by Bobby Akart
Erin looked around the back seat and found stacks of handguns in their hard cases together with military ammo cans that must’ve weighed fifty pounds each. She also noticed for the first time that Mike’s truck bed lid was propped up several inches and tied down with ratchet straps.
She’d learned in her brief time around the Albrights that Mike was the more emotional of the two men and oftentimes expressed his emotions through anger. Hank tended to suppress his emotions and rarely got agitated. As a result, Mike was made out to be the bad guy when in reality, he simply let it out whereas Hank boxed it in. Erin wasn’t sure which was worse.
She tried to change the subject by asking what had happened to Mike. “I gather you resigned.”
He managed a slight laugh. “Let’s call it a mutually acceptable separation. He was peppering me with questions about you and what you were doing in his islands.” Mike emphasized the words his islands as he spoke.
“Lindsey must’ve contacted him after we met with her,” interjected Hank.
“Maybe,” said Mike. “Although our conversation got pretty heated, and he never mentioned it. He was already in a foul mood after what happened at Gordon’s yesterday.”
“We heard,” said Erin. “I think what we just witnessed was worse.”
“Well, all I know is that there were deputies lost in the gunfight yesterday, including a guy I know. He had a family, you know, with young kids.”
“Tragic,” said Hank. “So he was still upset over that, yet he quizzed you about Erin?”
“Yeah. I don’t know how he knew Erin was with us. Maybe Lindsey did contact him. All of this went down about thirty to forty minutes ago.”
“Timing would be about right,” Erin added.
“In any event, we got into it, and things were said. Maybe I should’ve bit my tongue, but I called him a sellout for raiding these businesses. I said he needed to focus on protecting our residents and not doing Lindsey’s bidding.”
Hank laughed. “Dang, brother. I thought Erin was tough on Lindsey. You shoved it right up Jock’s—”
“You got into it with Lindsey?” asked Mike, cutting off Hank’s sentence. He glanced into his rearview mirror to study her face.
“Pretty much. Let’s just say she doesn’t take kindly to threats, nor does she seem to worry about them.”
Mike nodded and glanced at Erin again. “That’s because she’s got big cajones. She uses Jock as a shield and a protector. She’d never do this unless he was in bed with—”
“Wait!” shouted Hank. “What if that’s it? What if …? They’re sleeping together!”
Erin wasn’t so sure. “C’mon, Hank. That’s a little soap-operaish, don’t you think?”
Mike sighed. “You have to know her history, Erin. Lindsey chews men up and spits them out if the taste isn’t good anymore. If there was a better option than Jock, she’d jump on it.”
“Literally,” said Hank, causing the group to break out laughing.
With the tensions eased between the brothers, they settled down and talked about what they’d observed at Winn-Dixie. Erin couldn’t get the conversation she’d had with the distraught woman out of her mind. She desperately wanted to hug her and bring her back to Driftwood Key. Unfortunately, a single crazed serial killer had ruined that for everyone.
She sat in silence as Mike and Hank spoke back and forth about the additional supplies he’d taken from the sheriff’s office before quitting. She tried to process all of the relationships between the people she’d come in contact with on the Keys. She came to the realization that the usual method of attacking a snake by cutting off its head might not apply here. Perhaps they should attack the body, one rattle at a time.
Part V
Day twenty-eight, Thursday, November 14
Chapter Thirty-Six
Thursday, November 14
Driftwood Key
The group stayed up into the night as everyone relayed their experiences that day. Lacey, Tucker and Peter encountered a dozen separate instances of people wandering across the private bridge leading onto Driftwood Key. Most of the stragglers appeared harmless and quickly turned when they were subtly threatened by the guards’ rifles. Between the sunglasses to block glare, the surgical masks to protect them from the soot-filled air, and the guns, most interlopers immediately left. However, everyone agreed this was a sign of things to come.
Sonny and Jimmy went fishing together. They had quite a haul. That afternoon, the Frees worked diligently to clean and then smoke the fish. Phoebe was an expert at preparing the brine mixture so that once the smoked fish was prepared, it could be preserved for up to three weeks. It was an excellent source of protein and served as a great snack for when some of them were off the key or patrolling the perimeter of their island.
Jimmy provided everyone an honest assessment of his recovery, and Sonny confirmed it. Peter was now declared to be a hundred percent, and Jimmy felt he’d be there in a day or so. To avoid complications requiring a return trip to the hospital, he agreed to take it easy until Jessica signed off.
Everyone started their day. Mike was concerned for Jessica because he’d left the sheriff’s department on what might be described as bad terms. His resignation hadn’t exactly been under amicable conditions. Jessica had been on a roving duty status, which meant she would be on call from Marathon northward toward Islamorada. If she received a call on her marine radio for any reason that required her to travel toward Key West, she’d ignore it.
Hank, Erin, and Mike convened in the war room on the second floor of the main house. Following the shoot-out at the high school, Mike had had the presence of mind to grab several boxes of chalk off a utility rack in the warehouse. This was helpful as the three plotted out their day.
