by Kirby Howell
I silently cheered.
Franklin shook his head. “You know my community is grateful for all your help since the storm and the accident at the Egyptian. But this!” He gestured angrily at Grey, who remained silent. “This is mutiny!”
Daniel opened his mouth to speak again, but Franklin cut him off, holding up his hands. “I respect what Mayor Westland is doing down there in Hoover. What he’s built is the closest thing to the old world we’ll probably get in what’s left of our generation.” He jabbed a stubby finger at Grey. “But this kind of free-for-all attitude doesn’t fly here! Not while I’m in charge!”
Daniel stepped closer to Franklin and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure Grey didn’t mean any disrespect to your leadership,” he said, raising his voice over Franklin’s. “However, the only way to resolve this is to check out what Grey found.” Daniel looked wearily at Josh. “I wanna look in your quarters.”
Franklin waved his hand in the air. “Fine. Just get him out of here,” he said, indicating Grey. “Lock him in a closet for all I care.”
“Josh should be under the same kind of watch until his room is searched,” Daniel replied.
Franklin drew a deep breath and exhaled. “Tell Mayor Westland I hope he’s a better judge of character in the future.” He turned to Grey. “Too bad your girlfriend isn’t here to say goodbye to you. Because you won’t be heading back to Hoover any time soon. You’ll be taking Sam’s place in the tribunal, which has just been moved from tomorrow to tonight at sundown.”
I clutched the doorway to keep from running into the center of the room. Was Franklin so bloodthirsty for revenge of his daughter’s murder that he’d hang anyone in Sam’s place?
Grey didn’t react. He must have suspected this outcome.
Daniel exchanged looks with Grey, then turned and hurried toward the stairs, which were close to where I was now hiding.
“You and you, go with him,” Franklin said, pointing to two of his own men. “Make sure nothing’s planted in Mr. Hamilton’s quarters. I don’t want any fabricated evidence.”
“And you,” he said to Josh. “Don’t move a muscle. They bring me something incriminating, and you’ll be taking the good doctor’s place.”
I sighed a small breath of relief. At least he didn’t seem to be entirely against Grey. As Daniel and the two men from Vegas disappeared into the stairwell, I slipped out and followed them, throwing one last glance over my shoulder. Grey was allowing his hands to be tied behind a chair they'd sat him in. Adrenaline fueled my legs as I ran up the stairs and caught up with Daniel when he entered the second floor hallway.
He jumped and then glared when he saw who I was.
“Do you have any idea what kind of shitstorm you guys just caused?” he hissed. I had never heard him swear before, so I knew he was supremely pissed. “What on God’s green earth made you do something like that? You’re lucky Connie is on bed rest or she’d—”
“Daniel, it’s the truth. I was with Grey and Sam. The Front is coming,” I whispered.
“Not here,” he said in a low voice, eyeing Franklin’s two men not far ahead of us. “I believe you both. Come on, this way.”
I followed him to Josh’s room. Franklin’s men stood in the doorway, watching us.
“What are we looking for?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
“Anything suspicious,” Daniel muttered, walking into the bedroom, where he began to root through the large duffle bag on the floor. I flipped the couch cushions and looked under the coffee table. Nothing. I tried to remember where I’d seen people find stuff on cop shows. I moved to the bathroom and looked inside the toilet tank. It was empty. I shook out all the stacked and folded towels and looked in the shower. I even checked the back of the framed picture hanging on the wall. Nothing. I went back into the bedroom where Daniel had the sheets and covers thrown off the bed now.
“Try between the mattress and the box springs,” I said. “I used to hide my diary there.”
Daniel pulled the entire mattress from the bed and tossed it to the side.
“Bingo,” I said.
In the center of the bed was a black ham radio with a long antenna. It was the size of an old school, brick-shaped cell phone. I grabbed it and turned it on. There was power, but no one was transmitting.
“We could have used that a few days ago,” said Daniel. “Looks like Sam was telling the truth.” Daniel ran his hands through his red hair, making it stand on end before flattening it out again. He sighed and looked at me with sad eyes. “Let’s take it to Franklin.”
