Restoring Order: An EMP Survival Story (EMP Crash Book 7)

by Kip Nelson

  “This place we are building hopefully is going to be one where we can raise our children, a place that will be home for generations of people to come. And they will look back at us for inspiration. We all need to be aware of our actions and think about the type of people we want to be, and the type of people we want to be remembered as. Do we want our descendants to look back with admiration at a group of people who treated each other with compassion and kindness, or for them to be ashamed when they learn of how scared and paranoid we were? I know which option I would prefer, and I believe you all do, too.”

  Hank nodded to signify that he had ended his sermon. He breathed a sigh of relief, and ran his hand across his salt and pepper beard, noting that he needed a shave. He also needed some sleep as well, because the events of New Haven were taking their toll on him. He knew that human nature was a difficult thing, but he didn't want it to sabotage everything they were trying to accomplish in New Haven. Delivering his sermon, he saw many people who were inspired by his words and were drawn to them. Yet, he also could see that some were unconvinced, and he was sure many of them would have liked to thank the killer for what they had done.

  Hank thought back to those days spent in the box, how his throat was scratchy and dry, his lips cracked, his joints cramped and aching, screaming out for relief after being hunched together in the same position. He thought about how sleep rarely came to him and how his dreams were haunted by pain. He had endured a lot, but that almost had been too much. He had been pushed almost to his breaking point. It was a struggle for him to find forgiveness in his heart, but he had to try staying true to his faith and the lessons that the Lord had imparted to him. He hoped others would hear the same call, but faith was not that easy.

  Grace had been listening to Hank's sermon with interest, although most of her attention was focused on the people in the congregation, wondering if any of them were the killer. She tried to look at each of them to see any signs, but mostly they looked scared. Some of them caught her stare and glared back, almost as though they knew what she was thinking. She cast her eyes away from them, and returned her gaze to the preacher. His words were strong and she agreed with them wholeheartedly, although she was impressed he had managed to forgive Peter for what he had done. She didn't know if she was strong enough to do that.

  While she hadn't spoken it yet, she secretly harbored almost an admiration for the killer. She didn't agree with it, and certainly didn't condone it, but she understood why they had done what they did. It reminded her of the way she had been in the old world. She had been convinced she was doing the right thing. Even though it was breaking the law, she still had felt righteous in what she had done and had no regrets. She imagined the same was true of the person who killed Peter.

  As soon as the service was over, Grace went up to Mack, who had been standing at the back. He tended to keep his beliefs to himself, but he made a point to come to as many of the services as possible. Even looking at him, she could see how tense he was, with his arms folded across his broad chest and his brow furrowed into a permanent scowl. He turned to leave and Grace had to skip ahead to catch up with him.

  “Mack, wait up!” she said. He paused and stopped, turning to face her.

  “I just wanted to talk to you.”

  “I'd love to Grace, but I've already made plans with Anna. We'll chat later in the office,” he said abruptly, and walked off quickly.

  Grace was perturbed and knew him well enough that following him wasn't going to do any good. Yet, it still irked her that they had lost something while they had been busy trying to establish New Haven, and since Anna had returned. Ever since this had begun, Grace had counted on Mack as her best friend and mentor, and in some ways, he was the first true friend she ever had had. For most of her life she had kept to herself, and the people she trusted most she never had met since they all were online, but she and Mack had been inseparable since the plane crash.

  It was understandable that he wanted to spend more time with his wife, and Grace felt awful for being envious of that, but she didn't like the way things were changing. It felt as though she was losing something, and the one thing she had been able to depend upon in this new world was her friendship with Mack. That was one thing she couldn't afford to lose.

  She returned home to Luis and asked him how the investigation was going. He shrugged and said that he couldn't really talk about it, but that they weren't making much progress.

  “How was the service?” he asked.

  “It was okay. This may sound crazy, and I know you've probably got your own suspects, but do you think Anna could be the murderer?”

  “Anna? As in Mack's wife?” Luis said, a look of confusion on his face.

  “Yeah, I mean, we don't really know her, and she's new...” Grace said, her voice trailing off.

  Luis looked at her for a moment and then burst out laughing, but that settled and he came beside her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder.

  “Is there something going on?” he asked.

  Grace shook her head, but Luis asked again. She sighed and leaned against him, then explained that ever since Anna had come back it felt as though she and Mack hadn't really had much time together.

  “And I know what you're going to say. Yes, I understand it's perfectly reasonable for them to want to spend time together after not having seen each other for so long, but I just miss hanging out with him, you know? I guess I got so used to him just being Mack that seeing him as Mack and Anna is different, and difficult.”

  “Have you tried talking to him about it?”

  “Oh yeah, and say what? 'Sorry Mack but do you mind if you spend a bit less time with your wife and bit more time with me?' I'm sure that will go down well.”

  “I didn't think exactly that phrasing. But you know what he's like, he's pretty good at all this emotional stuff and I'm sure he'd understand.”

