  “He never told me.”

  “He told me, but I was scared to tell him we didn’t destroy Dean’s clone.” Ellen finally took a seat.

  “Why didn’t you come to me and tell me that Dean’s clone was being Dean.”

  “Because I wanted the clone to tell me he was the clone, and then I could find out what happened to the real Dean and why the clone was here.”

  “If you thought something happened to Dean, you should have come to me.”

  “Yeah well, you should have come to me, too.”

  Frank nodded.

  “When did you find out?” Ellen asked.

  “John Matoose found a video tape of the explosion at my dad’s office. Dean or rather, the clone left the office seconds before the explosion. Dean tracking showed Dean at the clinic.”

  “You think the clone killed Joe.”

  “We found the explosive device, and prints, but they weren’t the clone’s prints. So we don’t know why he was in the office and if he had anything to do with my dad’s death.”

  “He doesn’t seem like the killer type. He’s way too innocent.”

  “I know.” Frank rubbed his chin. “Which totally throws out our theory.”

  “Maybe he was here to warn Joe.”

  Frank pointed. “I’m starting to think that. But we won’t know until he opens up. If he was only here to warn my dad, why is he still here?”

  “Stuck.”

  “Possible.”

  “So, why are you finally telling me?” Ellen asked.

  “One, I figure if you didn’t know, you were going to know. Two …. If that clone is gonna get close to anyone and open up. It’s gonna be you.”

  “And you’ll need me to get all the info I can out of him.”

  Frank nodded. “Who he is, why he’s here. What he knows about my dad’s death.”

  “It’ll be easy. Opening up I mean. What he’ll tell me will depend. I don’t think he’ll tell me everything right away. But we’ll see.”

  “You really think he’ll open up to you?”

  “Without a doubt. And easily. He’s scared, Frank. He’s scared and confused.”

  “How did you know?”

  “Just a hunch.” Ellen stood up. “I better get back before he starts doing even more stuff in the lab.”

  “Go on. Thanks, El.”

  Ellen smiled peacefully.

  Frank stood, walked to her, and kissed her. “I’ll be home tonight.”

  “Promise?”

  Frank nodded and kissed her again.

  Ellen reached for th
e door. “Can you take me to see the real Dean?”

  “Yeah, I will. In a couple days.”

  “Thanks.” Ellen turned to the door.

  “Wait. One sec. You think it’ll be easy to get him to open up. How?”

  “Simple.” Ellen shrugged. “Show him my boobs.” After opening the door, she flashed a smile and left.

  With a grumble, Frank closed the door.

  <><><><>

  If there was one thing Dean and Frank had in common, it was nail biting when they were antsy.

  And Dean was antsy.

  He had waited all morning. Barely slept over the excitement. All he wanted to do was get to work on the case with the body. He wanted to view the pictures, look at the samples ... run the DNA.

  John Matoose showed up in the early afternoon with all his equipment, and Dean immediately began hooking it up. But he couldn’t start his work, because John was still there.

  Why was he hanging around?

  “So what did you do all day yesterday?” John asked.

  “Not much,” Dean said. Not that he minded John. OK, he did, but it wasn’t a social call, or was it.

  “So I have an hour,” John said. “What do you want to do? We can talk.”

  “Um ... sure.” Dean rolled his eyes, without John seeing and thought, ‘swell.’

  “I think Frank is coming out tonight. Yeah. He is.”

  ‘Great,’ Dean thought. ‘More time I can’t work.’

  “It has to get lonely out here.”

  “Actually, I haven’t been out here too long, John. Not long enough to get lonely.”

  “Well, hopefully, we’ll all stop that from happening,” John staid. “Hey, Dean, if it’s only you out here, why does this cage have a 'don’t stick your finger in the cage' sign?”

  “For Frank.”

  John laughed. “Frank sticks his finger in the cage?”

  “Yeah, did it yesterday three times and the Killer Fetus bit him,” Dean explained. “So I put the sign up.”

  “You think it’ll work.”

  Dean partially smiled. “Probably not. He’s convinced he’ll break him.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Harry,” Dean replied with little enthusiasm.

  The hour dragged. John did most of the talking, and finally, Dean conceded that he wasn’t going to finish until after John left. He waded through the stories of Jenny and her fashion dilemma. He grew tired of hearing about how well he’s learning to ride a horse, and he certainly didn’t want to hear how much everyone in Beginnings loved the clone.