We found Franklin in the lobby, which was still full, even though everyone had clearly finished eating. People shot angry looks toward Grey, whose hands were still tied behind his chair. Josh was nearby, his hands tied in the same fashion.
“What’s that?” Franklin asked, when Daniel placed the radio on the table in front of him.
“This is the ham radio we found hidden in Josh’s room,” Daniel said, handing it to Franklin.
Franklin turned it over, inspecting it, then powered it on. There was only static. He looked at the two men he’d sent with us, and they both gave a nod of confirmation.
“I found that. Just yesterday,” Josh said, calmly.
“Okay. Then why was it under your mattress?” Daniel asked.
“We’ve had problems with sabotage since before we got here. Our last radio got trashed. I didn’t know who might be the cause of it, though I know it was Sam now. So I hid it for safe keeping, in case the main radio mysteriously went out again. That radio proves nothing, except I’m a very cautious man. Which is why Hoover made me head Greeter.”
“If you were such a cautious man, you never would have let Sam into Hoover!” I said, my anger rising at his calculated explanation.
“I wasn’t the only one to make the mistake of trusting her.” Josh eyed Ben, then me.
“How many other members of The Front have you let into Hoover?” I glared at him.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Autumn. If anyone is a Front collaborator, it’s Grey. He did let Sam go, after all,” he answered in a calm voice, glancing at Grey.
I turned to Daniel. “We have to get a message to them, now. They have to be ready.” I tried to take the radio back from Franklin, but he pulled it out of my reach.
“Now, wait just a minute. I’m not about to go get everyone riled up over what might be nothing,” Franklin said. “This isn’t exactly damning evidence, Miss Winters. We still have no proof Hoover is in imminent danger.”
I tried to protest, but Franklin raised his voice over mine. “Mean time, I’ll have our man give them a call and tell them to keep an eye out, but I’m not about to send the town into complete lockdown on the word of a murdering traitor.”
“They are coming in full force! Hoover needs to know the jeopardy they’re in! They’re going to be attacked tonight!”
Franklin raised his voice and yelled into my face, “And if I hear another word about it, you’ll get a seat at the tribunal next to your boyfriend! Got it?”
I gritted my teeth to avoid saying something I’d regret and becoming another problem for Daniel to work out. I was more useful if I was free, so I silently fumed. Karl was coming for Hoover, and no one was doing a damned thing about it.
Daniel motioned for me to follow him. I glanced at Grey. He watched me, his calm face composed as always. I nodded to show him I wouldn’t give up, and he nodded ever so slightly back. I walked with Daniel outside to the street. Neither of us said a word until we were in the middle of the large intersection. I could see the Egyptian, still smoldering. The late afternoon sun lit up the Flamenco, and the Big Apple was shrouded in shadow across the street. I shivered, the new knowledge of what lay inside flashing through my mind. I glanced at the sun beyond the hotel’s Statue of Liberty. It was almost halfway from its zenith to the horizon. That meant we had only a handful of hours left.
“We have to convince them,” I said. “Hoover won’t stand a chance if the at
tack is bigger than last time, especially if there are Frontmen hiding inside.” Panic bloomed inside me as I spoke the words. I took a shaky breath to calm myself.
“I know,” Daniel said quietly. “That’s why I’m going back to the airport.”
“What?”
“I’ve almost dug out enough of the runway to get the plane in the air. I’ll head back to Hoover to warn them, maybe take a few of our other guys with me if I can.”
“At least they won’t be caught completely off guard,” I said. “What about Grey? What should I do?” I felt even more helpless now that Daniel was leaving.
“Keep looking for evidence. Tell Franklin you want to search Josh’s room again. That way, his men can attest you didn’t plant anything you found. Find Shad. He’ll help you.” His voice changed. “I’d stay and help him if I could, Autumn. I promise I would. But so many others could die...” His voice trailed off.
“I know. Go. I’ll find a way to save him.”
