Moonlight from breaks in the clouds allowed Kelly to find the shotgun. Farther down the tracks, they could also see the misshaped remains of Richard Ivers.
"Do we really need to go back to the lab?" asked Jessica.
"Can't let Naughton release that virus," said Kelly. "Once he realizes Ivers isn't coming back, he'll know it's all over."
They cut across the field, the mud squishing between their toes.
"You should have crossed the tracks without me," said Kelly.
"I wasn't sure I could make it."
"You could have. You should have."
Jessica took his hand. "If I'd left you behind, you'd probably have done some stupid heroic thing, got yourself killed."
Kelly chuckled, giving her hand an affectionate squeeze as they slogged along, their feet making sucking noises in the mud. When they reached the hillside above the farmstead, the only sign of life was the lone light in the farmhouse window – same light as before. Kelly checked the shotgun, making sure the barrel was clear and a shell was chambered.
"Better stay here," said Kelly.
"No way."
"Makes no sense for both of us to go."
"I'll wait by the barn door and keep watch."
Kelly thought it over, figured it was a good idea, and nodded in agreement. They carefully inched their way down the hill, struggling not to slide out of control. They paused in the long grass before venturing toward the poultry barn, staying far enough away from the house to avoid activating the motion sensor.
The twin barn doors were unlocked, one of them ajar. Jessica took up a position to the side of the doors. Kelly crouched at the opening, easing the door open with the barrel of the gun. He crept into the barn and was startled to come upon a human form on the floor.
Bennie, he feared. He inched closer and knelt beside the body. Clouds passed from the moon, the light revealing Naughton, bound and gagged with duct tape, his lifeless eyes staring to the ceiling. Kelly turned away to get Jessica, but she had followed him in.
Kelly stood. "Bennie got him. Saved the day after all."
"You suppose Bennie's okay? He might have been wounded."
"Wounded or not, he's looking at life in prison. Maybe even the death penalty in a federal case. Was there a phone in the lab?"
"I don't remember seeing one."
"Let's check."
They went through the secret panel. Kelly was about to open the airtight door, but glanced through the window first. The lights were still on.
"Shit." He looked at Jessica, the blood draining from his face. "The monkey is gone. So's the guy they grabbed. The chambers are open."
EPILOGUE – SEPTEMBER
Three squirrels played tag through the trees, each taking a turn as quarry. Above the squirrels, an eagle soared in a summer sky free of clouds, not even a vapor trail. The wind rustled the leaves of a giant cottonwood and fanned the smoke of some distant fire.
Four wild turkeys sauntered across an old overgrown roadway that was slowly being reclaimed by the forest. Beavers plied the nearby stream, which ran uncommonly high for late summer. The maple leaves had begun to turn, soon to be joined by the aspens and oaks to put on a stunning display of natural beauty.
No sirens interrupted the tranquility – no truck traffic, no honking horns, no ringing phones, no loud children, and no human activity.
That was fine with Kelly. He rested on a blanket outside the tent, enjoying the breeze and the sounds of nature, pondering a world without humans – what it would be like had Naughton succeeded.
The crunch of tires on gravel announced Jessica's return from her trip to the convenience store on the highway. They had forgotten mosquito spray – an essential item for camping in Minnesota. The night before, the pests had sent them early into the safety of the tent.
Kelly didn't move – too content, too comfortable, but he sat up when Jessica called out to him.
She hopped from her car and ran over, dropping to her knees, laying the morning paper onto the blanket. "There's news in the case. Another murder."
Ever since the events at Naughton's lab, the paper had given each new break in the story special treatment, featuring a fancy graphic with the catchphrase "Murder at Naughton Pharms." Today it came with a banner front-page headline: "Former Federal Prosecutor Murdered in Phoenix."
"Davis Berringer," said Jessica. "He was US Attorney for North Dakota when the Amflexidyne case went down."
"They figure Bennie killed him?"
"Yep. Weeks ago. Before the others. They just found the body. Duct tape, pills, bruises, poke marks from Bennie's customized stun gun – exact same M-O. His neighbors thought he went back to North Dakota. Nobody reported him missing."
It was a long article, taking up the entire front page above the fold before continuing on page four.
Kelly read aloud: "'The Amflexidyne case involved charges of wrongdoing for withholding safety information ... controversial decision to settle the case for twenty million dollars in fines. No executives were held responsible, though several were named during the investigation.' And get this, 'All of the recent murder victims were among those named.' Wow."
"I wonder if they're any closer to finding Bennie ... or whoever he really is," said Jessica. "I still don't get how Bennie ended up with the identity of some homeless guy in San Francisco."
"I don't think it's hard to pull that off – just find some guy about the right height and hair color who's willing to sell his ID and Social Security card. Or maybe Bennie swiped it."
Jessica sighed. "I wonder if this will start the media madness all over again."
"I wouldn't be surprised, but it shouldn't be as bad. That was crazy."
"No more trips to New York for me."
"We did have fun," said Kelly. "I liked New York."
"The city itself is great. I just don't have any appetite for more talk shows or interviews."
"Me, either."