  Grace considered it for a moment or two, but then shook her head. “No, he's already got so much on his plate already, and I don't want to make things awkward between us. I'm sure I'll get used to it. It's just the process of change that I don't like. I'd been used to having things a certain way, and I don't like it when they change without warning.”

  “Well, there is another option,” Luis said.

  “I'm listening,” Grace said, tilting her head up to look at him.

  “You could always get to know Anna. Have you spoken to her much?”

  “Not really, I thought I'd let her and Mack have some space.”

  “Well, think about it from her point of view. She hasn't seen her husband for a long time and they're finally back together, but he has all these experiences with me, you, Saul and the others and we haven't really shared that with her. We've kinda had a part of her husband that she never has seen, so she's probably quite jealous of us as well. Plus, she's in this new place where a lot of people have shared history. I know she's doing that creative group thing, but she's probably quite lonely, too. Maybe you should try getting to know her properly. We could even go on a double at some point.”

  “That's not actually the worst idea.”

  “I'm not just a pretty face,” he said, kissing her once on the lips, then the forehead.

  He wrapped his arms around her as she did with him. The two of them snuggled together for the night, trying to forget about the stresses of their lives, although Grace did feel better. She realized that while she had heard Mack talk about Anna often, she didn't actually know the woman herself. It was time to rectify that. So, she made plans to go see her soon, and hopefully it wouldn't be awkward.

  As she nuzzled into Luis she noticed the lines of worry etched upon his face. She didn't ask him about it because she knew he couldn't talk too much about the case, as parts of it had to be confidential, but she hoped he wasn't taking on too much to try proving himself. She caressed his cheek and rose up to kiss it softly, then moved around to his mouth where their kisses grew deeper and more passionate. Then they moved to their bed a
nd stripped each other of their clothing, and made love, trying to forget about everything that worried them.

  Chapter Three

  In the days that followed, Maggie and Luis began questioning people. Perusing the crime scene had given them no additional information. Maggie had been trying to piece together a portrait of the killer from the information they had been given, but as yet it had been challenging. Luis had been trying to help as best he could, but he still was new to the job and hadn't been given any actual training. Although he liked to joke that he had seen enough crime dramas to be able to give a good impression of a cop, it was up to Maggie to do most of the legwork.

  They had worked through all the facts of the case and attempted to whittle down the characteristics of the killer. Unfortunately, most of the people in the settlement fit the criteria they had laid out. Whoever had killed Peter knew the guard rotation, and were able to sneak out in the middle of the night without being seen.

  “Surely that means it's likely to be someone who lives on their own, so they wouldn't disturb anyone?” Luis suggested, but Maggie wasn't convinced.

  “Whoever it was managed to creep through the settlement without anyone noticing. If they can do that, then it shouldn't have been a challenge to slip away from anyone close to them.”

  The blade had been drawn across Peter's throat. There were no hack marks, and the body didn't have any other wounds. It had been a quick stroke, one that the killer had planned. It wasn't something that was performed on the spur of the moment, and the fact that it was only a single wound gave Maggie the impression that whoever did the killing managed to detach themselves from the crime to some extent.

  If they had been lost in anger, there most likely would have been more stab wounds all over Peter's body. It was clear the intent was to kill him as there was no way Peter could have survived the cut. In fact, he most likely choked on his own blood, as Mindy had speculated after examining the body. Maggie found this intriguing as it meant whoever killed Peter didn't want to talk with him or hear a confession, they just wanted to see him dead.

  So far, there hadn't been anyone who presented themselves as the prime suspect, and Luis didn't have enough honed instincts to properly consider anyone. Maggie had to tell him there was no use suggesting anyone based on the way they were acting when everyone was acting so similarly. It had been a long time since anyone had had to deal with the law, and they were naturally skittish. Many of them also had given so much to New Haven that they were incensed they were being questioned regarding the crime. Maggie and Luis had to deal with some unfavorable glares, and more than a few doors slammed in their faces.

  “How dare you accuse me of this? Sure, I've done things I'm not proud of, we all have, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to go kill a kid in cold blood, even if he deserved it, if you ask me. Hell, he probably deserved more of a punishment than that for what he did. But I'm not going to stand here and have you talk to me like that because I've done nothing wrong. So, go and bother someone else.”

  This was the gist of what most people said to them. At first Luis tried to argue back and ranted about it to Maggie, but Maggie was used to it.

  “Most people don't like being suspected of things they didn't do, which is perfectly reasonable,” she explained and, soon enough, Luis came to tolerate it, and even expect it.

  When someone reacted differently it made him raise his eyebrows, but it still wasn't enough for Maggie to think she knew who the killer was. It also was incredibly difficult to rule out anyone. Most people's alibis were from the people they were sleeping with, which easily could have been lies to protect the person. Maggie wanted to believe the best in people, but a career as a cop in the city had given her more of a cynical edge. She wasn't quite ready to follow Mack's lead in being optimistic. Saying that, she had ruled out a few people, and told Luis that.