Daniel and I parted, and I was on my own. It was up to me to save Grey, and to prove Josh’s guilt.
I went back to Josh’s room with Franklin’s men, where I proceeded to tear the place apart, looking for the tiniest shred of extra evidence, but it just wasn’t there. After leafing through every page of the Las Vegas Magazine and the room service menu, I leaned against the mattress sagging against the wall. It was hopeless. The radio was enough to prove Josh wasn’t a team player, but it wasn’t enough to link him directly to The Front.
My head drooped, and I breathed in deeply, trying to force myself away from the looming feeling of defeat. My body ached for rest, but I didn’t have time to grant its wish. Grey needed me. I glanced outside. The shadows were lengthening across the street toward the Palmetto. How much time had passed?
I stood up straight suddenly and lifted my chin. I would save him. There had to be something else to prove Josh was a member of The Front. I just wasn’t seeing it. I thought back to what Sam said, and through all the sabotage we suffered in the last week, and then to Karl himself when I saw him in LA. I heard Karl ask someone if there’d been any word from the Cardinal in Vegas. I’d been confused at the time and later assumed he’d been talking about Sam, but she said she kept her distance from Josh. She wouldn’t have had access to his radio and couldn’t have had one of her own because she came to Hoover with next to nothing and wasn’t a part of the group who packed for the Vegas trip. I was willing to bet she wouldn’t have been able to hide a radio like Josh could. If someone codenamed Cardinal was sending reports to Karl, they’d have to have a radio to do it.
My head snapped up. Josh had to be the Cardinal.
I ran downstairs, praying Franklin hadn’t jumped the gun on Grey’s “trial.” I needed to get my hands on that radio. When I exited the stairwell, I saw the crowd had tripled in size. Word had obviously gotten out about the tribunal. People huddled in small groups, whispering behind their hands. I pushed through the crowd until I found Franklin. Josh and Grey were seated nearby, guarded by armed men.
Before I could act, Franklin stood and cleared his voice loudly.
“Attention, please. Attention,” he said, his voice booming with authority. The noise from the crowd ceased, and Franklin continued. “In case some of you have yet to hear the latest news, the doctor from our sister city of Hoover has confessed to betraying us by releasing the saboteur who destroyed our gasoline stores and caused the stampede, killing many in our community.”
He paused to let his words sink in. Grey watched him with a sad expression. I wondered if he knew I was still here. His shoulders were hunched, and his fists clenched behind him, straining against the nylon rope binding his wrists together.
“This is a highly grievous offense and shall be punished to the full extent of my authority. Unless anyone has anything to say on his behalf, I have sentenced him to death.” Gasps rang out from a small number of people, while others cheered approvingly.
Time to act. I pushed through the crowd, my path leading me straight to Franklin and Grey. “The Front is coming!” I yelled as loud as I could above the noise. The people closest to me quieted and turned toward me, so I shouted again.
“Grey let Sam go in exchange for information! Franklin was going to kill Sam without even questioning her! Sam ratted Josh out and said The Front is going to attack Hoover! Tonight! Karl is bringing an army, and Hoover will fall this time if we don’t help them. When that happens, Las Vegas won’t last long after that!”
“Listen to me, young lady—” Franklin shouted.
“What’s wrong with you?!” I yelled. “You have the radio we found in Josh’s room! You know that proves he’s a member of The Front!”
Eyes around the room darted to Josh Hamilton. He glared at me, but his face was losing color.
“That radio proves nothing!” Josh scoffed. “It’s a backup.”
“Sam told Grey Karl was in contact with someone codenamed Cardinal in Vegas,” I said, staring at him. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to substitute the information Grey and I learned in Los Angeles for what Sam told us. I hoped it was enough.
Josh stared at me, his gaze icy. I grabbed the radio from the table and powered it on. I hoped it was left on the channel Josh last used. I held the microphone to Josh’s mouth, my finger hovering over the transmit button.
“Say ‘this is the Cardinal’,” I commanded. “If Sam was lying, nothing will happen, and you have nothing to fear.”