Jessica pointed to another article. "What's that one?"
Kelly read aloud from the sidebar article. It involved an update from the CDC on the Naughton virus, confirming it was dangerous, but unable to sustain itself outside a laboratory. The article confirmed earlier opinions that Naughton was delusional about the lethal potential.
"Maybe his variant wasn't viable," said Kelly, "but I wonder what would have happened if he released all those other versions. They don't talk about that. Could be that Bennie stopped a major catastrophe."
"Do you think we'd really be in trouble if we talked about the government's role in creating that virus?"
"I'm not sure. Those agents could be trying to scare us. I suppose we could talk to an attorney."
"Doesn't really matter to me. I don't plan on saying anything."
"Neither do I."
Kelly folded up the newspaper, leaned close to Jessica and gave her a kiss. "Sure is nice to get away after all that."
"Yes. Camping was a great idea."
"Go for a swim later?"
"Sure. But nothing with a rocky bottom. My feet still hurt."
Kelly laughed. "No way. It's been over three weeks."
"My feet have a very good memory."
More laughter from Kelly. "Say, do you have my phone?"
"Yes," said Jessica, remembering. She dug into her purse. Cell reception in the campground was lousy, so he'd given her his phone so it could pick up texts and e-mails during her trip to the store. He started paging though the messages.
"Mom says 'Hi,' hopes we're having fun."
"Your mom's cool. She should have gone to New York with us."
"I think she would have if there'd been time to take the train. She's not real keen on flying. Here's a message from Ted, alerting me to the Phoenix story. Says he knew Berringer, the US attorney. 'Might have been coasting to retirement during the Amflexidyne case,' he says."
The next message brought a chuckle.
"What?"
"My dufus college buddies saw us on TV."
"And?"
/> "In cruder terms, they comment on the extremes I used to impress you."
"Impress being your word, not theirs."
"Exactly."
Kelly suddenly straightened up. A chill went down his spine.
"What's wrong?"
"A message from Bennie."
Jessica gasped.
"'Thanks for distracting Naughton,'" read Kelly. "There's also an attachment."
Kelly opened the picture. It was a selfie – a smiling Bennie with Topper the monkey and some crusty character, also smiling, notable for a few missing teeth. They were posed against a backdrop of blooming bougainvillea.
"Oh, my god," said Jessica. "Could that be the real Bennie with him? The guy whose ID he used?"
"No, I don't think so. I've seen pictures of the real Bennie. He was even interviewed. I bet it's the guy from the lab – the guy Ivers pinched in St. Cloud."
"No shit. Of course it is. He's okay after all."
"More proof that the virus ran out of gas."
"Those CDC people will be happy to see this."
"The cops, too."
"I suppose we should tell them right away."
Kelly stared at the picture. "I suppose we should. But I don't feel like rushing off. Hell, what difference does it make if they see it Monday instead?"
"Might help them catch Bennie."
"I suppose it might."
"Bennie seemed to like Topper. So did I."
"Yep."
"I bet Bennie takes pretty good care of him."
"Yeah, Bennie has a soft side. Cared about his mom; that's for sure."
Jessica leaned her head on Kelly's shoulder, looking at the picture. "I suppose Monday's good."
"Monday's good."
"What did he mean about distracting Naughton?"
"I think it's when we ran into the old barn and Naughton turned his light on us."
"He jumped him then?"
"Maybe. Or maybe that's when he got away, and circled around to surprise him or something."
"Are you going to reply?"
"I don't think so. Bennie will have dumped that phone by now. And even if he didn't, I don't know what I'd say."
Jessica closed her eyes, her hands clasped on Kelly's shoulder. "Maybe it's wrong, but I'm kind of glad Bennie's okay."
Kelly nodded. "Me, too."
Scrolling though his remaining messages, Kelly came upon one from
[email protected] "E-mail from Sergeant Haugen."
"Let me guess. He wants to know if you've been to Phoenix lately, paid that former federal prosecutor a visit ... Berringer."
Kelly chuckled. "No, that would be Amundson. I couldn't believe it when he suggested Bennie and I could be accomplices."
"So, what does Haugen want?"
"Just says, 'see attached.' A Word doc of some sort." Kelly popped it open. "Haugen says, 'See letter below. Also coming by mail. Thought you'd want to know ASAP. Russ and I both lobbied for you. Welcome aboard.'"
Jessica screamed. Kelly was stunned, his eyes misting. Below Haugen's note was the Conditional Offer of Employment from the Fargo Police Department.
Jessica wrapped her arms around him, looking at the letter. "Kelly, I’m so happy for you."
Kelly took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. "Amundson actually lobbied for me."
"As well he should, for all the crap he put you through. Maybe I don't have to hate him after all."
"I guess I'll be putting in my notice at work."
"Wow. The start of a whole new adventure."
Kelly nodded. "I hope it isn't as wild as the last one."
THE END
Acknowledgements
Rural railway cover photo courtesy of Terry Hinnenkamp. Terry paired with partner Troy Larson to document much of North Dakota's past as seen in the state's old buildings and towns. View their extensive work and order their books at GhostsofNorthDakota.com.
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