“I haven’t done anything wrong,” Derrick said.
Moffit lifted his gaze from Derrick, sweeping it across the others in the room. “Spoken like a true criminal.” He shifted his eyes back to Derrick. “That’s what you are. A criminal.”
“How do you figure?”
Moffit made a scoffing sound. “Murderers are criminals, Joe.” Moffit paused. “That is the name you gave, isn’t it? Joe Citizen?”
Suppressing a smile, Derrick shook his head. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
Moffit stared at him. “Uh-huh.” After a moment he asked, “What’s your name?”
Derrick stared back. After several moments of silence, he felt something hard press into the back of his head. A gun.
“Answer the Governor,” a man said from behind him.
Derrick craned his neck around but couldn’t see the man. He swiveled his head back to the front. A moment later Derrick’s head jerked forward as the man shoved the gun harder against his head.
“Talk.” The man’s voice was nearly a growl.
What was the Governor going to do to him? Derrick wasn’t sure, although if he had to guess he imagined whatever it was would end in death. Only Derrick wanted the death to be the Governor’s, not his own. Regardless, he didn’t want to put his friends at the farm in any danger, so he had to make something up. Thinking quickly, he said, “Webb. Tony Webb.” That was the name of the man who had tried to bring the neighborhood in Utah together, but he’d been killed for his efforts.
The Governor grunted, then he called out, “Ed!”
A moment later, footsteps approached and a man who looked more like an aide than a security man came into view. “Sir?”
“Tony Webb.”
The man nodded, then turned and walked away.
Derrick figured the man was going to look up “Tony Webb” in their database. Good luck with that. Besides the fact that Derrick had given them an alias, whatever Matt had done to their database a few days earlier would keep them from discovering anything useful. Hopefully.
“Where’s your buddy?” Moffit asked. “John Doe?”
Derrick shook his head. “Who?”
Moffit narrowed his eyes, then he snapped his fingers. A moment later someone handed him a pair of photos. Moffit held them up. The pictures were startlingly clear. And there was no doubt that it was Derrick and Jeff.
“Look familiar?” Moffit asked with a smirk.
“That’s me.” Derrick said, his voice calm. “And it looks like…” he let his words trail off like he was trying to figure out where they’d been taken. “Oh. That’s that DMV, right? Where I tried to turn in my gun.”
Moffit set the pictures on his desk as he slowly shook his head. “You sticking to that story?”
“It’s true.” Still calm, still reasonable.
“What happened that day?”
Shouldn’t some law enforcement person be asking these questions? Derrick tilted his head. “If this is an interrogation, I’d like a lawyer.”
Laughter burst from everyone in the room, including Moffit. When his laughter died down, and while wearing a wide grin, he said, “That’s cute.” He looked at someone somewhere behind Derrick. “He thinks he has rights.”
A chuckle sounded from one of the men.
Just as Derrick had thought. Due process was no more and Moffit was basically a dictator.
The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps reached Derrick’s ears. Moffit looked toward the doorway. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s, uh, it’s the database. The I.T. guy says it’s FUBAR.”
Derrick struggled to hold back a chuckle of his own.
Moffit squinted in the man’s direction. “FUBAR? What are you talking about, Ed?”
“You know. Effed Up Beyond All Recognition.”
Moffit sighed audibly. “I know what FUBAR means. Why is it in that state?”
“He doesn’t know. He said it’s been that way for a couple of days but he didn’t want to say anything because he thought he could fix it.” A pause. “Guess he can’t.”
Thank you, Matt!
Biting the inside of his cheek to keep from giving away his joy, Derrick stared at his cuffed hands in his lap. When Moffit was silent, Derrick lifted his gaze to the man’s face, which had gone beet red with fury. Good.
“Aren’t there backups?” Moffit asked through clenched teeth.
“Yeah,” the man behind Derrick stammered. “I.T. says when he tried to load those, they got messed up too.”
This was too perfect.
Moffit’s nostrils flared. “I’ll deal with I.T. later.” His gaze swung back to Derrick, which made Derrick’s heart skip a beat.
Perfect. He’s pissed and now he’s going to deal with me.
“So, Tony Webb,” Moffit began, his eyes flashing, “why did you kill my men?”
“I didn’t kill anyone,” Derrick said while at the same time tallying up the number of people he’d killed since the apocalypse had begun.
Moffit’s lips twisted. “Right.”
This wasn’t going anywhere, so Derrick decided to go on the offensive. “Can I ask you a question?”
Moffit leaned back in his chair as a muscle moved in his jaw. “Go ahead.” His voice was calm. Evidently the man had learned to control his anger.
“Who put you in charge? I mean, from what I understand, you aren’t even the one the people voted in as governor.” Derrick squinted at him. “Weren’t you the treasurer or something?”
Moffit frowned. “I was.”
“And now you’re in charge.” It wasn’t a question.
Moffit’s frown turned to a grin. “I am.”
Derrick stared at him for several beats. “Why are you taking everyone’s guns?”
Moffit tilted his head like the answer was obvious. “The people of California will be safer if criminals are unarmed.”