While they spoke, Erin transferred edited video snippets and photographs from her iPhone to Hank’s and Mike’s using her Lightning cable. As they made their rounds, they’d show the videos and pictures to prove Lindsey’s intentions.
“Mike, how many sheriff’s deputies are located in the Middle and Upper Keys?” asked Hank, who went on to qualify his question, “And by deputies, I mean the real ones not the recruits like Jimmy.”
“It’s not that many,” he replied with a grimace. “Four here and another four in Islamorada. Key Largo has the most, as they were too far away for Jock to summon to Key West.”
“Are your people loyal to you or the sheriff?” Erin asked.
“Before yesterday, I would say definitely me. Now that I’m out, the dynamic has shifted. It’s the first order of business when I leave here this morning.”
“Okay,” began Hank. “Even if they’re wary of their relationship with you, in light of these pictures, can you get them to stand up to the sheriff?”
Mike shook his head. “TBD. I’ll try to be convincing. It’s a big ask, Hank, because they’re gonna be promised the moon. You know, in terms of feeding their families.”
“We have to try to do the same,” interjected Erin. “I have an idea in that regard.”
“What is it?” asked Mike.
“Well, do you have access to the county-owned buildings in your, um, former district?”
“Yeah, unless my deputies were told to lock me out,” he replied. “I’m hoping Jock got distracted after what happened at Winn-Dixie. That’s why I want to get to my people before he remembers he’s mad at me.”
Erin explained her reason for asking. “If you’re successful, I think we need to raid their buildings before they make an effort to raid ours. We also need a means of storage and dissemination. It has to be a place we feel is secure and overseen by those we trust.”
“Churches,” said Hank.
Erin smiled and winked at Hank. “Exactly! First off, churches have been there to help their communities throughout history. In a crisis, denominations and beliefs don’t usually come into play. It’s not like politics. At least not in the Keys, I hope.”
“This is a great idea,” said Mike. “You know, I’ve know
n the rector, Reverend Canon Debbie Messina, at St. Columba for a while now. She is a great person and will certainly be open to helping out. Plus, they have a recreation center that can hold food and supplies. They’re not on the main highway like some of the other churches, so it could fly under the radar of Jock’s people.”
“It’s also near the high school, so transferring the food and supplies down the street will be quick and easy,” added Hank.
“Will you see her?” asked Erin.
Mike nodded. “First thing after I determine where I stand with the deputies. I’ll approach a couple more churches, one on each end of Marathon.”
Hank added a thought. “I believe this will make it easier to bring other business owners on board if they know that a nongovernmental entity like a church will be involved with distribution to those in need. It’ll be a tough sell if we have to take on a role not that dissimilar from what Lindsey and Jock are doing.”
“Fellas, I have one more concern,” began Erin. “I’m not saying that Mike made our task more difficult. The separation was inevitable. However, we no longer have an insider at the sheriff’s department. We need to establish some means of surveillance and warning. And, like we discussed in the trip down to Key West yesterday morning, we need to consider blocking the Seven Mile Bridge to thwart their efforts.”
Mike agreed. “I’ve thought about both of those things. I know several guys who have powerful winches on the front of their trucks. I wanna get them on board, but once I do, my idea is to drag the vehicles until they’re parked sideways. Maybe even flatten their tires so they can’t easily be moved.”
“Are we okay with closing off access to Key West?” asked Hank.
“It wouldn’t be completely closed off. Pedestrian and bicycle traffic would still go back and forth. Just not Jock’s SWAT vehicles. Besides, there’s always the option to travel by water.”
Erin unplugged her phone from Mike’s and handed it to him. He thumbed through his apps and opened the photos to look at the images.
She addressed the surveillance issue, drawing on her newfound knowledge of the Keys’ geography. “We need some people to camp out at Big Pine Key and let us know when there’s activity there.”
Hank stood and shoved his phone in his pocket. He was anxious to get started. “Let’s make that part of our conversations today with everyone. First, we have to convince them this is necessary by letting them know what’s happening in Key West and that soon it’ll be at our doorstep. Once that’s done, we’ll recruit manpower to help.”
“Do you think they’ll be on board?” asked Erin.
Mike laughed and wrapped his arm around his brother’s shoulders. “Oh, yeah. Fear is a great motivator.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Thursday, November 14
Marathon
Prior to the collapse, there were eight thousand full-time residents located in Marathon and the adjacent keys. Four weeks after the nuclear wars broke out, the population had been cut to less than half. Many had traveled north to be with family. Many had died.
Mayor Juan Ramirez, who owned the local electrical supply store, had been a fixture in the community for a generation. His family of carpenters and electricians had helped build the homes at Key Colony Beach, an upscale community on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Keys. As his family aged, they turned to construction-related retailing. They owned an Ace Hardware franchise as well as the electrical supply business. His sister operated a gardening center specializing in hydroponic gardening and container gardening.
Hank had relied heavily upon Lisa Ramirez when he constructed the greenhouses and hydroponic system for Driftwood Key. She helped him assimilate the key’s sandy soil with bags of dirt they imported from the mainland to create a soil mixture that would produce vegetables, herbs, and fruit for years.
