[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
"Not a clue. He could have slipped through and be hiding out in Maine
for all I know. I really don't expect to catch him. But I can assure you
all, we haven't heard the last of Simon Border."
"What if he does surface somewhere else in America?" Anna asked. "We
kill him?"
"No," Ben said, sugaring a fresh mug of coffee. "Because when, or if, he
resurfaces, he'll swear he's changed his ways and seen the light. He'll
wave the Bible and spout Scripture and beg our forgiveness and we'd look
like a bunch of jerks if we tried to do anything to him. Then he'll
start a new church somewhere and begin all over."
"And we just sit back and do nothing, allow him to do that?" Corrie asked.
"Sure. Public opinion would turn hard against us if we didn't."
"Not public opinion in the SUSA," Cooper said.
184
William W. Johnstone
Ben smiled. "No. You're right about that. But we're realists in the
SUSA, Coop. That's why our system of government works so well. Realists
surrounded by what used to be called left-wing liberals. I just refer to
them as a bunch of assholes and let it go at that."
"But what about all the people Simon and his followers killed?" Anna
asked. "The Indians, the Blacks, the Jewish people ... all the rest?"
"We have no proof of that," Ben countered. "And no bodies. We haven't
come up on a single mass grave."
"But the people who are surrendering en masse?" Jersey asked.
Ben smiled. "Oh, they won't testify against Simon. Not against the Lord
on Earth. Hell, I wouldn't trust most of those who surrendered any
further than I can see them. Right now, they're enjoying the medical
care and food we're providing them, but many of them will rejoin Simon
as soon as possible." Ben smiled. "Of course, they don't know that we're
aware of their plans, but our intel picked up on that early on."
"And we just let them rejoin Simon Border-brain and his whacky church?"
Cooper asked.
"Offhand, Coop, I don't know how we could stop them."
Cooper gave that a few seconds' thought, then shrugged his shoulders. "I
guess we couldn't."
Ben moved over to the wall map and studied it for a moment. "We'll be
moving into some rough country in a few days. What few roads there are
won't be much. We're going to wander some and see the country . . ."
His team exchanged glances. Ben wasn't fooling them a bit. He was
hunting trouble and they all knew it.
"Just wander, huh?" Jersey asked, making no attempt to hide the friendly
sarcasm in her voice.
Page 126
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"That's right, Little Bit. Sightsee. Springtime in the Rockies and all
that."
185
"I'm sure we'll see sights we've never before seen," Cor-rie said.
"Oh, I'm sure we will."
"Naturally, you're going to inform President Jefferys and Ike of your
plans to commune with nature?" Beth asked sweetly.
"As a matter of fact, yes, I am," Ben surprised his team by saying.
"This, I have to hear," Corrie muttered.
"I think it's a great idea, father!" Buddy Raines's voice came over the
speaker.
Ben smiled.
"Oh, I do too, Ben," Ike said. "You just go right ahead and enjoy yourself."
"I think it's a marvelous idea, Ben!" Dan Gray added his voice.
"Why, thank you all," Ben said. "1 just wanted to make sure I had your
approval. I know how you worry about me."
"Thank you, Ben," Ike said. "Enjoy yourself in the Rockies."
"Oh, I shall, Ike. I shall."
Back at his desk, Ben turned his chair, putting his back to his team. A
huge smile hung on his lips. He knew exactly why his batt corns were so
enthusiastic about his planned foray through the mountains: air recon
showed nothing there except a very few tiny settlements, miles and miles
apart.
Ben's batt corns felt this was one way to keep him out of trouble. And,
Ben leaned back in his chair, maybe they were right. But he had a hunch
about those mountains, and this was the best way he knew to get away and
check it out personally.
Ben had a hunch Simon Border was hiding in those mountains, and he would
just dearly love to come face to face with that damned snake-oil salesman.
186
He rose from his chair and walked to the map. "Cooper, advise the rest
of our team we'll cut off here." He pointed to a road leading through to
Montana. "At this point," he hit the map, "we'll cut south, checking out
these towns. We'll hook up with the lead contingent of Buddy's 8 Batt at
this intersection on old Interstate 15." He smiled. "After we wander for
a time in this area." Again, he thumped the map.
"Yes, sir." Cooper stared at the map for a moment. "Not much in there,
boss."
"That's right, Coop. Not much at all."
Page 127
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Jersey and the others crowded around, joining Ben and Cooper at the wall
map. "Ought to be a cake-walk, boss," the little bodyguard opined.
"Might be, Jersey. Might be."
The others smiled, with only Anna looking at her adopted father through
cool, young/old and very wary eyes. General Ben was up to something, she
felt. She just didn't know what. Then her eyes caught the shape of the
emergency pack tucked away behind some boxes against the wall.
After Ben had left the mobile CP, Anna turned to the others in Ben's
personal team. "Look here," she said, pointing to the pack.
The team crowded around while Anna opened the pack and inspected the
contents.
"Keep an eye out for the boss, Coop," Jersey said, and Cooper moved to
the window.
"Emergency gear," Beth said, looking at the contents of the pack. "He's
getting ready for something."
"I'm with you," Corrie agreed. "I think we'd all better follow suit. But
do it quietly."
"Yeah," Jersey said. "I think that, as usual, the boss knows something
he's not sharing with the other batt corns."
"Especially not with Uncle Ike and President Jefferys," Anna said. "And
that rings alarm bells in my head."
187
187
"Doesn't it, though?" Beth said, straightening up after helping Anna
repack the emergency gear.
"I just wonder what the boss has got in the back of his mind?" Cooper
questioned.
"Whatever it is, he believes a small contingent of us can handle it,"
Corrie said. "He likes his fun, but he wouldn't deliberately endanger
the team just for some personal headhunting."
"We'll play along with this sightseeing crap," Anna laid down the ground
rules. "But we'll be ready for anything that might jump up and slap us
in the face."
"Do we tell the others?" Cooper called from the window.
"It wouldn't be fair to keep them in the dark," Beth said. "I say we
tell them."
They all agreed on that.
"Let's get busy," Anna said. "We've got to draw some supplies before we
pull out. And knowing General Ben, we might just cut out very quickly."
Page 128
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
But the personnel at quartermaster put it together almost from the first.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]