  “Mack didn't do it, not least because there are fewer places he'd rather be than in bed with his wife. But if he did it, there wouldn't have been any signs of foul play. Hank is a man of religion, and I don't think he'd be able to walk upright if he had done it, even though he had more reason than anyone.”

  “I'll have to take your word for that. You know him better than I do.”

  “I'm ruling you out, because you know what kind of world of pain you'd be in if I found out you were trying to play me. Grace has spent enough time with Mack to follow his lead. She wouldn't want to jeopardize what he's trying to build here.”

  “What about Saul and Freddie?” Luis asked.

  “Those two...well, I'm not as sure about them,” she said, and Luis began realizing that he would have to look at his friends, people he trusted, with new eyes.

  There was one person they didn't talk about, however, and that was Tristan. Maggie could sense that Luis was refraining from bringing him up as a suspect, and she appreciated his respect for her. She would deal with Tristan in her own time. She tried to think back to that night, but she had slept through it. She didn't want to think that her own son was capable of murder, but he had changed and grown so much, in some ways he was almost unrecognizable. But she wasn't ready to talk to him yet. Instead, they went to Saul.

  The big man was outside, as usual, wearing just a tank top, seeming impervious to the cooler temperatures that were blowing through New Haven. His long hair was tied back in a ponytail and he looked to have given his beard a trim since the last time Maggie had seen him. Evidently, having a woman was doing him some good.

  “I thought it wouldn't be long until you two came around,” he said, letting his ax drop to the floor.

  He gestured to a bench he was in the process of making. Maggie and Luis sat down. Luis had filled Maggie in on some of Saul's history. She hadn't been surprised to find out he'd had his run-ins with the law, but that didn't necessarily make him the killer now.

  “We're trying to get to everyone. Unfortunately, the suspect pool for this crime is rather large,” Maggie said.

  “Yeah, can't say I envy you. Regretting volunteering yet, Luis? You could have been out here in the sun like me, working with your hands. There's nothing more rewarding.”

  “I'm good where I am,” Luis replied.

  “So, what can I help you with? And before you ask, no, I didn't kill him. Thought about it, but I'm trying to turn over a new leaf.”

  Saul's words left Luis taken aback, but Maggie continued, undeterred by his frank way of speaking. In fact, she preferred it, since she didn't have to try looking for the subtext of what he was trying to say.

  “Did you agree with his imprisonment?” she asked, crossing her legs and leaning forward slightly. She had a notepad, but she preferred to listen and observe what Saul said.

  He shrugged. “It's not like I wanted him running around here, but I always thought that keeping him around was going to be trouble. Still, it's hard to know what to do with him. If you send him out there, either he's going to die or he's gonna come back and make you regret what you did. Mack isn't one to consider death an option, so he didn't have much of an alternative, really.”

  “Did you think Peter should have been killed?”

  “It's not for me to say, really. I'm just a simple man trying to have a simple life, but where I'm from people weren't afraid to punish others properly. In this world, maybe we need to have some harsher rules in place.”

  “You've been spending a lot of time with the kids. Do you think any of them would have been capable of it?”

  “Capable? Sure, whether they would have or not I can't tell you. I don't think so, though, not from what I've seen.”

  “How have they been since they found out that Peter died?”

  “Subdued mostly, but not changed too much. I don't think the younger ones really grasp what happened. The older ones mourn him. They still liked him, even after what he did, but they haven't spoken about it much, and I haven't really encouraged them. I prefer to keep them occupied so they don't start getting depressed. Freddie says it's good therapy. If you want to k
now how they really feel deep inside, then you'd be better off talking to him.”

  “Thank you,” Maggie said. Luis rose slightly as he thought they were leaving, but Maggie wasn't done just yet.

  “And one more thing, can you tell me anything about Alison? She knew a lot of the people who Peter hurt and--”

  “Now look here,” Saul said, shifting his body to look more intimidating. His brow darted down and his eyes narrowed. His biceps bulged and his voice lowered to a rasp.

  “You can ask questions about me, about the kids, but don't you go digging around a good woman like Alison. She's an angel and she's not capable of hurting anyone. So, don't you even go and try to disturb her. I have a lot of respect for you two given all that we've been through, but that woman is special to me, and things change pretty damn quickly in this world, including friendships.”

  The underlying threat in his words was clear. Luis gulped, and couldn't believe that Maggie wasn't affected by it. When they scurried away he asked Maggie how she could remain so calm. She merely tilted her head and brushed it off, saying that she got used to it being a cop.

  “When I was a rookie, nobody really had taken me seriously. I was lucky enough to come through in a time when being a female cop wasn't just a pipe dream, but we still weren't that common and a lot of men thought they could scare me and boss me around. I quickly learned that either I had to stand up to them and not let it get to me, or I wouldn't make it six months. Guys like Saul, you just gotta know how to handle them. They're quick to anger, so you must remain calm, and try not to show any fear. They don't want to get into a fight, they're just ready to end one if the need arises.”