Fran closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were passing Safe Haven and the section of the river where she’d jumped in. It seemed like a very long time ago.
“You and Duncan can stay with me for a few days,” Josh said. “For as long as you need to. When I get my hand patched up, I’m going back to Wiley’s. Since he and Sheriff Streng are, um, gone, you’re the sole heir. Wiley showed me some money, some gold. That’s yours now. He wanted you to have it. Plus, he gave me a digital copy of that film you saw, told me to take it to the press.”
Fran liked that idea, going to the press. It sort of reversed the curse her father had brought upon the town. She also liked the idea of living with Josh for a few days.
This time she wasn’t going to let him get away.
“I think—” Fran began, stopping when she saw the five military boats speeding their way.
• • •
General Alton Tope pressed
Tope had been somewhat curious how the commander in chief of the armed forces would handle the situation but wasn’t surprised by his decision. A cover-up and media blackout would save the nation from embarrassment, worldwide disapproval, and a whopper of a lawsuit by the relatives of the slaughtered. The casualties would be blamed on a carbon monoxide leak. The area would be sealed off until the Red-ops team was found and dealt with. End of crisis.
But then they found the survivors. People who had been there.
They were thoroughly searched. So was the boat. Nothing of interest was discovered.
The man, Josh, claimed they didn’t know anything. He said he mangled his hand in a boating accident, the same accident that hurt Fran and her son, Duncan. Fran stuck to the same story. The boy started to cry when questioned, and they hadn’t been able to get anything out of him.
Their explanation for having Dr. Stubin’s monkey was also plausible—they found it on the road. Tope knew that Stubin and the monkey were dropped off at the original crash site. When the second chopper exploded, the monkey could have run off.
But Tope had popped in during their questioning and felt in his bones they were holding back. These people knew something. Something that was a threat to the country.
If it had been up to him he would have dealt with it differently. Tope was very good at covering things up. The secret was to tie up all loose ends. But it wasn’t Tope’s call. The president’s orders in regard to the survivors had to be followed, much as it left a bad taste in Tope’s mouth.
The army had taken over an office building outside of Safe Haven, as a base of operations. Tope left his makeshift command post and walked down the hall. Two soldiers guarded the break room where the survivors were housed. They saluted. Tope returned the salute and dismissed them. He unbuckled the strap on his sidearm and walked into the room.
They were sitting together, their arms around each other, looking appropriately scared. But defiant, too. Even the boy. That proved to Tope that they’d lived through something. He’d seen that look before, in combat troops who had witnessed heavy action. The thousand-yard stare.
“I know you’re lying,” Tope said.
No one answered.
“You may have seen some things,” Tope went on. “You might even think you know what’s going on. But how important do you think the lives of three people are compared to national security?”
Tope leaned against the wall and folded his arms.
“This situation will be resolved. And not in a way that will be satisfying to you. You’ll be tempted to talk to the media, try to explain what happened, set the record straight. You’ll have no proof, of course. We’re almost done cleaning up everything. But if you try, you’ll be found and dealt with. If it were up to me, you’d be dealt with right now. No offense.”
“You’re an asshole,” Josh said. “No offense.”
Tope leaned over to Josh, resting his hand on the butt of his .45.
“Your new home is in Hawaii. You’ll be taken by helicopter to Dane County Regional Airport, where you’re booked on flight 2343 to Honolulu. You’ll be met at the airport by a man who will take you to your new house, and he’ll give you information to access your new bank account, which contains ten million dollars. You’ll quietly live out the rest of your lives there. You also have to cut all ties with friends and relatives and never try to contact them.”
“Too late,” Fran said. “They’re all dead.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem, then. Are you willing to accept this offer?”
He drilled his eyes into them, hoping they’d refuse.
“Yes,” Josh said.
Tope nodded. He knew the president was wrong. These people would talk and cause all sorts of problems. The smart thing to do was take them out back and shoot them.
“Where’s Mathison and Woof?” Duncan asked.
Tope squinted at the boy. “Who?”
“The monkey and the dog,” Fran said. “We want them.”
“The dog goes with you. The monkey is government property.”
“We want the monkey, too,” Fran said.
Tope blinked, not believing what he was hearing. They were in no position to bargain.
“Give us Mathison,” Josh said, “And you’ll never have to worry about us blabbing.”
The general recalled the president’s words.
“Fine,” he said. “Don’t ever try to come back to the upper forty-eight.”
Then he turned on his heels and walked out the door.
No one spoke during the car ride to the airport. They were escorted through security, walked to the plane, and seated in the back, Fran between Josh and a very drowsy Duncan.
“What about the animals?” Fran asked their handlers, two soldiers in full dress uniform.
“You can pick them up at baggage claim,” she was told.
They were watched until everyone else had boarded, and then the soldiers left. The plane taxied to the runway, then took off. Fran kissed her sleeping son on the head. Then she looked at Josh.
“We did it,” she said.
“I was worried Duncan would say something. He’s a great kid.”
“When you told him we’d all die unless we lied, he took it to heart.”
“It was the truth. They would have killed us.”
“I know. That man, the one who knew we were lying. He was the one on the film. He was the major who started the Red-ops program.”
“Good,” Josh said. “Then we’ll bring him down, too.”
The captain came over the sound system, informing the passengers that the flight would take a little over thirteen hours. Fran reached up behind her, checked the scrunchie in her hair. The tiny micro SD card was still there, tucked between the fabric and elastic.
“We could do what they said,” she said. “Stay quiet. Spend the rest of our lives in Hawaii on their hush money.”
“Someone has to be accountable, Fran. Don’t you think?”
Fran nodded. That’s what she’d hoped Josh would say.
“And what if they come after us?” she asked.
Josh reached over, took her hand with his good one.