Derrick stared at Moffit. Did the man really believe his own propaganda? “What if the criminals don’t turn in their guns but the law-abiding citizens do? Then what?”
A serious look came over Moffit’s face. “My officers will protect the citizenry.”
Did anyone really believe what this man was shoveling? Did the others in the room buy it? Were they that stupid? Or was Moffit just taking such good care of them that they were willing to go along with it for their own survival?
Derrick bet it was the latter.
“What gives you the right? What about the second amendment?”
A smile slowly curved Moffit’s lips. “Case you haven’t noticed, the world’s gone to crap. I’m the one in charge now which means I can do what I want. Implement what should have been implemented in the time before.” Warming to the subject, he lifted his feet from the floor and rested them on his desk, crossing one ankle over the other. “Having so many people armed makes the world a more dangerous place. We can’t have random people running around with guns in their hands. That causes all kinds of chaos.” He paused a beat. “Besides, people are starving. We’re giving them life-sustaining supplies in trade for their weapons. It’s a fair exchange.”
With every word Moffit uttered, Derrick hated him more and more. “If you have enough food to feed those who are starving, shouldn’t you give it to them freely?”
A look of guilt briefly flitted across Moffit’s face, but it was gone so quick that Derrick couldn’t have sworn he’d seen it.
Moffit frowned deeply. “Like I said, it’s a fair exchange. If people would rather starve than give up their guns, that’s their choice.”
Derrick couldn’t stop himself. “Choice? I thought this was a mandatory buyback.”
Chuckling softly, Moffit swung his legs back to the floor. “Mandatory for those who want to survive.”
“What does that mean?”
Straightening, Moffit said, “Enough questions.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his desk. “Tell me where your friend is and I’ll go easier on you.”
Lik
e a quick death instead of dragging it out? Instead of asking, Derrick said, “I don’t have any friends.”
Moffit briefly closed his eyes as he shook his head, then he opened them and gave one quick nod to someone behind Derrick.
Bam! Something slammed into Derrick’s skull, snapping his head to the side as stars crowded his field of vision. Damn, that hurt! Derrick shook his head to clear the dizziness, then lifted his gaze to Moffit.
“Try again,” Moffit said, his voice calm as he studied the cuticles on his right hand.
Did this guy really think Derrick would give up Jeff because of one little hit to the head? What an idiot.
Chapter 33
Jessica
Heart squeezing with fear, Jessica gripped Cleo’s leash in her right hand.
You’re a woman walking her dog, she repeated in her mind. Nothing illegal about that. Except for the curfew that the Governor had put into place. It will be fine, she told herself.
Swallowing over the anxiety that climbed her throat, she strode forward like she belonged there, although she’d never stepped foot in this neighborhood in her life. The Governor’s house was huge—more like a mansion, although it wasn’t the historic mansion that governors of old had lived in.
“You!” a deep male voice called out. “Stop right there.”
Head snapping in the direction of the voice, Jessica felt her heart skip a beat. The edge of the property was less than twenty feet away and she hadn’t seen the guard approaching.
She froze in place. Cleo growled.
“It’s okay,” she whispered as she placed a hand on Cleo’s head to settle her. “Sit, girl.”
Obediently, Cleo sat on her haunches.
“You’re not supposed to be out after curfew, ma’am,” the guard said as he approached her, one hand on his sidearm. In the light from the Governor’s lit-up house, Jessica could see the guard’s eyes flick to Cleo as he stopped a good five feet away from her.
Jessica glanced toward the house, on the lookout for the guards she and the others had seen through the binoculars. One was still patrolling in front of the house. At least she’d gotten the attention of this one.
“I just needed to take my dog for a walk,” she began, “so she could, you know, do her business.”
The guard stared at her with narrowed eyes. “It’s past curfew. Turn around and go home before I arrest you.”
Alarmed that he would arrest her, Jessica wondered if their plan would work after all. Just then, a shadow appeared behind the guard, then the guard grunted as he began to fall.
Chris stood behind the guard, helping him silently slide to the ground. Chris dragged the guard into some nearby bushes, but Jessica didn’t stay to watch. Instead, she moved forward, toward the second guard. He was walking away from Jessica, but when he reached the corner, he spun around and took a step in her direction. When he saw her, he paused before striding right toward her.
Pretending like she belonged there, Jessica didn’t make eye contact as she confidently moved forward.
“What are you doing?” the guard asked, then his eyes scanned the space behind her. Looking for the other guard, perhaps.
“She needs to do her business,” Jessica said as she glanced at Cleo.
The guard ignored her, evidently realizing that his companion was missing. Barely looking at Jessica, he said, “Stay right there.” Then he trotted off toward the area where Chris was lying in wait.
Jessica turned and watched, gratified to see Chris silently slide out from the bushes and take the guard down.
“What’s going on out here?” a completely new guard said from the wide front porch.
Startled, Jessica jerked her head in his direction. Where had he come from? Then she saw the front door open and yet another guard come out. Was it time to change shifts? That was bad luck on the part of Jessica and her team.
“Uh,” she said, nervous because this was not part of the plan. Working hard not to look in the direction of the area where Chris was dragging the second guard away, Jessica focused on the guard striding down the walkway toward her. “Taking my dog for a walk.”