She’d also taught him the importance of the seeds he chose. They recommended non-GMO, microgreen seeds in addition to heirloom seeds. The term non-GMO meant the seeds were not created with the use of genetic engineering. Some GMO crops were modified to make them resistant to certain antibiotics. This resistance was then directly passed on to humans either through eating the vegetable or indirectly by eating a meat product that fed on GMO feed. There was a growing concern globally that humans were becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics and therefore susceptible to a wide range of bacterial or viral infections.
Microgreens could easily be grown from seed to salad in just a week. Full of intense flavor coupled with high nutritional value, a small portion of the flavorful stems and leaves provided a powerful punch of nutrition.
Heirloom seeds enabled the grower to save seeds from harvested fruits and vegetables to be used in the next growing season. Just as important, during a catastrophic event like nuclear winter, heirloom seeds were not genetically modified to ripen all at once like hybrid or GMO seeds. In a world in which refrigeration and lines of distribution were virtually nonexistent, the heirloom seeds enabled growers to sustain themselves year-round if they had a means to grow the plants.
Hank and Erin had arrived at the mayor’s office early that morning. While they waited, Hank provided some background.
“Juan has been the mayor for years, and he’s the closest thing I’ve ever seen to someone being apolitical. I mean, I’m not even sure he identifies with one party or the other. If you talk to him, he might lean a little bit to the left side of the spectrum on social issues, but then he’s always preaching fiscal responsibility when he chairs the city council meetings. The bottom line, I guess, is that Juan always tries to do the right thing for the people who live here.”
“How many would that be?” she asked.
“Eight thousand, maybe? I’d say ninety percent of those are white, not that it matters. It’s a funny thing about the Keys. We’re all kinda color-blind down here.”
“What’s his relationship to Lindsey?”
“Neutral, at least in Juan’s eyes. He didn’t back anyone in Lindsey’s races.”
Erin stared across the highway at the Marathon airport. A few fixed-wing aircraft remained parked on the tarmac. It appeared most who had the ability to fly left. She found that ironic, as Lindsey’s biggest fear was the Keys being inundated by outsiders, yet those who had the ability to bypass her roadblocks through the air chose not to.
“Here’s the thing about politicians, Hank. They are constantly feeling out fellow politicians to determine where they stand. The phrase you’re either with us or against us very much applies to their interaction with others of their ilk. Your friend may not admit it to us, but there’s a reason he didn’t throw his support behind Lindsey. I hope we can use that to our advantage.”
“Here he comes,” said Hank, interrupting Erin. He pointed toward the windshield. “It looks like Lisa is with him. We can cover a lot of ground this morning.”
Hank and Erin exited the truck. They casually stood by while the mayor and his wife parked. It had been more than a month since the two men had spoken, but their warm greeting spoke volumes.
Hank introduced Erin, who struck up a conversation with Lisa about their common interest—agribusiness. While they talked, Juan led them into the recently renovated, one-story building.
“Bear with me until we get to my office,” Juan began as he waited for the women to enter before locking the door. “It’s a little dark in the hallway, and I apologize for the musty smell. It’s amazing how quickly the humidity invades a building when there isn’t any air circulation or filtration.”
As he led them through the hallway, Hank glanced inside the offices of the staff. The desks were neat and tidy. Files had been put away and chairs straightened. It was if the entire City of Marathon government had been sent on vacation and told to keep their workspaces presentable until they returned.
Juan noticed Hank glancing into each door. “This catastrophe is tragic on so many levels, Hank. I come in to work every day although I don’t know why. I guess it’s out of a sense of obligation
to the people I serve. I mean, look around this building. These offices were occupied by civil servants who helped our town grow. They provided fire protection. They ensured businesses properly engaged with their customers. They collected taxes and paid the city’s bills. All daily activities that have ceased to function.”
He paused as he stood aside, gesturing for the group to enter his corner office near the main entrance facing Overseas Highway and the airport. While they waited, he moved to each corner of the room and turned on several battery-operated Coleman lanterns that provided a soft, warm glow to their surroundings.
The local mayor continued. “Anyway, what brings you to city hall? I don’t get many visitors.”
Hank exchanged glances with Erin, and then he took a deep breath. He was going to ask Juan to pick a side, something out of character for the independent-minded mayor.
“Juan, Lisa, there’s trouble coming.”
Lisa chuckled. “It can’t be worse than the hurricane.”
Erin, who’d established a rapport during her brief conversation with the mayor’s wife because of their common interest in agricultural issues, addressed her comment. “Yes, unfortunately, it is. Mayor Lindsey Free is on a rampage in Key West, and she intends to bring it to Marathon within days.”
“Are you talking about the raids?” asked Juan.
“We’ve heard rumors,” interjected Lisa.
Erin looked at Hank for approval as she retrieved her iPhone from her pocket. He provided her an imperceptible nod and returned his attention to Juan and Lisa.
“We witnessed her actions firsthand yesterday. I caught it on video. Please understand something. This is raw and unedited. And, um, disturbing.”
Erin navigated to the video she’d taken. She made sure her phone’s volume was up, and she pressed the play button. She leaned forward and turned the phone so they could watch.