“What are you talking about?” Josh said with complete sincerity. He was so sincere, I almost faltered. Was I mistaken? I couldn’t be. My hand holding the microphone began to shake, and I took a steadying breath.
“If you won’t say it, we’ll all know you’re a traitor.” I looked at Franklin, hoping he followed my logic for once. “Make him say it, to prove once and for all that he’s innocent, and Sam was lying about him,” I said, in as firm a voice as I could manage.
“Do it,” Franklin said gravely.
“This...” Josh paused, then chuckled and continued, “This is ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. Do you really think The Front is using silly code names to communicate with their saboteurs?” Josh smiled handsomely at the crowd around us. “Has the Eagle landed, Autumn? Has Elvis left the building?”
He laughed, and the people in the crowd closest to us tittered with laughter, too. I looked at Grey, whose head barely nodded. I looked at Franklin, half-expecting him to try to put a stop to this, but he was staring peculiarly at Josh.
“Do what the girl says,” growled Franklin, “And let’s be done with all this.”
Josh laughed once more, leaned into the microphone and quickly said, “This is the Cardinal.”
I pressed the transmit button before he was done, and was sure I got the last half of his statement. Hopefully, it would be enough for Karl to respond. I let go of the transmit button and listened. The entire crowd pressed in to listen. Nothing happened.
I looked up at Franklin, who stared at me. I couldn’t read his expression. He shook his head.
“Just wait. Please, give it just a minute.” I held my breath as the radio silence stretched on.
His head sagged, and he said, “I’m done waiting. I want justice, and so does my community.” He motioned to some of his men and then to me. “Lock her in a room until we’re done with him, and then I’ll decide what—”
A loud burst of static emanated from the radio, followed by a voice that would be instantly recognizable to anyone who’d heard Karl’s propaganda messages.
“Copy, Cardinal. We’re en route. Maintain radio silence until it’s all over.”
The stunned silence that followed reverberated around the room, and all eyes fell onto Josh. He didn’t waste time. He leapt to his feet to run, but forgot his hands were tied to the chair and fell to the ground. Two of the guards picked him up as Franklin advanced on him.
“You son of a bitch,” said Franklin. “You backstabbing piece of crap. Do you know what we’re going to do to you?”
/> “You’re an idiot, Franklin,” Josh said derisively. “You all are. Do you know how easy it was to fool you all?” Franklin hauled back and punched him squarely in the jaw, sending Josh and the chair he was tied to the floor.
A small bead of crimson dripped to the floor as Josh began to laugh mockingly. He didn’t bother looking at Franklin when he spoke next. “Karl is coming, but you’ll never get to Hoover in time to do anything about it. And she’s right,” Josh nodded toward me. “He won’t stop at Hoover. Vegas is next. People like you... all of you, will be exterminated.”
A gun exploded next to me, making Josh’s body jolt back a few inches. The crowd jumped and fell back, a few people yelling in alarm. Clutching my chest to calm my heart, I turned to see a woman next to me, holding a smoking gun in her hand. Her face was resolute and unapologetic.
I looked back at Josh, still tied to the chair and lying on the floor. His eyes slowly came up and found mine just before the life seeped from them. And I knew he was gone.
Franklin took a step toward the woman holding the gun. He slowly took it from her, but she didn’t react. “Kristin?” he said softly.
She shook her head, then spoke. “My son is dead because of men like him. So many of our friends. Vonna.” She touched her forehead and blinked like she might faint. Franklin nodded, putting a steadying hand on her arm.
“Someone take Mrs. Walters up to her room to lie down. And someone untie him!” Franklin said, pointing at Grey. “We need all the fighting men we can get if we’re going to help Hoover.”
Two men led Mrs. Walters away, and I wondered what would become of her, and if she would be punished for doing what so many others wanted to.
Franklin looked down to me. “I’ll warn Mayor Westland.” He looked at the people massed on the casino floor around us and yelled, “I want everyone capable saddling horses. We’re riding for Hoover!”