The man frowned. “It’s after curfew.”
“I’m sorry. She had to go.”
The man scowled.
“Where’s Brighton and Tiegs?” the fourth guard asked the man standing in front of Jessica as he joined them on the sidewalk.
This wasn’t going the way they’d thought it would. Not at all.
The man who had been questioning Jessica turned away from her and faced his buddy. “No idea.” Both men shifted their focus on Jessica, like maybe she had something to do with their co-workers’ disappearance.
“Hands on your head,” the fourth guard demanded as he withdrew his gun from his hip.
Cleo growled.
“Shut the dog up or I’ll shoot it,” he said as he pointed his gun at the German shepherd.
“Leave her alone,” Jessica said, outraged by the man’s threat.
The man shifted his gun to Jessica, pointing it at her face. “I said hands on your head, lady.”
Terror shot up her spine. Would this guy actually shoot her? Not willing to test the question, and while still holding Cleo’s leash, she put her hands on her head.
“Now, turn around.”
She did as she was told, wondering if Matt and Jeff were watching and what they could do about it. The idea was for them to be stealthy, but this was screwing everything up.
Hands slid down Jessica’s sides, patting her slowly and thoroughly. Cleo growled softly in her throat. The man ignored Cleo, clearly enjoying taking liberties with Jessica. Disgusted by the unnecessarily meticulous search, Jessica couldn’t stop herself—she spun around and shoved the man as hard as she could. Cleo began barking wildly.
Fury washed across the man’s face and he reached for Jessica. The crack of a gunshot filled Jessica’s world. A second shot immediately followed. The man standing in front of her fell to the sidewalk, as did his companion. Blood pooled beneath them.
Shocked, Jessica stared at the dead men.
“Jess!” Matt called out from a short distance away. “Come on!”
Jessica swung her head in his direction, then took off toward him with Cleo right beside her. When she reached him, she gave him a tight hug. Jeff took Cleo from Jessica and the dog quieted.
They were hidden and watched as several men poured out of the Governor’s house.
“Plan B,” Jeff murmured.
Chapter 34
Derrick
A gunshot sounded. Then another.
What the hell is going on?
The room emptied of everyone but Derrick and Moffit
“Looks like it’s just you and me,” Moffit said, obviously believing he had the upper hand. Which he did, because a moment later he reached into his desk and withdrew a gun. “Don’t get any ideas.”
Even though the governor was armed, Derrick was surprised that his men had left him alone with a suspected killer. Clearly, they didn’t have the training and discipline of seasoned professionals, which told Derrick that they were probably recent recruits, signing up on the promise of food and other life-saving supplies. And for the power.
Wanting to use this opportunity to escape, Derrick tried to come up with a way to overcome the shackles on his ankles and handcuffs on his wrists. Not to mention the gun the governor held in his hand. Letting several scenarios play through his head—scenarios that kept ending with Derrick getting shot—he asked, “Do you have shootings often?”
Moffit smiled. “Less often now that people are turning in their guns. Soon we won’t have any more incidents.”
“An unarmed populace is a lot easier to control.” He eyed the gun. “Especially when those at the top have weapons.”
Moffit scowled.
“What’s next? Take everyone’s food?”
A grin replaced the scowl on Moffit’s face. “If necessary. For the greater good, of course.”
“Of cours
e.”
Tilting his head, Moffit stared at Derrick. “You don’t approve.”
Derrick’s eyebrows jerked together. “Hell no.”
“You do understand that we’ve got to pay our security force. And money just doesn’t hold the value it once did.” He paused a beat. “Food is the new currency.”
This was so reminiscent of what had happened in his neighborhood in Utah that Derrick felt a sense of disquiet cascading over him. Because this wasn’t a group of rogue neighbors making rules. This was the governor of an entire state. First take everyone’s weapons, creating a need for and a dependence on a state-sponsored security force. Then take the food the citizens worked hard to produce to pay that force. Not to mention the lack of due process and taking away of all rights.
“How long have you been planning this?”
Moffit shrugged like it was obvious. “Since it became clear that the pandemic would collapse society.”
A new thought came to Derrick. “Did the people above you in the chain of command die from the bird flu?”
A grin blossomed on Moffit’s lips. “Some of them did.”
So, he’d killed the other people in his way. This was not the kind of man that should be running things. He was dangerous and reckless. More people would die because of him. “How many people did you kill?”
The grin vanished. “Don’t you judge me, Mr. Joe Citizen. You and I both know you’ve killed people too.”
“Only to protect myself.”
Moffit sat back, the gun held securely in his right hand, his face relaxed. “I was protecting myself.”
Derrick shook his head. This guy was disgusting. The people of the State of California would be much better off without him, although he had to wonder, who would take his place? Would it be someone just as bad or worse?
Footsteps sounded.
“Sorry, sir,” a man said to Moffit.
Derrick swiveled in his seat to see a man in a security uniform standing several feet to his right.
Moffit chuckled. “I was wondering when one of you would come back.” He paused. “What’s happening out there?”
Pandemic (Book 4): Insurrection Page 12